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Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1, the first man-made object to orbit the Earth, is launched by the U.S.S.R., and remains in orbit until January 4, 1958. -
NASA
- N.A.S.A. is founded, taking over existing National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics.
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Luna 2
Luna 2 is launched, impacting on the moon on September 13 carrying a copy of the Soviet coat of arms, and becoming the first man-made object to hit the moon. -
Tiros 1
Tiros 1, the first successful weather satellite, is launched by the U.S. -
Vostok 2
Vostok 2 is launched by the U.S.S.R., carrying Cosmonaut Gherman Titov, the first day-long Soviet space flight. -
US Mariner 2
U.S. Mariner 2, the first successful planetary spacecraft, flies past Venus, and enters a solar orbit. -
Vostrok 6
Vostok 6 carries Soviet Cosmonaut Valentia Tereshkova, the first woman in space and orbits the Earth 48 times. -
U.S. Ranger 7
U.S. Ranger 7 relays the first close-range photographs of the Moon. -
Ranger 9
Ranger 9 transmits high-quality images of the moon, many of which were shown live in the first television spectacular about the moon. -
Soviet Luna 9
Soviet Luna 9 is the first spacecraft to soft-land on the moon.
