50s space

Space Race

By mikaylacieszeski
  • Period: to

    The Space Race

  • First man in space.

    First man in space.
    Russia puts cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin in space.

  • First American in space.

    First American in space.
    First American, Alan Shepard, was launched in his Freedom 7 capsule on a Redstone rocket in a sub-orbital flight that lasted less than 20 minutes.

  • First day-long space flight.

    First day-long space flight.
    Vostok 2 is launched by the Soviets, carrying Cosmonaut Gherman Titov.

  • First American in orbit.

    First American in orbit.
    Mercury Friendship 7 lifts off with John H. Glenn, Jr., the first American in orbit.

  • America orbits the Earth three times.

    America orbits the Earth three times.
    Mercury Aurora 7 is launched with M. Scott Carpenter, making three orbits.

  • U.S. enters a solar orbit.

    U.S. enters a solar orbit.
    U.S. Mariner 2, the first successful planetary spacecraft, flies past Venus, and enters a solar orbit.