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Magellan Space Program Launched
The Magellan spacecraft was the first planetary explorer to be launched by a space shuttle -
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Space Exploration Dates
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Sputnik 1 Launched
The Sputnik 1 was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was a 585 mm diameter shiny metal sphere, with four external radio antennae to broadcast radio pulses. The Soviet Union launched it into an elliptical low Earth orbit on 4 October 1957. It was visible all around the Earth and its radio pulses detectable. -
Sputnik 2 Launched
Sputnik 2 was the second spacecraft launched into Earth orbit, on November 3, 1957, and the first to carry a living animal, a dog named Laika. -
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Pioneer Program
The Pioneer program is a series of United States unmanned space missions that was designed for planetary exploration. The first spacecraft was launched in 1958, the last one was launched in 1978. -
Venera 1 Launched
Venera 1, also known as Venera-1VA No.2 and occasionally in the West as Sputnik 8 was the first spacecraft to fly past Venus, as part of the Soviet Union's Venera program. -
Mercury Launched
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Venera 1 Loses Contact
Venera 1, also known as Venera-1VA No.2 and occasionally in the West as Sputnik 8 was the first spacecraft to fly past Venus, as part of the Soviet Union's Venera program. -
Gemini Program: 1st Launch
Project Gemini was the second human spaceflight program of NASA, the civilian space agency of the United States government. Project Gemini was conducted between projects Mercury and Apollo, with ten manned flights occurring in 1965 and 1966. -
Gemini Program: Last Launch
Project Gemini was the second human spaceflight program of NASA, the civilian space agency of the United States government. Project Gemini was conducted between projects Mercury and Apollo, with ten manned flights occurring in 1965 and 1966. -
Mariner 5 Launched
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Mariner 6 Launched
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Mariner 7 Launched
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Venera 7 Launched
The Venera 7 was a Soviet spacecraft, part of the Venera series of probes to Venus. When it landed on the Venusian surface, it became the first man-made spacecraft to land successfully on another planet, and to transmit data from there back to Earth. -
Venera 7 Lands on Venus
The Venera 7 was a Soviet spacecraft, part of the Venera series of probes to Venus. When it landed on the Venusian surface, it became the first man-made spacecraft to land successfully on another planet, and to transmit data from there back to Earth. -
Salyut 1 Launched
Salyut 1 was the first space station of any kind, launched by the Soviet Union on April 19, 1971. -
Mariner 9 Launched
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Salyut 1 Returns
Salyut 1 returned on October 11, 1971, after about 6 months in space. -
Skylab Launched
Skylab was a space station launched and operated by NASA and was the U.S.'s first space station. -
Mariner 10 Launched
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Viking 1 Launched
Viking 1 was the first of two spacecraft (along with Viking 2) sent to Mars as part of NASA's Viking program. It was the first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars and perform its mission. -
N.E.A.R. Mission Launch
The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous - Shoemaker (NEAR Shoemaker), renamed after its 1996 launch in honor of planetary scientist Eugene Shoemaker, was a robotic space probe designed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for NASA to study the near-Earth asteroid Eros from close orbit over a period of a year. -
Viking 1 Arrives in Orbit of Mars
Viking 1 was the first of two spacecraft (along with Viking 2) sent to Mars as part of NASA's Viking program. It was the first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars and perform its mission. -
Viking 1 Lands on Mars
Viking 1 was the first of two spacecraft (along with Viking 2) sent to Mars as part of NASA's Viking program. It was the first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars and perform its mission. -
Viking 2 Launched
The Viking 2 mission was part of the American Viking program to Mars, and consisted of an orbiter and a lander essentially identical to that of the Viking 1 mission. -
Viking 2 Reached Orbit of Mars
The Viking 2 mission was part of the American Viking program to Mars, and consisted of an orbiter and a lander essentially identical to that of the Viking 1 mission. -
Voyager 2 Launched
The Voyager 2 spacecraft is a 722 kg space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977 to study the outer Solar System and eventually interstellar space. -
Voyager 1 Launched
The Voyager 1 spacecraft is a 722 kg space probe launched by NASA on September 5, 1977 to study the outer Solar System and interstellar medium. -
Cassini Huygens Mission Launched
