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Launch of Sputnik 1
The launch of Sputnik 1 spurred the US to launch its own satellites and begin space exploration in earnest. It also marked the beginning of the competition between the US and the USSR to have dominance in space. -
Explorer 1 is launched
Explorer 1 was importan because it was the first US satellite to be launched into space. -
NASA is formed
The formation of NASA showed that the US was taking the Space Race seriously and was giving an effort to beat the soviets to the moon. -
Yuri Gagarin orbits the earth and becomes the first man in space
When Yuri Gagarin was launched into space it proved that humans could survive in space. This event gave the Soviets an even larger lead in the Space Race. -
JFK challenges the US to go to the moon before the end of the decade
When JFK challenged the US to go to the moon before the end of the decade, it showed that the US was focusing their sights on landing a man on the moon. -
Mariner 2 flies past Venus and enters solar orbit
The US was trailing to the USSR by quite a lot. The flyby of of Venus was the first flyby of another planet. This event helped the US gain ground on the Soviet Union. -
Mariner 4 takes close up pictures of Mars
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Alexi Leonov performs the first spacewalk
Alexi Leonov performed his spacewalk for 12 minutes. He was the first person to ever walk in open space. -
Three astronauts are killed when a fire starts in the Apollo 1 capsule.
Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chafee are killed during a launchpad test preparing for flight. This event stalled the Apollo program as NASA investigated the event. The accident caused NASA to change the design of the Apollo ship. -
Neil Armstrong takes the first step on the moon
On July 20, 1969 Apollo 11 landed on the moon. The crew consisted of Edward "Buzz" Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Michael Collins. As Armstrong took his first step he said,"Its one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."