-
Sputnik I
The Sputnik I was launched by the Soviet Union. That how the space war began with the United States. It was the first satellite that was put in to the Earth's orbit. It's outcome was a success! The Sputnik I helped with research of the atmosphere and travels at 18,000 mph and completing an orbit in approximately 96 min. -
Period: to
The Space Race
The Space Race began when Sputnik 1 launched and ended with the co-operative Apollo-Soyuz Project human spaceflight mission. -
Explorer I
The Explorer 1 was the first Amercian satellite put into space. It was launched right after the Soviet's Sputnik 1 and 2. The satellite remained in space until 1970 and was the first to record the Van Allen radiation belt. It was also the first of the 90 Explorer spacecraft series. -
Discoverer 14
The Dicoverer 14 satelittle was successfully launched by the United States. It was the first satelitte into space by coming off a moving spacecraft in orbit and then reattching in mid-air. -
First Man in Space
Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space. He was sent by the Russians on the Vostok 1 space craft. He then became the soviet hero and this advanced the Russians in the space race. -
First American in Space
After the russians sent a man in outer space, the United States sent Alan Shepard. He was on board a tiny mercury capsule called "Freedom 7". -
First Woman in Space
Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman in space sent by the Soviets on the Vostok 6 spacecraft. She was choosen to fly to space out of 400 other people. -
First Spacewalk
Alexey Leonov was the first man out in actual space. This russian mission was done on Voskhod 2. He was outside the spacecraft for a time of 12 minutes and 9 seconds. His space suit became infalted when he was trying to get back into the spacecraft. He was able to get air out and barely make it back. -
First American Spacewalk
Ed White was the first American to complete a spacewalk. He was sent on the mission Gemini 4. He was in space for 23 mintues and was over Hawaii and the Gulf of Mexico. -
Luna 9
Luna 9 was the first space craft to have a soft luna landing. It was sent by the Russians. Luna 9 took pictures of the surface of the moon but these pictures weren't immediately released. -
Luna 10
Luna 10 was the first spacecraft to orbit the moon. It finished its first orbit in 3 hours. The design of the spacecraft was similar to Lunar 9. After the spacecraft went into orbit, the satellite separted but stayed close by. -
Soyuz I
Soyuz 1 was a spacecraft that held a man named Vladimir Komarov. It was the first of the Soyuz series. On its return back to Earth, technical problems caused a crash and the death of Vladimir. It was the first fatal space flight. -
Apollo 8
Apollo 8 was the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon. It held Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders. The mission took three days and took 10 orbits in 20 hours. On Christmas Eve the crew read the first 10 verses of Genisis while broadcasting the view on television. -
Apollo 11
Apollo 11 was the first flight that took men to the moon and was a project of the United States. This was a great achievement for the US because the Soviets hadn't did that yet. -
Apollo 14
The Apollo 14 moon mission was launched by the U.S. with Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa and Edgar Mitchell on board. They landed as planned on the Apollo 13 site which they explore with the help of a two-wheeled cart that permits the transport of a significantly greater quantity of lunar material than previous missions. Alan Shepard also becomes the first man to hit a golf ball on the moon. -
Mariner 9
Mariner 9 was launched by the United States. The Mariner 9 wanted to survey Mars from orbit which turned out as a success. It was the first ever to do so. -
Apollo 15
Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin drived the first moon rover. The next year, Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt drives a similar rover. -
Apollo 17
Apollo 17 was the most recent moon landing by the United States. It held Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison Schmitt. The mission took about 12 days and no one has returned to the moon since. -
Pioneer 11
Pioneer 11 is launched on an Atlas/Centaur/TE364-4, flying past Jupiter in 1974, and Saturn in 1979, where it discovers new rings. -
Soyuz-T 7
Soviet Cosmonauts Anatoly N. Berezovoi and Valentin V. Lebedev are launched in Soyuz-T 5 combined with Salyut 7, the first team to inhabit the space station. They return to Earth in Soyuz-T 7, setting a duration record of 211 days. -
Challenger
The space shuttle Challenger lifts off for its first mission and has the first American space walk in nine years. It's crew was Paul Weitz, Karol Bobko, Donald Peterson, and Story Musgrave. -
First U.S Women in Space
Sally K. Ride becomes the first U.S. woman to travel in space, on Challenger mission STS-7. It was a complete success and it had turned out as planned. -
Soviet Venera 15
Soviet Venera 15 returns the first high-resolution images of the Venus polar area, and compiled a thermal map of most of the northern hemisphere. -
First American Women to Walk on Space
The Challenger mission STS-41G carried the first crew with two women aboard, Sally Ride and Katherine Sullivan. Katherine became the first American woman to walk in space. -
Mars Observer
The Mars Observer lifts off, the first American probe to Mars in 17 years, since the Viking 2. It's purpose was to be a orbital mapper to study the red planet's atmosphere, surface, and geological make-up. The spacecraft functions well during its cruise to Mars, then all contact was lost on August 21, 1993. -
Clementine
U.S. launches Clementine, a new satellite that attempts to perform a lunar mapping mission using advanced ballistic missile defense technologies. It suffers a malfunction on May 10, 1994, ending its mission. -
Discovery
The space shuttle named Discovery maneuvers to within 37 feet of Russian space station Mir, in preparation for a shuttle-Mir docking. This was also the first shuttle mission to be flown by a female pilot. -
Columbia
Space Shuttle Columbia lifts off on its 21st space flight, setting a new shuttle in-space endurance record of almost 18 days. This flight carries Story Musgrave, at that time the oldest man to fly in space at 61 years of age. -
Lunar Prospector
Lunar Prospector is the first NASA mission to the Moon in 25 years, and the first dedicated to lunar research since Apollo 17 in 1972. Its purpose was to analyze the entire lunar surface including its North and South poles.