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Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1 was launched into orbit around the earth. It was launched by the Soviet Union. It was in orbit until January 4th, 1958. That’s 3 months. -
First Animal Sent into Orbit
Laika the dog was sent into orbit. She was the first animal to be launched. She survived the orbit, but died a few hours afterward. -
Explorer 1
U.S.’s Explorer 1 is launched. It’s their first satellite that they launched and put in orbit around the Earth.
It's mission was to discover the Earth's radiation belt. -
Luna 1
Luna 1 was the first lunar flyby and it discovered solar wind. -
First Human Launched into Space
Russia launched the first human into space, Yuri A. Gagarin, for 108 minutes. He orbited the earth once 200 miles above earth. He couldn’t land safely on the ground without killing himself, so he parachuted the last few thousand yards. -
First AMERICAN in Space!
Alan Shepard was the first American in space. He was on a 15 minute flight. His capsule allowed him to man it. -
Earth Orbited 3 times by American
Astronaut John H. Glenn orbited Earth 3 times. The flight took about 5 hours. That picture you see is the Friendship 7. That was John H. Glenn's capsule he orbited the earth in. -
First Spacewalk
Alexei Leonov leaves his capsule. He performs the first space walk. He goes back in taller than he was before. -
Failure For The Soviets
Soviets' Soyuz was launched on April 23rd. It crashed on April 24th, kiling Vladimir M. Komarov. -
First Man on the Moon
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first humans to take steps on the moon. They were launched up there by the spacecraft Apollo 11. This was a huge success for the U.S. Neil Armstrong is famous for his quote, "This is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."
