-
The first satellite in space, Sputnik 1 was launched by the USSR on October 4th, 1957. It was a simple sphere weighing 184 pounds and broadcasting a radio signal. -
The first animal to orbit earth for the USSR was Laika the space dog. She launched on the Sputnik 2 spacecraft. Her mission was a one way trip as the technology for orbitall recovery didn't exist yet. She tragically died a few hours into her mission from overheating and stress. -
NASA was created following the Soviet launch of Sputnik. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act on January 29th, 1958. Official operations of the agency started on October 1st 1958. -
The first satellite in space by the USA was the Explorer 1. It was a response to the USSR's earlier launch of Sputnik. The satellite carried scientific instruments and discovered Earth's Van Allen radiation belts. -
The first chimpanzee in space was Ham, who completed a suborbital flight on January 31st 1961. During his 16.5 minute flight he successfully pushed levers in response to light signals for a reward, proving that a living being could perform tasks in space even under the extreme conditions. -
The first man to reach space was Yuri Gagarin who completed a single orbit of earth aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft on April 12th 1961. The entire flight lasted 108 minutes. -
The first man in space for the US was Alan Shepard, who completed a 15 minute suborbital flight aboard the freedom 7 capsule. His flight was part of NASA's Project Mercury. -
In his May 25th, 1961 speech, John. F. Kennedy solidified his goal of getting a man on the moon to Congress and the nation. He stated that they would have a man land on the moon and make it back safely within the decade. -
John Glenn was the first person to orbit Earth for the USA, completing 3 orbits in his Friendship 7 spacecraft as part of the Mercury- Atlas 6 mission. He spent approximately 5 hours in orbit and was a key milestone for the space program. -
The first man to do an EVA (Extra vehicular activity) was USSR astronaut Alexei Leonov during the Voskhod 2 mission. He spent approximately 12 minutes floating in space tethered to his spacecraft. -
The Gemini 3 mission was the first crewed flight of NASA's Project Gemini. The mission was a crucial step between the single person Mercury program and the multi-crew Apollo lunar landing program. The crew aboard was command pilot Virgil Grissom and Pilot John W. Young. The goal of this mission was to test the new maneuverable space craft with crew aboard. -
The first man to perform an extra vehicular activity for the USA was astronaut Ed White during the Gemini 4 mission. He conducted the first American space walk lasting 23 minutes while tethered to the space capsule. -
The Gemini 6 mission achieved the first crewed rendezvous in space. Its crew consisted of Walter M. Schirra Jr. as commander and Thomas P. Stafford as pilot. its target was Gemini 7, commanded by Frank Borman and piloted by Jim Lovell. The flight lasted just over 25 hours. -
The original crew of the Gemini 9 mission was astronaut Elliot See and and Charles Basset. Unfortunately, while practicing an instrument landing in poor weather conditions, their Northrop T-38 training jet crashed into a building in Lambert Field in Missouri. They both tragically died, and the backup crew for the mission had to be moved up for the rescheduled mission. -
The Gemini VIII mission is known for the first docking of two spacecrafts in orbit. It had a near fatal in flight emergency but luckily everyone returned. It was the sixth crewed NASA mission with Neil Armstrong and David Scott aboard. -
The Apollo 1 Crew was made up of Virgil I. Grissom, Edward H. White, and Rodger B. Chaffee. A cabin fire during a launch pad test in 1967 tragically killed all three members. The fire was caused by a combination of pure, high pressure oxygen atmosphere, flammable materials and faulty wiring. The crew was unable to escape and the fire spread rapidly. The incident led to a 20 month delay in the manned Apollo program. -
Apollo 7 was the first crewed mission of the Apollo program, it was crucial for restoring confidence in NASA after the Apollo 1 fire. The mission lasted nearly 11 days in Earths orbit where it successfully tested the redesigned command and service model and proved its capability for future lunar missions. The crew consisted of Walter Schirra Jr as commander, Donn F. Eisele as command module pilot, and R. Walter Cunningham as lunar module pilot. -
The Apollo 8 mission was the first manned mission to leave Earths orbit and travel to the moon. The mission successfully orbited the moon 10 times and returned safely to Earth. This proved the capability of the Saturn V Rocket for a lunar journey. The crew aboard the Apollo 8 was Frank Borman as Commander, James A. Lovell Jr. as Command Module Pilot, and William A. Anders as Lunar Module Pilot. -
The Apollo 9 Mission was a critical earth orbit flight that tested the full Apollo spacecraft for the first time. The ten day mission crewed by Commander James McDivitt, command Module Pilot David Scott, and lunar Module Pilot Russel Schweickart proved that the Lunar Model could fly independently, rendezvous and redock wit the command service module. A major prerequisite for landing on the moon. -
The Apollo 10 mission rehearsed the first moon landing. Testing all components and procedures without actually landing. It was the 4th crewed Apollo Mission and tested the performance of the full spacecraft in the lunar environment. The mission tested the lunar modules ability to fly in orbit and descend within 9 miles of the lunar surface before rendezvousing to the command module. The crew was Commander Thomas Stafford, Command Module Pilot John Young, and Lunar Module Pilot Eugene Cernan -
The mission that effectively ended the space race, Apollo 11 successfully landed a man on the moon. Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Micheal Collins launched in July and after 3 days of travel, the lunar module was reached. About 6 and half hours after landing, Armstrong became the first person to walk on the lunar surface, Aldrin joined him about 19 minutes later. "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind".