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First Sucessful Satellite is Launched
Launched by the Russians, Sputnik 1 is the first sucessful artificial satellite. -
First Animal in Space
Latika the dog is launched into space on Sputnik 2. -
First American Satellite
First American satellite launched. When in orbit, it discovers
Earth's radiation belt. -
N.A.S.A
N.A.S.A is founded. -
First Human in Space
After several unsuccessfully fatal attempts at manned flight, the Russia launches Vostok 1 carrying Yuri A. -
First American in Space
U.S. launches astronaut Alan Shepard on a 15-minute flight. Unlike Gagarin, who was merely a passenger, Shepherd gets to pilot his Mercury capsule. -
First Amrican in Orbit
In a mission that at one point looks like it might end in disaster, astronaut John H. Glenn orbits the Earth three times -
Valentina Vladimirovna Nikolayeva
Valentina Vladimirovna Nikolayeva Tereshkova was the first woman to travel in space in Vostok 6. -
First Spacewalk
Knowing future missions will require astronauts to work outside their spaceships, Russian Alexei Leonov exits his Voskhod 2 capsule for a spacewalk. -
First Moon Landing
The spacecraft of Apollo 11, nicknamed the Eagle, touches down on the moon, with 30 seconds' worth of fuel to spare. Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr., descend to the surfaceof the moon. -
First Occupation of Space Station
After an earlier failed attempt three people from the Russia's Soyuz 11 mission board the Salyut 1 space station. -
First Moon Rover
Apollo 15 carries a rover, capable of carrying two astronauts plus supplies, greatly extends their exploration range. -
First American Space Station
Skylab is launched on what will prove to be a six-year mission. Skylab plunges to Earth on July 11, 1979, generating fear in people of being struck by falling debris. Nobody is hit, but one Australian town fines the U.S. $400 for littering.
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First American Mars Landing
Viking 1 soft-lands on Mars. -
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Voyagers 1 and 2 Are Launched
NASA launches two spacecrafts on a tour of the solar system. Voyager 1 visits Jupiter, Saturn, and Saturn's moon Titan. Voyager 2 visits Uranus and Neptune. -
First Space Shuttle Launched
the space shuttle, Columbia, is th first manned space shuttle. -
First American Woman in Space
Sally K. Ride lifts off on the space shuttle Challenger to become the first American woman in space. Although immensely popular in America, Ride is not the first woman in space. -
First Untethered Spacewalk
In the first test of NASA's new Manned Maneuvering Unit, a sort of rocket designed to fit over the astronauts' normal spacesuits, astronaut Bruce McCandless exits the space shuttle Challenger without a safety line. -
Challenger Explodes
In a disaster seen live on television, the space shuttle Challenger disintegrates 73 seconds after liftoff. All seven astronauts are killed. -
Hubble is Launched
April 25, 1990: Hubble Space Telescope Deployed
A day after launching, the space shuttle Discovery opens its cargo bay doors to deploy a unique cargo: the 12-ton Hubble Space Telescope. More than a single telescope, Hubble is an orbiting collection of instruments designed to view the universe free from interference from the Earth's atmosphere. Unfortunately, a flaw in the telescope's largest mirror blurs many images. The space shuttle Endeavour flies a service mission to remedy this in late 19 -
Mars Observer
Communication was lost with Mars Observer on August 21, 1993 -
First Spacecraft to Arrive at Saturn
After seven years in transit, including slingshot flybys of Venus, Earth, and Jupiter, the first probe to circle Saturn reaches its destination and breaks into orbit. -
First Landing on Other Planet's Moon
European-built Huygens detaches and parachutes to the cloud-shrouded surface of Titan. -
First Collision WIth a Comet
A space ship called Deep Impact meets Comet Tempel 1. One piece of the ship, weighing 816 pounds hits the comet at a speed of 6.3 miles per second.
