important dates in space history By Haileyzaal Nov 20, 1608 Galileo used two lenses to make distant objects appear nearer and larger Galileo used two lenses to make distant objects appear both nearer and larger. Oct 31, 1610 Galileo observed the moons of Jupiter (first telescope observation) Aug 5, 1687 Isaac Newton described 3 basic laws of motion Aug 10, 1926 Robert Goddard developed the first American rocket to use liquid fuel Feb 24, 1949 First U.S. designed rocket to reach outer space Sep 14, 1959 First probe to land on the moon Feb 20, 1962 John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth 3 times Jun 16, 1963 First Woman in Space (Valentina Tereshkova) Jul 20, 1969 Apollo 11 was the first lunar landing mission Apr 12, 1981 Columbia became the first space shuttle to be launched Jun 18, 1983 Sally Ride became the first American woman in space Apr 24, 1990 Hubble spacecraft telescope began operation Jul 1, 2004 First orbit of Saturn Mar 17, 2011 First Orbit of Mercury Nov 12, 2014 First man-made probe to make a planned and soft landing on a comet