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Soviets launch Sputnik 1
It was the world's first artificial satellite that was successfully placed into Earth's orbit. It is important because it sparked the start of the US-USSR space race and led to the creation of NASA. -
N.A.S.A. is created
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government, responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. It's important because, the formation of NASA was the first concrete step of a national commitment to winning the Space Race. -
Americans successfully launch and return Ham, a chimpanzee
HAM was the first chimp in space as he blasted off to an altitude of 157 miles during the Mercury-Redstone 2 mission. It's important because, he showed that space travel was possible for chimpanzees which means it's ok for people. -
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man in space
Yuri Gagarin from the Soviet Union was the first human in space. It's important for the USSR because, he showed that they got to space first. -
Mariner 4 becomes the first satellite to reach Mars
Mariner 4 was a true pioneer in interplanetary exploration, embarking on a first of its kind mission to capture detailed images of the enigmatic Red Planet. It's important because, it took photos of another planet from space. -
Americans land on the moon
In 1969 Apollo 11 was the first crewed mission to land on the Moon. It's important because, it showed that the US was better than the USSR because we got people on the moon before them. -
Soviets launch the first space station
On April 19, 1971, the Soviet Union launched the world's first space station, Salyut. It's important because, it was made to make living and studying in space possible. -
The first joint mission between the U.S. and U.S.S.R.
It was the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, the first international human spaceflight. With tensions between the US and USSR softening, the first cooperative Apollo-Soyuz mission was launched. With two separate flights, the Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft dock in space and the two commanders Tom Stafford and Alexei Leonov exchange the first international handshake.