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In October of 1957, Russia suprised the world and ultimately started the "space race" by sending the first man made satelite into space, which orbited Earth.
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The Explorer in launched in 1958 was the first American made satelite and was a quick response to the Russians Sputnik. This was sent into Earth's orbit.
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This was a Russian creation and sent thr first human into space. This spacecraft orbited Earth until returning back to Earth.
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This mission in February 1962, the Atlas 6 put the first American in orbit, which was a quick response to the Russians Vostok 1.
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This Russian made spacecraft was launched in the September of 1968. It orbited the moon and later became the first spacecraft to orbit the moon and return back to Earth.
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On July 20, 1969, the United States' Apollo 11 sent the first humans to the moon, just as John F. Kennedy had promised the world earlier in 1961. This wa " one small step for man, and one giant leap for man kind".
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This spacecraft was made by the Russians and and sent to the moon in 1970. This later became the first spacecraft to return soil from the moon.
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On August 20, 1975, the Viking Mars rover was launched and became the first succesful mission to Mars. This rover was built and launched by the Americans.
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The Columbia was built by the Untited States and was the first of the NASA Space Shuttle (not spacecraft, but Space Shuttle). The Space Shuttle was the first spacecraft to be built that was supposes to be used more than one time.
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In 1989, the U.S. made Galileo was sent to Jupiter to learn more about the largest planet in our solar system and it's moons.
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The International Space Station (ISS) was a really good thing for the whole world because it is open for everyone to use for research and docking space shuttles for refule, rest, ect. The ISS orbits Earth and can be seen by the naked eye at appropriate light.
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This was one of two Mars rovers launched in 2004 (it's twin being Opportunity) and was the most complex NASA rover created.This landed on one side of the planet Mars and searched for signs of water, life forms, and rock types.
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This was NASA's (United States) Spirit rover's twin, nad landed on "The Red Planet" 3 weeks after Spirit did. This rover found signs of water, which comletely changed the mindset of scientists.
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The Disvovery was another Space Shuttle built, and was launched in 2005. However, it was a pretty big deal because it wsa the first manned American spacecraft since the Columbia disater.
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On January 15, 2006, the U.S. made Stardust returned to Earth and landed in a desert near Salt Lake City, Utah. It contained the first ever sample of dust from a comet, and allowed scientists to get to understand comets better.
