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Sputnik 1, the first man-made object to orbit the Earth, is launched by the U.S.S.R., and remains in orbit until January 4, 1958.
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Sputnik 2, carrying the dog Laika for 7 days in orbit, is launched by the U.S.S.R., and remains in orbit until April 13, 1958. Laika died soon after entry into space.
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Explorer 1, the first U.S. satellite in orbit, lifts off at Cape Canaveral using a modified ABMA-JPL Jupiter-C rocket. It carries a scientific experiment of James A. Van Allen, and discovers the Earth's radiation belt.
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Sputnik 3 is launched by the U.S.S.R. It was a research satellite to explore the upper atmosphere and the near space.
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N.A.S.A. is founded, taking over existing National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics.
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Luna 1, first man-made satellite to orbit the sun, is launched by the U.S.S.R.
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Vostok 1 is launched by the U.S.S.R., carrying Cosmonaut Yuri A. Gargarin, the first man in space. He orbits the Earth once.
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Mercury Freedom 7 carries Alan B. Shepard,Jr., the first U.S. Astronaut into space, in a suborbital flight.
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Telstar 1, U.S. satellite, beams the first live transatlantic telecast.
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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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Soviet Soyuz 1 is launched, carrying Vladimir M. Komarov. On April 24 it crashed, killing Komarov, the first spaceflight fatality.
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Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, Jr. make the first manned soft landing on the Moon, and the first moonwalk, using Apollo 11.
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Luna 17 lands on the moon, with the first automatic robot, Lunokhod 1. Driven by a five-man team on earth, traveled over surface for 11 days.
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Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin drive the first moon rover.
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Apollo 17 was the eleventh and final manned mission in the American Apollo space program.
