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First spacecraft launched
Soviet Union launches Sputnik I -
NASA is created
NASA is formed after Congress passes the National Aeronautics and Space Act. -
First human to travel to space and back safely
Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to enter space and return safely. -
U.S. president announces goal of sending astronauts to moon
U.S. President John F. Kennedy announces the goal of sending astronauts to the moon before the end of the decade. -
Launch of Friendship 7
Launch of Friendship 7 makes astronaut John Glenn the first American to go into orbit. Total flight time was just short of five hours. -
Apollo 1 crashes
Mission AS-204 is struck by tragedy when a flash fire breaks out during a launch pad test, killing three astronauts: Virgil Grissom, who had participated in Mercury and Gemini flights; Edward White, who conducted NASA's first extravehicular activity; and new astronaut Roger Chaffee. The mission, one of NASA's first major setbacks, was later renamed Apollo 1. -
First people to land on moon
Astronauts Edwin Aldrin and Neil Armstrong become the first men to walk on the moon. -
Launch of pioneer 10
Earth's first space probe sent to an outer planet, the first spacecraft to travel through the asteroid belt, the first spacecraft to make direct observations and obtain close-up images of Jupiter, and the first man-made object to leave the solar system. Pioneer 10 sent its last communication back to Earth on January 22, 2003, while 7.6 billion miles from home. -
First experimental space station launched
United States launches its first experimental space station, the Skylab. -
Launch of Viking 1
Launch of Viking 1, the first orbiter and lander sent to Mars. Viking 2 would launch a few weeks later. Both landed safely on Mars and for six years sent back the first set of images and data from the Martian surface. -
Space - shuttle Challenger crashes
First major catastrophe for NASA, when space shuttle Challenger explodes 73 seconds after takeoff with seven crew members aboard