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First Artificial Satellite
The Soviet Union ushers in a new era—the space age—with the launch of Sputnik 1. A technological feat, the beach ball-size satellite weighs 184 pounds (84 kilograms) and takes 98 minutes to orbit Earth. The launch grabs the world's attention—and catches the U.S. off-guard. The first successful American satellite doesn't get off the ground until January 31, 1958. -
First Animal in Orbit
Having stunned the world with the first orbital space launch, Sputnik 1, less than a month before, the Soviet Union tries for a second coup by launching a dog named Laika on a one-way journey on a hastily completed follow-up mission, Sputnik 2. The dog survives the launch, but Soviet secrecy masks her ultimate fate for many years. It now appears that even though she had a week's supply of food, Laika died within hours, possibly due to a life-support failure that caused her canister to overheat -
First Human in Space
After several unsuccessful (and apparently fatal) attempts at manned flight, the Soviet Union launches cosmonaut Yuri A. Gagarin on a 108-minute flight. Gagarin becomes the first to successfully orbit the globe, circling once at a peak altitude of about 200 miles (320 kilometers) above Earth. His spaceship, however, is not designed to land at a safe speed, so on the descent, Gagarin jumps out and parachutes the final few thousand meters. It will be years before the Russians admit that he did not -
First American in Space
Determined to keep up with the Russians, the U.S. launches astronaut Alan Shepard on a 15-minute suborbital flight. In a first not realized until years later, Shepard rides the capsule all the way back down, a feat made easier by the U.S. decision to conduct splashdowns in the Atlantic, rather than the difficult terrestrial landings made by the Russians. Unlike Gagarin, who was merely a passenger, Shepherd gets to pilot his Mercury capsule. -
First Spacewalk
Knowing future missions will require astronauts to work outside their spaceships, Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov exits his Voskhod 2 capsule for a 12-minute spacewalk. His spacesuit, it is later revealed, balloons oddly from air pressure, and Leonov must vent air to counteract the problem. He also has extreme difficulty getting his tall body back into the small airlock. Then, the spacecraft lands hundreds of miles off course, and he and Commander Pavel I. Belyayev spend a full day in Russia's n -
First Manned Apollo Mission
With time running out on President John F. Kennedy's pledge to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade, U.S. confidence is boosted by Apollo 7, the first Apollo mission to get astronauts off the ground. (Other missions had been tests.) In 163 circuits of the Earth in nearly 11 days, astronauts Walter Schirra, Jr., Donn Eisele, and Walter Cunningham practice docking maneuvers and verify that the spacecraft can hold up for a moon mission -
First Manned Moon Landing
The lunar module of Apollo 11, nicknamed the Eagle, touches down on the moon, with 30 seconds' worth of fuel to spare. Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr., descend to the surface. "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind," Armstrong says. "Beautiful. Beautiful. Magnificent desolation," Aldrin adds. The astronauts collect 46 pounds (21 kilograms) of lunar rock material, deploy scientific instruments, and return to Earth on July 24, where they are immediately quaranti -
Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion
In a disaster seen live on television, the space shuttle Challenger disintegrates 73 seconds after liftoff. All seven astronauts are killed, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. The fault is traced to a defective O-ring (a type of gasket) in a rocket booster. Cold weather and high wind shear also play a role. Contrary to popular impression, the shuttle does not blow up. Rather, it is ripped apart by aerodynamic forces. The astronauts probably survive until their cabin crashes into the sea. -
Hubble Space Telescope Deployed
A day after launching, the space shuttle Discovery opens its cargo bay doors to deploy a unique cargo: the 12-ton Hubble Space Telescope. More than a single telescope, Hubble is an orbiting collection of instruments designed to view the universe free from interference from the Earth's atmosphere. Unfortunately, a flaw in the telescope's largest mirror blurs many images. The space shuttle Endeavour flies a service mission to remedy this in late 1993. Three subsequent service missions also upgrade -
Loss of Space Shuttle Columbia
Returning from its 28th mission, America's oldest space shuttle breaks up on reentry high over Texas. The cause proves to be damage to the heat shielding, incurred when a block of foam broke off the external fuel tank during lunch and hit the shuttle's left wing. There is no way the astronauts can escape their vehicle, which is moving about 12,500 miles (20,000 kilometers) an hour. All seven die. Shuttle missions are cancelled until 2005. -
Spirit Rover Landing on Mars
NASA's most complex robotic rover yet, christened Spirit, parachutes to the surface and bounces to an air-bag-cushioned halt in Gusev Crater. It is designed to last three months. Three years later, it continues to explore, aided by dust devils that scour sunlight-blocking dust from its solar panels. Early in the mission it makes a multimile beeline for the Columbia Hills, named in honor of the Columbia astronauts. As of mid-2007, Spirit has traveled nearly 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers). -
First Space Launch After Columbia Disaster
Nearly two and a half years after the space shuttle Columbia breaks up on reentry, NASA is ready to try again. Discovery lifts off, but again, foam breaks off during launch. Careful inspection, including examination with a 50-foot (15-meter) remote-sensing boom, reveals that this time there is no major damage to the shuttle. If there had been, the crew is prepared to take refuge in the International Space Station. Instead, they land without incident. Fixing the foam problem (and delays due to
