Space Exploration Timeline By megan.wilson80 Dec 17, 1903 First Successful Plane Flight (Wright Mar 16, 1926 First Successful Liquid-Fueled Rocket Launch Feb 18, 1930 Discovery of Pluto Oct 4, 1957 First Satellite in Space (Sputnik I) Apr 12, 1961 Man's First Orbit around the Earth Jan 27, 1967 Apollo I Jul 20, 1969 Apollo XI Sep 2, 1970 Apollo XVIII Dec 7, 1972 Apollo XVII May 14, 1973 U.S. Skylab Placed into Orbit Jun 19, 1976 Viking Lands on Mars Sep 5, 1977 Voyagers 1 and 2 Launched Apr 12, 1981 First Space Shuttle Flight Jul 28, 1986 Challenger Disaster Aug 21, 1989 Voyager 2 Reaches Neptune Apr 24, 1990 Hubble Space Telescope Placed in Orbit Jul 4, 1997 Pathfinder Lands on Mars Feb 23, 1999 International Space Station Construction in Space Feb 1, 2003 Columbia Disaster Jan 24, 2004 Spirit and Opportunity Land on Mars Aug 31, 2011 Space Shuttle Program Ends Aug 6, 2012 The Rover Curiousity Lands on Mars