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the USSR sent the sputnik satellite was sent up to orbit -
the first animal to orbit the earth was a dog laika -
the first u.s satellite was the explorer 1 -
the U.S space program was made in 1958 -
Ham the chimpanzee was the first chimpanzee to perform tasks in space -
The first man in space by the USSR was cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin -
The first American in space was Alan Shepard, who completed a 15-minute suborbital flight -
John F. Kennedy committed the U.S. to landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth within the decade in a speech to Congress -
John Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth, completing three orbits -
The first man to perform an Extravehicular Activity (EVA) for the USSR was cosmonaut Alexei Leonov -
Gus Grissom and John Young became the first crew to fly a Gemini spacecraft. Their mission showed that astronauts could steer and change the path of their spacecraft while in orbit -
The first man to perform an EVA (Extravehicular Activity) for the USA was astronaut Ed White -
James McDivitt and Edward White spent four days in space to see how the human body reacts to longer missions. Edward White also made history by becoming the first American to do a spacewalk. -
Two spacecraft worked together in this important test. Wally Schirra and Thomas Stafford flew Gemini 6A, while Frank Borman and James Lovell flew Gemini 7. Their main goal was to practice rendezvous, which means bringing two spacecraft close together in orbit. Gemini 6A approached Gemini 7 until they were only a few feet apart. This proved astronauts could meet up with another spacecraft in space, a skill needed for docking during future Apollo Moon missions. -
Elliot See and Charles Bassett, the original Gemini 9 crew, died in a plane crash while traveling to training. Their deaths showed how dangerous preparing for space missions could be, even on Earth. -
Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger B. Chaffee were killed when a fire broke out inside their spacecraft during a ground test. This accident led NASA to make major safety changes to the Apollo program, helping protect astronauts on future missions. -
Walter Schirra, Donn Eisele, and Walter Cunningham flew the first crewed Apollo mission. It was known for being the first successful test of the redesigned Apollo spacecraft in Earth orbit. -
Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders became the first humans to leave Earth orbit and travel to the Moon. It was the first mission to orbit the Moon and take famous photos of Earth from space. -
James McDivitt, David Scott, and Russell Schweickart tested the Lunar Module in space for the first time. They also completed the first Apollo spacewalk and first docking and re-docking of the Apollo spacecraft. -
Apollo 10 was the dress rehearsal for the Moon landing. Astronauts Thomas Stafford, John Young, and Eugene Cernan flew the Lunar Module close to the Moon’s surface but did not land. It tested all the steps needed for Apollo 11. -
Apollo 11 landed the first humans on the Moon. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins flew the mission. Armstrong and Aldrin became the first people to walk on the Moon.