Space Race Timeline

Launching of Sputnik I

Oct 4, 1957

Soviet Union sent the first artificial satellite to go into space. It was the size of a beach ball, weighed 184.3 lbs and orbited the Earth for 98 minutes.

First Animal in orbit

Nov 3, 1957

Sputnik II was the second spacecraft launched into space, and the first to carry a living animal. Laika was the dog's name, whom suffocated from the inhibition of the thermal control system becuase Blok A did not seprate in accordance.

Explorer I

Jan 31, 1958

The U.S. decided to cacth up to the USSR, so they launched an unmanned probe into orbit calling its first statellite Explorer I. The space craft detected the Van Allen radiotion belt and remained in orbit until 1970.

Project SCORE

Dec 18, 1958

Project SCORE was launched abord the Atlas rocket, a family of U.S, space rockets, that gave the U.S. the capabilty to launch a nuclear bomb from space. The satelittle was also the world's frist communication satellite.

Vostok I

Apr 12, 1961

The Soviet Union's Vostok program launched the first manned spacegflght taking Yuri Gagarin into space and orbitted Earth for 108 mins.

First American in Space

May 5, 1961

Alan Shepard became the first U.S. austronaut in space, piloting a suborbital flight for 15 minutes 22 seconds on the Mercury Freedom 7. Shepard w as in zero gravitiy for 4 minutes and traveled for 300 miles.

Telstar

Jul 10, 1962

Launched by the Uinted Sates in partnership with AT&T, the Telestar was the first satellite to sustain the first transatlantic televison feed along with the first telephone call transmitted through space.

Vostok 6

Jun 16, 1963

Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman in space on the spaceflgiht mission of the Vostok 6 by the USSR.

Voshkod II

Mar 18, 1965

The mission of the Voshkod is remarkable for having Alexei A. Leonov be the first man to 'walk' on space for 12 minutes

First Space Rendezvous

Dec 15, 1965

U.S. mission Gemin 6A, accomplished the first manned rendezvous with its sister, Gemini 7. The Gemini 6 spacecraft was piloted by Walter Schirra, Jr. and Thomas Stafford while the Gemini 7 crew consisted of Frank F. Borman, II and James A. Lovell, Jr.

Luna 9 soft-lands on the moon

Feb 3, 1966

Soviet Union's Luna 9 was the first spacecraft to soft land on another planetary surface, the Moon. The Oceanus Procellarum is the region of the moon on which Luna 9 landed .

First lunar orbit

Mar 31, 1966

Soviet spacecraft, Luna 10, is launched on March 31st, 1966. The spacecraft becme the first artificial staellite of the Moon when it entered lunar orbit on April 3rd.

First manned Lunar orbit

Dec 21, 1968

Apollo 8 was the 6-day U.S.mission that accomplished to orbit the moon 10 times around and see the far side of it. Saturn V was the rocket in which Frank F. Borman, II , James A. Lovell, Jr, and William A. Anders conducted the mission.

Apollo 11

Jul 20, 1969

American spacecraft, Apollo 11, lands the first humans on the moon, specifically on the Sea of Tranquility, a lunar mare. Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins. Edwin "Buzz" E. Aldrin, Jr. made up the crew that spent 21 hours and 31 minutes on lunar surface.

First Lunar Rover Vehicle Used

Jul 30, 1971

Apollo 15 was one of the first missions to be called "J missions: , or long duration stays on the Moon and also one of the "most successful manned flight ever achieved" by NASA. The mission also was the first to use the LRV, in which astronauts David Scott and James Irwin explored a region of the moon called Hadley rille.

Apollo 17's return from the moon

Dec 19, 1972

Apollo 17 was the final manned mission of ther Apollo program. It holds the tittle of the longest time in lunar orbit, longest lunar surface extravehicular activities and other titles as well. The cre consisted of Eugene A. Cernan, Ronald E. Evans, and Harrison H. Schmitt. The mission to this day is the most recent Moon landing.