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First monkey in space. (US)
Albert II, was the first monkey in space. He was a Rhesus monkey, a type of monkey that originally comes from Asia.
Albert went into space on 14th June, 1949 in a specially adapted American V2 rocket, that flew to a height of 83 miles from earth. -
Sputnik 1 Launched by USSR
This is the first man-made object to orbit Earth. -
First dog in space: Sputnik II (USSR)
Sputnik 2, carrying the dog Laika for 7 days in orbit, is launched by the U.S.S.R., and remains in orbit until April 13, 1958. -
Explorer 1 satellite launched by US
Explorer 1, the first U.S. satellite in orbit, lifts off at Cape Canaveral using a modified ABMA-JPL Jupiter-C rocket. It carries a scientific experiment of James A. Van Allen, and discovers the Earth's radiation belt. -
N.A.S.A founded
N.A.S.A. is founded, taking over existing National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics. -
Luna 1 launched by USSR
Luna 1, first man-made satellite to orbit the moon, is launched by the U.S.S.R. -
Tiros 1 (US) launched
Tiros 1, the first successful weather satellite, is launched by the U.S. -
First man in space: Vostok 1 (USSR)
Vostok 1 is launched by the U.S.S.R., carrying Cosmonaut Yuri A. Gargarin, the first man in space. He orbits the Earth once. -
First US astronaut in space: Mercury Freedom 7
Mercury Freedom 7 carries Alan B. Shepard,Jr., the first U.S. Astronaut into space, in a suborbital flight. -
First woman in space: Vostok 6 (USSR)
Vostok 6 carries Soviet Cosmonaut Valentia Tereshkova, the first woman in space and orbits the Earth 48 times. -
First soft landing on the moon: Luna 9 (USSR)
Soviet Luna 9 is the first spacecraft to soft-land on the moon. -
US soft-lands on moon: Surveyor 1
Surveyor 1 is the first U.S. spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon. This was to test the landing before sending men to the moon. -
First man on the moon: Apollo 11 (US)
Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, Jr. make the first manned soft landing on the Moon, and the first moonwalk, using Apollo 11.
