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Sputnik 1
It successfully launched and entered Earth's orbit. Sputnik began the space age. The successful launch shocked the world, giving the former Soviet Union the distinction of putting the first human-made object into space. -
Laika the space dog
In 1957, Laika became the first animal launched into orbit, paving the way for human spaceflight. Laika, a stray dog from the streets of Moscow, was selected to be the occupant of the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 that was launched into outer space on 3 November 1957.
[link text] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika -
Explorer 1 launched
May 23, 1958 - Signal ended when batteries ran out
March 31, 1970 - Burned up on re-entry over Pacific Ocean
Orbited Earth once every 114.8 minutes after launch, or 12.54 orbits per day
Completed 58,000 orbits times before returning to Earth in March 1970
Orbit path took it as close as 354 kilometers (220 miles) to Earth and as far as 2,515 kilometers (1,563 miles) from Earth
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Luna 1
Luna 1 was the first spacecraft to reach the Moon, and the first of a series of Soviet automatic interplanetary stations successfully launched in the direction of the Moon.
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1959-012A -
Yuri Gagarin
Shortly after 9 a.m Moscow time on April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin rocketed straight into the history books when he became the first man to fly into outer space. The unassuming 27-year-old pilot and engineer spent 29 minutes orbiting the Earth a single time instantly.Then on March 27, 1968, he and another pilot were killed when their two-seater aircraft crashed during a routine training flight. https://www.history.com/news/what-really-happened-to-yuri-gagarin-the-first-man-in-space -
Alan Sheperd
On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space. He flew on a Mercury spacecraft. There was just enough room for one person. He named his capsule Freedom 7. On this flight, Shepard did not orbit Earth. He flew 116 miles high. Then he came back down. The flight lasted about 15 ½ minutes. The mission was a success.
https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/who-was-alan-shepard-k4.html -
John Glenn
His mission of almost nine days on the space shuttle orbiter Discovery, launched Oct. 29, 1998, when he was 77, made him the oldest human to venture into space. On Discovery he participated in a series of tests on the aging process. The aging population was one focus of his work as a U.S. senator.
https://www.nasa.gov/content/profile-of-john-glenn -
Gemini Program
Gemini was an early NASA human spaceflight program. Gemini helped NASA get ready for the Apollo moon landings. Ten crews flew missions on the two-man Gemini spacecraft. The Gemini missions were flown in 1965 and 1966. They flew between the Mercury and Apollo programs.
https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/nasa-knows/what-was-gemini-program-58.html -
Apollo 1
One of the worst tragedies in the history of spaceflight occurred on January 27, 1967 when the crew of Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee were killed in a fire in the Apollo Command Module during a preflight test at Cape Canaveral. https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo1info.html -
Apollo 8
Loss of signal occurred at 68 hours, 58 minutes, 45 seconds when Apollo 8 passed behind the moon. At that moment, NASA's three astronauts became the first humans to see the moon's far side. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo8.html -
Apollo 11
The primary objective of Apollo 11 was to complete a national goal set by President John F. Kennedy. The mission was to perform a crewed lunar landing and return to Earth."The Eagle has landed..." https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo11.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_OD2V6fMLQ
