science

Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen ("By Rocket into Planetary Space") self-published after its rejection as a doctoral thesis.

Dec 15, 1923

Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket

Mar 16, 1926

First intercontinental ballistic missile

Aug 21, 1957

First intercontinental ballistic missile

First signals from space

Oct 4, 1957

First animal in orbit, the dog Laika

Nov 3, 1957

First firing of a rocket in Earth orbit

Period: Jan 2, 1959 to Nov 19, 2013

First impact into another world (the Moon)

Sep 13, 1959

First plants and animals to return alive from Earth orbit

Aug 19, 1960

First human-crewed orbital flight

Apr 12, 1961

First planetary flyby (within 100,000 km of Venus)

May 19, 1961

First Mars flyby (closest approach 9,846 kilometers)

Jul 14, 1965

First Venus soil samples & sound recording of another world

Mar 1, 1982

First orbit of Jupiter

Dec 7, 1995

First orbit of Saturn

Jul 1, 2004

First soft landing on Titan

Jan 14, 2005

First orbit of Mercury

Mar 18, 2011