Space Exploration Timeline

By ek22445

  • 1609

    1609
    *First telescope was created when Hans Lippeehey, a Dutch lens grinder combined two lenses.
    *Galileo Galilei built the first astronomical telescope.
  • Period: to

    Space Exploration Timeline

    1609-1957, 1958-1980 and 1981-Present

  • 1610

    1610
    *First time a man observed craters on the moon, satellites around Jupiter and witnessed the phases of Venus like those of the moon.
    *The first spotting of the moon through a telescope by Galileo Galilei.

  • 1781

    *William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus, using a mirror telescope he had constructed.

  • 1926

    1926
    *Robert H. Goddard launches first liquid fueled rocket.

  • 1957

    *First artificial satellite put into space that brings back signals to earth (launched by USSR.)
    *First animal launched into orbit. (Dog named Laika launched by USSR- did not return alive.)
    *First ballistic missle (by USSR)
    *Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1 (October 4th)

  • 1958

    *Launch of Explorer - (February 5th)
    *Explorer 2 is launched by Jupiter- (Rocker fails to reach orbit.)- (March 5th)

  • 1959

    1959
    *Luna 1 was the first spacecraft to reach the moon. (January 2nd)
    *Luna 2 was the second of a series of spacecraft launched in the direction of the moon. (September 12th)
    *First detection of the solar wind by USSR.
    *First photograph of the earth from the earths orbit by U.S. NASA.

  • 1965

    *First sighting of Mars and flyby by U.S. NASA.
    *The first spacewalk is made from Soviet Voskhod 2 by Cosmonaut Alexei A. Leonov. (Duration is 12 minuets- March 18th)

  • 1969

    1969
    *First human on the moon by the U.S. (Apollo 11- Successful)
    *Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, Jr. make the first manned soft landing on the moon and the first moonwalk, using Apollo 11. (July 20th)

  • 1971

    1971
    *First space station in space by USSR.
    *First soft landing on Mars and first signals from the surface.

  • 1981

    *The first manned mission of the Space Transportation System (STS-1) Columbia is launched April 12th.
    *First reusable manned spacecraft by the U.S.

  • 1983

    *First spacecraft beyond the orbit of Neptune by U.S. NASA.
    *Space shuttle Callenger lifts off for its first mission (STS-6) and has the first American space walk in 9 years. (April 4th)
    *Sally K. Ride is the first U.S. women to travel in space, on challenger mission STE-7. (June 19)
    *The infared Astronomical Satellite finds new comets, asteroids, galaxies, and a dust ring around the star Vega that may be new planets. (January- November)

  • 1990

    1990
    *First photograph of the whole solar system by U.S. NASA.

  • 2000

    2000
    *First orbit of an asteroid by U.S. NASA

  • 2001

    2001
    *First landing on an asteroid by U.S. NASA.

  • 2012

    2012
    *NASA rover successfully lands on mars to seek out life- clues by U.S. NASA.