Rocket ship

Space Race Timeline

By Camhashi

  • First satellite in space by USSR

    First satellite in space by USSR
    It was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into Earth orbit by the Soviet Union as part of the Soviet space program.

  • First animal in space by USSR

    First animal in space by USSR
    The first animal to make an orbital spaceflight around the Earth was a dog named Laika. Laika was chosen because the Soviet scientists believed a homeless animal would be better equipped to endure the cold, hunger and harsh conditions of space travel.

  • First satellite in space by USA

    First satellite in space by USA
    Explorer 1 was the first satellite launched by the United States. Was an important moment for the country, as the Space Race with the Soviet Union was just beginning

  • Creation of NASA

    Creation of NASA
    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was created from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, and other organizations. NASA was created in response to the Soviet Union's launch of its first satellite, Sputnik I.

  • First animal in space by USA (Ham the chimp)

    First animal in space by USA (Ham the chimp)
    A chimpanzee called Ham was launched on a rocket from Cape Canaveral in the United States, and returned to Earth alive. In this, he became the first hominin in space.

  • First man in space by USSR

    First man in space by USSR
    Gagarin was launched into orbit by a Vostok rocket and became the first man in space. Gagarin completed a single orbit around the Earth

  • First man in space by USA

    First man in space by USA
    Alan B. Shepard became the first American in space during a suborbital flight aboard his Mercury capsule named Freedom 7

  • JFK's speech and commitment to getting to the moon

    JFK's speech and commitment to getting to the moon
    John F. Kennedy declared that by the end of the decade, the United States would land astronauts on the Moon. President Kennedy's decision to go to the Moon and the space program were motivated by the Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union.

  • First man to orbit Earth by USA

    First man to orbit Earth by USA
    John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. Glenn orbited the globe 3 times in 4 hours and 56 mins reaching speeds over 17,000 miles per hour.

  • First man to do an EVA by USSR

    First man to do an EVA by USSR
    The first EVA was performed by a Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, who spent 12 minutes and 9 seconds outside the Voskhod 2 spacecraft.

  • First man to do an EVA by USA

    First man to do an EVA by USA
    The first American spacewalk was performed by Ed White from the second crewed Gemini flight, Gemini IV, for 21 minutes.

  • Tragedy of Gemini 9

    Tragedy of Gemini 9
    The original crew for Gemini 9, command pilot Elliot See and pilot Charles Bassett, were killed in a crash while flying a T-38 jet trainer

  • The first docking in space

    The first docking in space
    The first docking of two spacecraft was achieved when Gemini 8, under the command of Neil Armstrong, rendezvoused and docked with an uncrewed Agena Target Vehicle.

  • Apollo 1 Tragedy

    Apollo 1 Tragedy
    Apollo 1 was expected to fly to Earth orbit with astronauts Gus Grissom, Roger Chaffee and Ed White on board. During a test on the launch pad, a fire erupted and killed all three astronauts.