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First animals launched into space.
Fruit flies were used to study the effects of space travel on animals, and were chosen because they are more similar to humans than you might imagine!The flies travelled with a supply of corn to eat on the flight. -
First monkey in space
Albert II, was the first monkey in space. He was a Rhesus monkey, a type of monkey that originally comes from Asia. -
First Dog in Space
The first dog Laika became the first animal to orbit the earth. Laika travelled in a spacecraft known as Sputnik 2. her mission helped scientists understand whether people could survive in space. -
First man in Space
Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. Gagarin's spacecraft, Vostok 1, completed one orbit of the earth, and landed about two hours after launch.Gagarin 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. After her 1963 mission, Valentina became an important member of the Russian Government, and has been awarded many honours and prizes for her achievements. A crater on the far side of the Moon is named after her! -
Lauch of Apollo 11
Launched from the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 in Merritt Island, Florida on July 16, Apollo 11 was the fifth manned mission, and the third lunar mission, of NASA's Apollo program. The crew consisted of Armstrong as Commander and Aldrin as Lunar Module Pilot, with Command Module Pilot Michael Collins. Armstrong and Aldrin landed in the Sea of Tranquillity and became the first humans to walk on the Moon on July 21. -
First men on the Moon
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". Their spaceship, Apollo 11 worked perfectly, flying them 250,000 miles to the moon, and bringing them all the way back safely to earth. Buzz was a childhood nickname - his real name was Edwin! -
Lauch of Voyager 2
One of a pair of spacecraft sent by NASA on what was supposed to be a five-year mission to study Jupiter and Saturn. Voyagers 1 and 2 continue to send back pictures and data today, 30 years later from nearly 10 billion miles away. -
Space shuttle explosion
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. This shocking accident reminded the world of the dangers of space travel, and the incredible bravery of all astronauts.