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Period: to
Early 1609-1957
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1957
October 4, 1957 - Sputnik 1, the first man-made object to orbit the Earth, is launched by the U.S.S.R., and remains in orbit until January 4, 1958.
November 3, 1957 - Sputnik 2, carrying the dog Laika for 7 days in orbit, is launched by the U.S.S.R., and remains in orbit until April 13, 1958. -
First Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
The Soviet Union launches the first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). Known as the R-7 Semyorka, it travels a total distance of 6000 km (3728 miles). A modified version of this missile would be used later to launch the world's first artificial satellite. -
Period: to
1958-1980
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1980
Voyager 1 Arrives at Saturn The Voyager 1 spacecraft arrives at Saturn and begins sending back extraordinary images of the ringed planet and its many moons. -
1981
First Space Shuttle Launch The first manned mission of the Space Transportation System (STS-1), Columbia, is launched. This mission, as well as the next three, will be a test flight to try out the spacecraft's systems. The Voyager 2 spacecraft arrives at Saturn and begins sending back images of the planet and its moons. -
1958
January 31, 1958 - Explorer 1, the first U.S. satellite in orbit, lifts off at Cape Canaveral using a modified ABMA-JPL Jupiter-C rocket. It carries a scientific experiment of James A. Van Allen, and discovers the Earth's radiation belt.
March 5, 1958 - Explorer 2 is launched by a Jupiter-C rocket, and fails to reach orbit.
March 17, 1958 - Vanguard 1 satellite is launched into orbit, and continues to transmit for 3 years. -
1609
Galileo’s refractor used two lenses to concentrate the light from celestial objects, delivering more light to the human eye than it can gather on its own. The light was refracted through a spherical lens, forming an image. The spherical shape of Galileo’s primary lens made the images blurry. The lens also split light into colors, creating a fringe of color around bright objects.
