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signiicant events in space exploration
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Sputnik I was launched
Sputnik I was a satellite launched by the Soviiet Union. It remained in orbit until 4 January 1958, when it decayed and reentered the atmosphere, having completed 1,440 orbits of the Earth. -
Sputnik II was launched
The Sputnik II was launched carrying the dog, Laika. Sadly Laika passed away due to lack of oxygen, however, the Soviet Union didn't reveal this until 2002 as they had always stuck by the story that Laika had survived for several days after re-entry. -
NASA was formed
The American Congress passed the "National Aeronautics and Space Act" consequently, NASA was formed. -
First man in space
On 12th April 1961, Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. Gagarin's spacecraft, Vostok 1, completed one orbit of the earth, but had to bail out and land using his parachute, because the Vostok 1 was designed to crash land! -
First woman in space
The first woman in space was Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. She has been awarded many honours and prizes for her achievements. A crater on the far side of the Moon is even named after her! -
Surveyor 1 lands on the moon
In 1963 US President John F. Kennedy promised the world that the US would land men on the moon before 1970. Before risking people's lives, NASA sent a robot spaceship, to make sure they could land safely. It was called Surveyor 1. -
First Men on the Moon
On 20th July 1969, Neil Armstrong, and then Buzz Aldrin took "one small step" and became the first men on the moon. The first words said on the moon were "the Eagle has landed". -
Mars 2 explores Mars
In 1973, Russian space probe Mars 2 explored Mars. The probe was made of two parts. One part stayed in orbit for a year, sending pictures of Mars back to earth. The other was to land and explore the surface of Mars, but it was destroyed when its parachute failed to open. -
First detailed picture of Mercury
The first detailed picture of Mercury was taken using an American sattelite, Mariner 10. -
First images of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
The Voyager 1&2 were sent into space less than a month apart, to capture pictures of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and much more. -
Challenger exploded
On January 28th 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launch, because of a fuel system failure. All seven astronauts on board were killed, and all shuttles were grounded for nearly three years. -
Launch of MIR
MIR was the first consistently inhabited long-term space station. It was destroyed in 2001 when it burned up as it crashed back to earth. -
The crew of Expedition One dock at the International Space Station
The crew of Exedition One, astronaut Bill Shepherd and cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev were the first to take up residence in the ISS. -
First tourist on space
On the 28th April 2001 American millionaire Dennis Tito became the first space tourist when he paid around 20 million dollars for a ride in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
