-
Sputnik
The Soviets launched Sputnik with a R-7 international ballistic missile. This would be the first man made object to be placed into the Earth's orbit -
Explorer 1
The U.S launched it's own satellite, Explorer 1, designed by the U.S army. Explorer 1 was twice the size of a basketball and a huge confidence booster for the U.S. -
NASA is born
President Dwight Eisenhower signed a public order creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). -
Luna 2
The Soviet Space Program took another big step with the launching of Luna 2. Luna 2 carried soviet Pennants and was the first probe to hit the moon -
Chimps in Flight
Nasa engineers design a much smaller capsule lighter than Vostok in hopes to jump ahead in the Space Race. They tested the crafts with Chimpanzees and held the final test flight in March 1961. -
Vostok 3KA
Vostok 3KA launched on Aril 12, 1961 with Yuri Gagarin inside. Yuri became the first person to orbit Earth. This was the shortest manned orbital flight to date -
Freedom 7
Astronaut Alan Shepard, aboard the Freedom 7, became the first American in space. The flight only lasted 15 minutes and was not in orbit but was a major triumph for the U.S -
Murcury-Atlas 6
NASA conducted space misson Murcury-Atlas 6 and launched John Glenn into space. This made John Glenn the first American to orbit Earth. The flight lasted 4 hours and 56 minutes and orbited earth 3 times -
Spacecraft on Fire
Gus Grissom, Ed White and, Roger Chaffee are killed during a launch simulation. A flash fire engulfeed their comman module when testing for the very first Apollo-Saturn mission. -
Apollo 8
The launch of Apollo 8 took place. The first manned mission to orbit the moon. Aboard was Commander Frank Borman, Commander Module Pilot Jim Lovelll and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders. -
Apollo 11
Neil Armstron, Edwin Aldrin and Michael Collins took off on the first lunar landing attempt. They landed successfully on July 20. Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moons surface and made the famous quote: "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." -
Apollo 15
Apollo 15 was launched on a saturn V rocket with Commander David Scott and Lunar Module pilot Jamed irwin. They spent 3 days on the moon. -
Salyut 1
First human crewed space station was launched by the Soviets. It orbited the earth about 3,000 time and was in space for 175 days. -
Mariner 9
The Mariner 9 was the first spacecraft to orbit another plannet. It discovered a vast canyon streching 2500 miles. It ran out of fuel but to this day it is presumably drifting in orbit around mars -
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
Three U.S astronauts went into space aboard an apollo spacecraft that eventually docked orbit with a Soviet-made Soyuz vehicle. The commanders of the crafts greeted eachother with a "handshake in space." This "handshake" symbolized the improvenment of U.S-Soviet relations in the late cold war era.