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Launch of Sputnik- first satellite for USSR
Sputnik- was the first artificial satellite that was launched into a low Earth orbit by the USSR. This was surprising to the US because they hoped they would achieve this first. -
First animal in space to orbit Earth for USSR- Laika
Laika was a stray dog from the streets of Moscow and was one of the first animals sent into space to orbit Earth. -
First satellite in space by USA
Explorer 1 was the first US satellite sent into space to orbit the Earth and also the first to carry science instruments with it. -
Creation of NASA
President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 into law. The creation of NASA first was influenced by the launch of Sputnik and now is responsible for space exploration, space technology, and more. -
Ham the Chimp
Ham was the first chimpanzee that was sent into space- testing the safety of space flight. Ham was trained for 18 months, including things like learning to operate levers to light cues. His flight lasted a little over 16 minutes and he was successfully recovered. -
First Man in Space by USSR
Yuri Gagarin was the first ever human to go to space. He completed one orbit around Earth with his flight lasting around 108 minutes. -
First Man in Space by USA
Alan Shepard was the second man and first American to go to space. He launched a sub-orbital flight aboard NASA's Mercury spacecraft- lasting only 15 minutes. -
First Man to Orbit Earth by USA
John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth with his mission lasting nearly 5 hours. He was put in danger when mission control issued a warning about his heat shield and landing bag not being secure. -
JFK's speech and commitment to getting to the moon
In his speech, JFK says that any country that wants to be of importance cannot fall behind in the "race for space". He also says while taking further steps into the world of space- we should stay unproblematic to the rest of the world, not feeding into wars. He wanted us to be the first to the moon and show that we can persevere and do hard things. -
First Man to do and EVA by USSR
Alexei Leonov was the first person to leave the safety of his spacecraft and complete the first space walk. -
Gemini 3
This mission was the first time two American astronauts flew into space and this was the first crewed mission in NASA's project Gemini. During the reentry of Gemini 3, there was a problem with the communication system causing disruption. -
First Man to do an EVA by USA
Ed White was the first American to do a space walk. His walk lasted about 21 minutes while still attached to a 23ft tether. -
Gemini 5
This mission was designed to last 8 days and demonstrate a long-duration crewed flight along with evaluating the effects of long periods of weightlessness on the crew. -
Gemini 6
This mission achieved the first crewed rendezvous with another spacecraft- which was Gemini 7 -
Original Gemini 9 Crew
The original two man crew of Gemini 9 died in a plane crash when going to see their spacecraft. Two other men successfully took over the mission but did run into trouble while trying to dock. -
Apollo 1 Crew
During the start of their mission- during a launch test- a fire broke out and spread quickly- which killed three crew members -
Apollo 7
The Apollo 7 mission sent the first human crew for an Earth orbital mission. This mission was the first opportunity they got to test the first of the new Block 2 spacecraft in orbit. -
Apollo 8
This mission made them the first to orbit the moon- "round the moon and back" -
Apollo 9
On this mission the crew tested different things like aspects critical to landing on the moon. -
Apollo 10
During this mission they demonstrated crew, space vehicle, and support facilities performance- evaluating the performance of the lunar module there. -
Apollo 11
During this mission was the first time humans landed on the moon.