The space race

space race

  • Launching of Sputnik 1

    Launching of Sputnik 1

    the first artificial satellite to be put into Earth's orbit. Soviet Union
  • Period: to

    space race

  • Sputnik 2

    Sputnik 2

    USSR launches Sputnik 2 which carried a small dog named Laika into orbit. the soviets knew the dog would not be able to return, but sent him up anyways.
  • Explorer 1

    Explorer 1

    Explorer 1 is launched (first american item to reach orbit)
  • NASA

    NASA

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is formed
  • Orbits the Earth

    Orbits the Earth

    Yuri Gagarin orbits the Earth once and becomes the first man in space. soviet.
  • JFK

    JFK

    President John F. Kennedy addresses Congress and challenges the nation to go to the Moon before the end of the decade
  • Cosmonaut

    Cosmonaut

    Cosmonaut Valentia Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space. Soviet.
  • spacewalk

    spacewalk

    Alexei Leonov spends 12 minutes outside of his Voskhod spacecraft performing the first spacewalk for the Soviets.
  • USA spacewalk

    USA spacewalk

    Ed White does America's first spacewalk.
  • Apollo 1 capsule

    Apollo 1 capsule

    Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee are killed when a fire ignites in their Apollo 1 capsule while performing a test on the launch pad.
  • Apollo 7

    Apollo 7

    The crew of Apollo 7 begin a 10 day mission to study the new spacecraft
  • Christmas eve

    Christmas eve

    Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders begin the first manned journey from the Earth to the Moon. On Christmas Eve they take turns reading Genesis in a broadcast which pissed off some athiest lady.
  • docking

    docking

    Soyuz 4 & 5 perform the first Soviet spacecraft docking perfromed in space.
  • moon walk

    moon walk

    Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first men to walk on the Moon. "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind"
  • Apollo 17

    Apollo 17

    apollo 17 returns from the moon. last space mission