Space Exploration Timeline By kikisalihu1 Oct 4, 1957 Russian satellite named Sputnik was launched Nov 3, 1957 A Russian dog named Laika was the first mammal in space Oct 7, 1958 The Mercury Program began, USA project Apr 12, 1961 The fist man in space into space was a Russian man named Yuri Gagarin May 5, 1961 The first US astronaut to be sent in space was Alan Shepard Jr. Feb 20, 1962 John Glen was the first US astronaut to orbit the Earth Jun 16, 1963 The first woman in space was a Russian named Valentina Tereshkova Apr 8, 1964 The American Gemini Space Program began Dec 21, 1968 The Apollo Space Program began Jul 20, 1969 An American man named Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon, the mission was called the Apollo 11 Aug 20, 1975 Viking 1 was the first US probe on Mars Aug 20, 1977 The second Voyager probe was launched Sep 5, 1977 The first Voyager probe was launched Apr 12, 1981 The STS-1 was the first space shuttle mission Nov 26, 2011 Mars rover Curiosity is launched
