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Period: to
Space Race
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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. -
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. -
Luna 1
First man-made satellite to orbit the sun, is launched by the U.S.S.R. -
Tiros 1
The first successful weather satellite, is launched by the U.S. -
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. -
Mercury Friendship 7
lifts off with John H. Glenn, Jr., the first American in orbit, and orbits the Earth three times. -
Vostok 6
carries Soviet Cosmonaut Valentia Tereshkova, the first woman in space and orbits the Earth 48 times. -
U.S. Ranger 7
relays the first close-range photographs of the Moon. -
First Space Walk
The first space walk is made from Soviet Voskhod 2 by Cosmonaut Alexei A. Leonov. Duration is 12 minutes. -
Soviet Luna 9
is the first spacecraft to soft-land on the moon. -
Soviet Soyuz 1
Soviet Soyuz 1 is launched, carrying Vladimir M. Komarov. On April 24 it crashed, killing Komarov, the first spaceflight fatality. -
Soviet Zond 5
Soviet Zond 5 is launched, the first spacecraft to orbit the Moon and return.