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Sputnik 1 was the first artificial satellite successfully launched into orbit, created by the USSR. It burnt up three months later, but had already gone through 1440 orbits around earth. -
A stray Soviet dog, Laika, was launched into space upon the Sputnik 2. However, the launch was not made with expectation of survival for her, with no system to return her to Earth. In the end it didn't matter though, as she died by overheating in a failure in temperature control. -
It was the first successful US satellite into space, which really marked the US's beginning in the Space Race. It lasted over a decade in orbit before re-entry, but its actual satellite stopped transmitting months after launch. -
The President, Dwight D. Eisenhower passed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, bring NASA to life. It was required to separate military space efforts and civilian space efforts. -
The mission was successful, although there were many malfunctions. Ham the Chimp successfully survived his journey despite these troubles, and even lived through loss of pressure, incorrect flight path, and incorrect velocity. He got to live at the National Zoo in Washington DC post-flight. -
Yuri Gagarin rode among the Vostok 1, and departed at the altitude of 7 km by parachute. The spaceship went off to complete a single orbit. -
Alan B. Shepard successfully completed his suborbital flight, peaking at an altitude of 187.5 km. Shepard tested out Retrorockets which would be used lots later, and also got a glance at the Earth from space. -
John H. Glenn Jr. was the sole member on the flight. He successfully completed 3 orbits before returning to Earth. It lasted 5 whole hours before splashing into the Atlantic Ocean. -
JFK's speech revolved around his commitment and hoe for his nation to follow suit, on getting a man on the Moon. He told Congress that he wants a man on the moon before the decade ends. -
Alexei Leonov was the first man to ever perform a spacewalk, lasting a whole 12 minutes. He was not alone on his journey, as he also had Pavel Belyayev as his commander. -
Gemini 3 marked the first time two Americans flew together into space. The crew consisting of Gus Grissom and John Young. They nick-named their ship 'Molly Brown,' as they flew 3 low orbits around the Earth. -
Ed White flew into space due to the Gemini 4 mission, where he flew out into space for around 23 minutes. He was accompanied by his Command Pilot, James A. McDivitt. This event was supposed to take place among their second revolution, but had to be postponed to their third. -
Gemini 5 held the world record for longest duration in space, with it being the first time the US has ever claimed that record. They were stuck in space for almost 8 days, and were supposed to go on longer, but Hurricane Betsy approached so they left a day early. The crew consisted of the Command Pilot L. Gordon Cooper Jr. and Pilot Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr. -
This mission was rewarded with the record of having the first man do 2 EVA's on a flight. This is due to Pilot Michael Collins who did a 50 minute EVA and a 40 minute EVA, totaling to an hour and 30 minutes outside the ship! He shared the ship with Command Pilot John W. Young. -
The flight was filled with technical issues, resulting in the death of the lone Pilot Vladimir Komarov in a parachute failure. Soyuz 1 was supposed to rendezvous with Soyuz 2, but Soyuz 2 was called off due to a thunderstorm. -
Neil Armstrong lost control of the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle, where he was forced to use the ejector seat. All LLRV's had to be called off due to some already being scheduled for testing. -
Walter M. Schirra, Donn F. Eisele, and R. Walter Cunningham was part of the first crewed Apollo mission. This was the first time America launched 3 people into space at once. -
Apollo 8 was the first crewed ship to leave the Earths orbit. Not only that, but they also orbited the moon 10 times. The ship was held up with 3 astronauts, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders. -
Apollo 9 was a very successful mission, showcasing that the Lunar Module was working very well. It also was the first mission to have a two-person EVA, and much much more! The ship was under control by James A. McDivitt, David R. Scott, and Russel L. Shweickart. -
This mission was the "dress rehearsal" for the upcoming moon landing. It was sent to test all spaceship components, other than actual landing or descent. It was originally supposed to be the actual lunar landing, before being retconned to a practice route. This ship was flown by Thomas P. Stafford, John W. Young, and Eugene A. Cernan. -
The Apollo 11 mission was the first time humans landed on the moon. It was a huge moment for the entire world. It just barely succeeded in Kennedy's goals of occurring before the decade was over. The mission was led by the crew of Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin. Neil Armstrong was the first man to ever step foot on the moon.