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Soviets Launch Sputnik 1
On October 4th, 1957 Sputnik 1 was officially released. A Sputnik is a type of satellite. The satellite had entered the Earth's orbit and began the space age. This put the Soviet Union ahead of the US by putting the first manmade object into space. -
Creation of NASA
Due to the launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union, the US began to search for opportunities in the space race. Technological advances were extremely important for the US, especially since they were already behind. -
Americans Launch and Return Ham
On January 1st, 1961 Ham, the chimpanzee, was launched into space on the Mercury-Redstone mission. He was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. His mission launched him to space but was not completely successful. Although there were problems, space engineers found ways to fix these problems because of this mission. -
Yuri Gagarin: The 1st Man in Space
On April 4th, 1961 Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space, by the Soviet Union. His mission was possible in the Vostok 1 spacecraft. He orbited the Earth in 1 hour and 29 minutes and hit a maximum altitude of 187 miles. -
Mariner 4 Becomes the First Satellite to Reach Mars
On the night of July 14-15, 1965 the Mariner 4 completed its first flyby reconnaissance of Mars. The Mariner 4 had a 228-day journey from Earth. The spacecraft held seven science instruments for measurements of Mars. -
Americans Land on the Moon
On July 20th, 1969 Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin accomplished being the first humans to land on the moon, with Armstrong being the first to walk on the moon. America had finally won the space race against the Soviet Union. The Apollo 11 mission was finally a success. -
Soviets Launch the First Space Station
On April 4th, 1971, the Soviet Union released Salyut into space. Although this mission seemed successful, it ended horribly with the crew dying from sudden depressurization. After this mission, six more improved Salyut's were released in the next ten years. -
The First Joint Mission Between the Soviets and the US
In July of 1972, the Soviet Union (Soyuz 19) and the US (Apollo 18) both docked in space. Both commanders greeted each other with gifts in the excitement of reaching space for both countries. The two spent some time together coming up with experimental ideas, shared meals, and held conferences.