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The successful launch of the unmanned satellite Sputnik I by the Soviet Union in October 1957 shocks and frightens many Americans. As the tiny satellite orbited the earth, Americans reacted with dismay that the Soviets could have gotten so far ahead of the supposedly technologically superior United States. There was also fear that with their new invention, the Soviets had gained the upper hand in the arms race. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviet-union-launches-sputnik-i
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on this day in 1958, the U.S. Congress passes legislation establishing NASA. a civilian agency responsible for coordinating America’s activities in space. NASA has since sponsored space expeditions, both human and mechanical, that have yielded vital information about the solar system and universe. It has also launched numerous earth-orbiting satellites that have been instrumental in everything from weather forecasting to navigation to global communications. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-his
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Luna 1 is the first man-made satellite to orbit the moon, is launched by the U.S.S.R. http://my.execpc.com/~culp/space/timeline.html
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Tiros 1 was the first successful weather satellite, is launched by the U.S.
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On April 12, 1961, aboard the spacecraft Vostok 1, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin becomes the first human being to travel into space. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-man-in-space
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John Glenn made history again when, at the age of 77. Born on July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio, John Herschel Glenn Jr., was the son of John and Teresa Sproat Glenn. After graduation, he attended Muskingum College, where he attained a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbo, he became the oldest person to travel in space. http://www.space.com/17263-john-glenn-astronaut-biography.html
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Vostok 6 carries Soviet Cosmonaut Valentia Tereshkova, the first woman in space and orbits the Earth 48 times.
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U.S. Ranger 7 relays the first close-range photographs of the Moon.http://my.execpc.com/~culp/space/timeline.html
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American Neil Armstrong has become the first man to walk on the Moon. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/21/newsid_2635000/2635845.stm
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Later in 1959 Luna 2 became the first spacecraft to land on the moon's surface when it impacted near the Aristides, Archimedes, and Autolycus craters. A third Luna mission subsequently captured the first, blurry, images of the far side of the moon. http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/space-exploration/moon-exploration-article/