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By earthsciencerocks2

  • Sputnik launched

    Sputnik launched
    history.comSputnik was the first artificial satellite launched into orbit around the earth. It was launched by the Russians on October 4, 1957, during the "Space Race". The name "sputnik" is the Russian word for satellite. Sputnik orbited the earth at 18,000 miles per hour, and completed a full revolution every hour and 36 minutes.

  • Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space

    Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space
    nasa.govOn May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space. He was launched aboard a Mercury spacecraft known as Freedom 7, which sat atop a Redstone rocket. His flight travelled 116 high, and then came back down, rather than orbit the Earth. The flight lasted a total of 15 minutes.

  • John Glenn pilots the Mercury-Atlas spacecraft into orbit around Earth

    John Glenn pilots the Mercury-Atlas spacecraft into orbit around Earth
    nasa.govOn February 20, 1962, American John Glenn piloted the Mercury-Atlas 6 into orbit around the Earth, which launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This was the first manned U.S. orbital mission. Glenn orbited the Earth 3 times, travelling at around 17,500 miles per hour. The misison lasted 4 hours and 55 minutes in total.

  • Apollo 11 Moon landing

    Apollo 11 Moon landing
    history.comOn July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 manned spacecraft was launched from Kennedy Space Center. With astronauts Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on board, Apollo 11 was the first manned spacecraft to land on the Moon. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first humans to walk on the surface of the Moon. As he stepped out of the landing craft, Armstrong famously stated, "That's one small step for me, one giant leap for mankind."

  • The Venera 9 lander successfully touches down on Venus

    The Venera 9 lander successfully touches down on Venus
    space.comOn December 15, 1970 the Soviet Venera 7 lander successfully touched down on the surface of Venus, making it the first to do so.. It was launched on August 17, 1970 from modern-day Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After a rough landing, it was able to obtain information on the atmoshperic pressure (92 bar), temperature (887 degrees Fahrnheit) and wind speed (2.5 meter per second).

  • Magellan spacecraft launched

    Magellan spacecraft launched
    solarviews.comOn May, 4 1989, the Magellan spacecraft was launched on board a space shuttle from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. About three months later, on August 10, it reached and began to orbit Venus. The Magellan spacecraft used radar to map 98% of Venus's surface. In addition, it was able to map and analyze the gravitational/magnetic field of Venus.

  • The Hubble telescope launched

    The Hubble telescope launched
    nasa.govOn April 24, 1990, the Hubble Sapce telescope was launched into orbit around the Earth. It was launched from the space shuttle Discovery, which took off from Kennedy Space Center. Since then, it has made more than 1.2 million observations of space. Hubble provides scientists with pictures of planets in our solar system, as well as distant stars and galaxies.

  • First Mars Rover lands on Mars

    First Mars Rover lands on Mars
    mars.nasa.govOn January 3, 2004, the first of two Mars Rovers launched by NASA landed on Mars. Launched on June 10, 2003, this rover, and its twin, were sent to Mars in order to learn more about the planet. They were equipped with many different gagdets to collect data about the planet. Their panoramic cameras take pictures of the Martain surface, while the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer analyzes the surface composition.

  • SpaceX Dragon spacecraft returns from low Earth orbit

    SpaceX Dragon spacecraft returns from low Earth orbit
    http://www.spacex.com/news/2013/02/09/spacexs-dragon-spacecraft-successfully-re-enters-orbitOn December 8, 2010, SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft became the first commercial spacecraft to return from a low Earth orbit. It was launched atop of a Falcon 9 rocket at around 10:43 EST from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. After orbiting the Earth at about 7,600 meters per second, it re-entered Eath's atmosphere, and landed in the target zone in the Pacific Ocean at around 2:00 EST. Dragon is also capable of taking people and supplies to the ISS, as it did in May of 2012.

  • Orion spacecraft goes for a test flight

    Orion spacecraft goes for a test flight
    nasa.govOn December 4, 2014, the Orion spacecraft was launched atop of a Delta IV heavy rocket for a test flight. The test flight lasted 4 hours, orbiting the Earth twice, and was used to test the most crucial safety features, such as the parachute and altitude control. Orion is beening developed so that one day it will be capable of taking humans into deep space. It will be launched atop the Space Launch System, the most powerful rocket ever made.