Cassini–Huygens is a Flagship-class NASA-ESA-ASI robotic spacecraft sent to the Saturn system -
Almaz Launched
The Almaz program was a highly secretive Soviet military space station program, began in the early 1960s. Its first successful launch was in 1978. -
Skylab Returns
Skylab was a space station launched and operated by NASA (the space agency of the United States) and was the U.S.'s first space station. -
Voyager 1 Flies by Saturn
The Voyager 1 spacecraft is a 722 kg (1,590 lb) space probe launched by NASA on September 5, 1977 to study the outer Solar System and interstellar medium. -
Space Shuttle: 1st flight Launched
The Space Shuttle was a crewed, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft operated by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). -
Voyager 2 Encounters Uranus
The Voyager 2 spacecraft is a 722 kg space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977 to study the outer Solar System and eventually interstellar space. -
Mir Launched
Mir was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, at first by the Soviet Union and then by Russia. -
Galileo Spacecraft Launched
Galileo was an unmanned NASA spacecraft which studied the planet Jupiter and its moons, as well as several other solar system bodies -
Hubble Telescope Launched
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation -
Magellan Space Program Arrives
The Magellan spacecraft was the first planetary explorer to be launched by a space shuttle -
Hubble Telescope Fixed
The Hubble Telescope was experiencing problems so they had to send people to fix it. -
Magellan Space Program Crashes
The spacecraft entered the thick, hot Venusian atmosphere on October 11, 1994, and was crushed by the pressure of Venus's atmosphere. -
Galileo Spacecraft Arrives
Galileo was an unmanned NASA spacecraft which studied the planet Jupiter and its moons, as well as several other solar system bodies -
Sojourner Rover Landed
Sojourner was Mars Pathfinder's robotic miniature Mars rover, and explored Mars for around three months. -
Sojourner Rover Lost Communication
Sojourner was Mars Pathfinder's robotic miniature Mars rover, and explored Mars for around three months. -
Construction started on Genesis Spacecraft
Genesis was a NASA sample return probe which collected a sample of solar wind and returned it to Earth for analysis -
N.E.A.R. Mission Takes Pics of Asteriod Mathilde
The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous - Shoemaker (NEAR Shoemaker), renamed after its 1996 launch in honor of planetary scientist Eugene Shoemaker, was a robotic space probe designed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for NASA to study the near-Earth asteroid Eros from close orbit over a period of a year. -
Genesis Spacecraft Launched
Genesis was a NASA sample return probe which collected a sample of solar wind and returned it to Earth for analysis -
N.E.A.R. Mission Eros Flyby
The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous - Shoemaker (NEAR Shoemaker), renamed after its 1996 launch in honor of planetary scientist Eugene Shoemaker, was a robotic space probe designed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for NASA to study the near-Earth asteroid Eros from close orbit over a period of a year. -
N.E.A.R. Mission Eros Rendezvous
The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous - Shoemaker (NEAR Shoemaker), renamed after its 1996 launch in honor of planetary scientist Eugene Shoemaker, was a robotic space probe designed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for NASA to study the near-Earth asteroid Eros from close orbit over a period of a year. -
N.E.A.R. Mission Touchdown on Eros
The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous - Shoemaker (NEAR Shoemaker), renamed after its 1996 launch in honor of planetary scientist Eugene Shoemaker, was a robotic space probe designed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for NASA to study the near-Earth asteroid Eros from close orbit over a period of a year. -
Mir Returns
Mir was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, at first by the Soviet Union and then by Russia. -
Spirit Rover Landed
Spirit, MER-A (Mars Exploration Rover – A), is a robotic rover on Mars, active from 2004 to 2010 -
Opportunity Rover Landed
Opportunity, MER-B (Mars Exploration Rover – B), is a robotic rover active on the planet Mars since 2004. -
Cassini Huygens Mission Arrives
Cassini–Huygens is a Flagship-class NASA-ESA-ASI robotic spacecraft sent to the Saturn system -
Spirit Rover Communication Lost
Spirit, MER-A (Mars Exploration Rover – A), is a robotic rover on Mars, active from 2004 to 2010 -
Space Shuttles: Last Flight Launched
The Space Shuttle was a crewed, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft operated by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). -
Tiangong Launched
Tiangong is a space station program of the People's Republic of China, with the goal of creating a third generation space station, comparable to Mir. -
Curiosity Rover Landed
Curiosity is a car-sized robotic rover exploring Gale Crater on Mars as part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission (MSL).