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Sputnik 1
Sputnik was the first artificial Earth satellite. The Soviet Union launched the satellite into an elliptical low Earth orbit. I was 58 centimeters in diameter. It was also in the shape of a metal sphere. -
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri was the first man to travel in space, Yuri was blasted from the Soviets' launch site at 9:07 am. Yuri was born March 9, 1934 and died March 27 1968. -
Soviet Voskhod 2
Soviet Voskhod 2 was a Soviet mission that was launched in mid-May. It was also called 01274. Alexei Leonov was the first human to conduct Extravehicular Activity, exiting the capsule during the trip for a 12 minute spacewalk. -
Apollo 11
The lost Apollo mission to fly a "free return" trajectory, which would enable a return to Earth with no engine firing, providing a ready about of the mission at any time prior to lunar orbit insertion. -
Pioneer 10
First spacecraft to fly beyond Mars. Also the first spacecraft to fly past Jupiter. The spacecraft has a mass of 258 kg. -
Viking 2
Viking 2 landed on the red planet to investigate for any signs of life. While they didn't find any life, they did find all the elements essential to life on Earth which consist Carbon, Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Phosphorus. -
Voyager 2
The Voyager 2 launched on April 20, 1977. The Voyager 2 flew by Uranus for the first time, and was built to last for 5 years. It was also sent into the Solar system to study Uranus and Neptune. -
Challenger (Sally Ride)
The 1983 Challenger is the second shuttle to reach space. It also housed the first woman in space, Sally Ride. The Challenger also completed 9 successful missions. It crashed 73 seconds after it took off, killing all 7 crew members, on their 10th and final mission. -
International Space Station
The ISS is the largest spacecraft in orbit around Earth, and is home to astronauts and cosmonauts. The ISS orbits Earth at a rate of 90 minutes, and it also travels at 17,500 miles per hour. -
Mars Odyssey
The Mars Odyssey is still in orbit, after its launch in 2001. Its orbit arrived on October 24, 2001. The Mars Odyssey has been in orbit for over 16 years!! -
Space Shuttle Columbia
The SSC is the oldest shuttle in the shuttle fleet. The SSC completed 27 missions, but on the 28th mission, the SSC broke up on re-entry, and killed all 7 crew members. -
Spirit and Opportunity Rovers
Two robotic geologists named Spirit and Opportunity landed on opposite sides of Mars. With greater mobility than 1997 Mars Pathfinder rover, the robotic explorers have trekked miles on the Martian Surface.
