Space Exploration Timeline 1609-2011

By sbjork
  • A New Type of Telescope is Made

    Sir Isaac Newton created a new type of telescope that used mirrors to focus light. This type of telescopes is called a reflecting telescope.
  • The Principia Mathematica is Published

    It explained the math behind the universal law of gravitation. It was Sir Isaac Newton.
  • First Liquid Fuel Rocket is Launched

    Robert Goddard successfully launched the first liquid fuel rocket. This event is considered the beginning of the Space Age. He successfully applied three-axis control, gyroscopes and steerable thrust to rockets, making it possible to control their flight.
  • Pluto is Discovered

    Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh. it was considered the ninth planet until it was re-classified as a dwarf planet in 2006.
  • Launch of the First V-2 Rocket

    Wernher von Braun was the main scientist in the group that created this missile.
  • First American Rocket Reaches Space

    The first American rocket reached an altitude of 50 miles.
  • First Pictures Of the Earth Taken

    The first pictures of Earth were taken from an altitude of 65 miles. We got to see the planet we live on from space.
  • First Man-Made Object to Orbit the Earth

    The Soviets launched Sputnik 1 which was the first man-made satellite.
  • First Artificial Satellite Put in Orbit

    The Soviets launched the first man-made satellite into space. It was Called Sputnik 1.
  • First Living Being in Space

    The Soviets launched Sputnik 2 into space with Laika the dog onboard.Laika did not survive this mission.
  • First Person in Space

    The Soviets launched Yuri Gagarin into an orbit around the Earth on Vostok 1. He was the first man to ever go into space.
  • First American in Space

    Alan Shepard was the first American in space.
  • First American in Space: Alan Shepard

    He was the first American in space ,but he did not reach orbit.
  • The First Woman in Space

    The Soviets launched the first woman into space.The first woman in space was named Valentina Tereshkova and was launched in Vostok 6.
  • The First Multi-Person Spacecraft

    The Soviets launched Voskhod 1. It was the first multi-person spacecraft.
  • Project Gemini

    Its acheived goals were rendezvous and docking manuevers and extra-vehicular activities (space walk).
  • First People Walk on the Moon

    Neil Armstrong, Micheal Collins, and Buzz Aldrin are the first men to walk on the moon. They brought back samples of the moon's rock for testing. This was part of the Apollo Program.
  • Mars 3 is Launched

    The Soviets launched the Mars 3 Orbiter and lander. The orbiter was used to study the topography of the surface of mars. The lander was used to study the atmospheric composition and to measure mechanical and chemical properties of the surface of Mars.
  • Skylab is Launched

    Skylab was the United States' only independently built space station. It included a laboratory for studying the effects of microgravity. It also had a solar observatory
  • Launch of Voyager 1

    Its initial mission was to study Jupiter and its moons and then Saturn. The spacecraft remained active after completion of its initial mission and has been returning data for 36 years. On August 25, 2012 Voyager 1 entered interstellar space making it the first man-made object to leave the solar system.
  • The Launch of the First Space Shuttle: Columbia

    It was the first reusable space vehicle in the world.
  • The Hubble Space Telescope

    The Hubble Space Telescope was carried into orbit by a space shuttle and is still in use. The Hubble helped to find out the rate that universe is growing at.
  • First Confirms of Exoplanets

    Since them nearly 1,000 planets have been discovered outside our solar system. The rate os discovery has increased as search techniques are refined.
  • Mars Pathfinder

    They used it to prove that the development of faster, better and cheaper spacecrafts was possible.
  • Opportunity is Launched

    Opportunity is a rover on Mars. It searched the climate and geology for past water activity.
  • Spirit Lands on Mars

    The rover Spirit landed on Mars and searched the rocks for any clues on past water activity on Mars.
  • Launch of Deep Impact Space Probe

    Launch of Deep Impact space probe to intercept comet Tempel 1. Part of the spacecraft known as an impactor slammed into the comet to directly detect its chemical makeup. This is the first time a space probe has done this. The information collected will hel scientists better understand the formation of our solar system.
  • SpaceX Spacecraft

    The first privately owned spacecraft to reach Earth orbit and return safely.
  • NASA Announces the MPCV

    The MPCV (multi-purpose crew vehicle), also known as the Orion spacecraft.
  • Curiosity is Launched

    The Mars rover curiosity is launched from Cape Canaveral. It investigated the climate and geology of Mars.