History of Space Exploration and The Space Race

By Ahsliemay
  • First artificial Satellite

    First artificial Satellite

    The US announces that they will launch the first artificial satellite. The USSR responds by launching their own satellite.
  • Sputnik 1

    Sputnik 1

    The USSR launches Sputnik 1 October 4th 1957,and becomes the first satellite in history to orbit the earth. Click here for more!
  • Sputnik 2

    Sputnik 2

    The USSR lunches Sputnik 2 holding a dog named Laika which becomes the first living organism sent into orbit.
  • The Space Race

    The Space Race

    The US launches Explorer 1, the first US satellite to reach orbit. Carrying experimental equipment that led to the discovery of the radiation belt.
  • NASA

    NASA

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is created in the US. Click here for more NASA history
  • Luna 1

    Luna 1

    The USSR launches the first "cosmic rocket" because it accidentally escaped the orbit of the moon because of the object traveling too fast. This becomes the first human made object leaving earth's orbit to orbit the sun instead.
  • Explorer 6

    Explorer 6

    The US launches the worlds first weather satellite. We see the first picture of Earth from space.
  • Vostok 1

    Vostok 1

    The USSR gets ahead of the race when Yuri Gagarin aboard Vostok 1 makes a single man to reach space in a single orbit around Earth. He stayed in space for an hour and 48 minutes.
  • Man on the Moon

    Man on the Moon

    Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin become the first to walk on the moon. This led America to victory in the space race. This was witnessed by 723 million people.
  • Apollo-Soyuz

    Apollo-Soyuz

    The tensions between the US and USSR begin to disappear when they launch their first cooperative mission to launch Apollo-Soyuz. Tom Stafford and Alexei Leonov exchange the first international handshake. This ends the space race while paving the way for future joint missions.