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Sputnik was the first satellite in space by any country and marked the start of the space race between the U.S. and USSR. -
The first animal to orbit Earth for the USSR was the stray dog, Laika, launched on board the Sputnik 2 spacecraft on November 3, 1957. It was a one way trip and raised concerns on the ethics of using animals to test. -
The United States' first satellite in space was Explorer 1, launched on January 31, 1958. It was a response to the soviets launching Sputnik. -
Yuri Gagarian was the first man in space for USSR -
Created in response to Sputnik by Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower -
Ham the chimp was the first chimp to go to space for the USA -
Alan Shepard was the first man to go to space for the USA -
John Glenn was the first man to orbit earth for the USA. -
JFK's speech at Rice University showing their commitment getting to the moon -
The first man to EVA for the USSR was Alexei Leonov -
Ed white was the first man to do EVA for the USA -
The Gemini 5 mission was the first crewed American spaceflight with the crew of L. Gordon Cooper Jr. and Charles Conrad Jr. to demonstrate the feasibility of long-duration human spaceflight, setting a new record of eight days in orbit -
These two missions conducted the first-ever rendezvous in space. During this mission, Walter Schirra Jr and Thomas P. Stafford used Gemini 6A and maneuvered to meet and orbit alongside Gemini 7, which had been in space for several days -
Command pilot Neil Armstrong and pilot David Scott successfully docked their Gemini VIII spacecraft with the Agena target vehicle, the first-ever linking of two spacecraft together in Earth orbit. -
Gemini IX was a NASA mission that launched on June 3, 1966, with astronauts Thomas Stafford and Eugene Cernan. After a failed launch of the target vehicle in May, a replacement was used, which the crew rendezvoused with. However, the docking failed because a shroud on the target vehicle wouldn't fully deploy. -
The three-man crew, Virgil Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chaffee of the Apollo 1 mission died in a fire during a launch pad test on January 27, 1967. The spacecraft became engulfed in flames, and although ground crews worked heroically to rescue them, they were overcome by the intense heat, smoke, and toxic gases. -
Apollo 7 was the first crewed flight of NASA's Apollo program, successfully testing the spacecraft in Earth orbit for nearly 11 days, the crew consisted of Captain Wally Schirra, Jr. , with crew members Donn Fulton Eisele and R. Walter Cunningham -
Apollo 8 was the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth's orbit, fly to the Moon, and orbit it ten times before returning. The crew was commander Frank Borman, command module pilot Jim Lovell, and lunar module pilot Bill Anders -
Apollo 9 completed a successful 10-day Earth-orbital mission on March 13, 1969, and splashed down safely in the Atlantic Ocean. The astronauts on the Apollo 9 mission were Commander James A. McDivitt, Command Module Pilot David R. Scott, and Lunar Module Pilot Russell L. Schweickart. The mission's primary goal was to test the Lunar Module in Earth orbit -
Apollo 10 was the final "dress rehearsal" for the first lunar landing, orbiting the Moon 31 times. The crew of the Apollo 10 mission was Thomas Stafford (Commander), John Young (Command Module Pilot), and Eugene Cernan (Lunar Module Pilot). -
The three Apollo 11 astronauts were Commander Neil Armstrong, Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin, and Command Module Pilot Michael Collins. Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the Moon, while Collins remained in orbit around the Moon in the command module.