race to the moon By lstalnaker Period: Jan 1, 1950 to Dec 31, 2011 race to the moon Oct 4, 1957 sputnik 1 is launched On this date, the Soviet Union successfully launched the first satellite into orbit around the Earth. This event started the space race between the USSR and the United States. May 9, 1962 Alan Shepard Alan Shepard is the first U.S. citizen to go into space
