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In the U.S.S.R., the rocket designer Sergei Korolev had developed the first ICBM, a rocket called the R7, which would begin the space race. -
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) launched Sputnik (Russian for Traveler), the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth. Sputnik was launched atop an R-7 rocket. -
The Sad Story of Laika the Space Dog
The Soviets launch SputnikII a satellite carrying a living creature: a dog named Laika -
Visit NASA's Website
Space exploration activities in the United States were consolidated into a new government agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). -
The United States made two failed attempts to launch a satellite into space before succeeding with a rocket that carried a satellite called Explorer -
The Soviets successfully landed the first spacecraft on the Moon, Luna 2. -
See the Project That Paved the Way for Apollo's Success
The Gemini program was designed primarily to test equipment and mission procedures in Earth orbit and to train astronauts and ground crews for future Apollo missions. -
Meet Yuri Gagarin
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made one orbit around Earth, on a flight that lasted 108 minutes. -
Alan Shepard, flew 116 miles high. Then he came back down. The flight lasted about 15 ½ minutes. -
Video of JFK's Famous Speech to Congress
“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth." -John F. Kennedy -
Mariner 2 was the world's first successful interplanetary spacecraft. It became the first spacecraft to flyby another planet when it passed within 34,833 kilometers from the surface of Venus -
Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to travel to space, when she orbited Earth as part of the Vostok 6 mission. -
Soviet Cosmonaut Aleksey Leonov rocketed into Earth orbit and exited his spacecraft, becoming the first man to walk in space. He floated for an exhilarating 10 minutes. -
Footage of the First Moon Landing
Apollo11, the United States sent the first astronauts to the Moon, and Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on its surface. -
Space stations marked the next phase of space exploration. The first space station in Earth orbit was the Soviet Salyut 1 station -
Check Out More Information About Pioneer 11
Pioneer 11, a sister spacecraft to Pioneer 10, was the first spacecraft to study Saturn up close. Like Pioneer 10 and Voyager 1 and 2, Pioneer 11 carries a message from humanity to the cosmos. -
Join NASA in Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Skylab
NASA’s Skylab space station, in which astronauts and scientists studied Earth and the effects of spaceflight on the human body. -
Explore Mariner, Viking, and Other Missions to Mars
The Viking Project, became the first U.S. mission to land a spacecraft safely on the surface of Mars and return images of the surface. -
Explore Images that the Voyager Mission Captured
The twin spacecraft Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. As originally designed, the Voyagers were to conduct closeup studies of Jupiter and Saturn, Saturn's rings, and the larger moons of the two planets. -
Video of the STS-1 Launch
The reusable spaceplane, the Space Shuttle, ushered in a new era of human spaceflight 40 years ago this week with the launch of STS-1.