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Soviet Union
The Soviet Union launched the first satellite, Sputnik, into space. -
Soviet Craft
The Soviet craft Sputnik 5 was launched, carrying the dogs Strelka and Belka. They became the first living beings to survive a trip into space. -
Luna 9
The Russian spacecraft Luna 9 became the first spacecraft to land on the moon. -
Apollo 13
Apollo 13 was launched as the third lunar landing attempt, but failed after rupture of its module oxygen tank. -
Operation Skylab
The U.S. launched its first space station, Skylab. Designed for long duration mission, Skylab program objectives were twofold: They wanted to prove that humans could live and work in space for extended periods, and to expand our knowledge of solar astronomy well beyond Earth-based observations. -
Space Walk
Astronaut Bruce McCandless became the first man to take an untethered space walk. -
First Woman to Walk on the Moon
Kathryn Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space. With the completion of her third mission, Sullivan logged over 532 hours in space. -
First Female Shuttle Pilot
Eileen Collins became the first female Shuttle pilot.In July 2005 she commanded the much-anticipated launch of the first space shuttle since the disastrous Columbia voyage in 2003, during which all seven astronauts were killed on board. -
Oldest man in space
John Glenn became the oldest man in space by serving as a payload specialist on STS-95 aboard the space shuttle Discovery. He was 77 years old at the time. -
Space Shuttle Columbia
The Space Shuttle Columbia broke up on re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. Columbia disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven crew members on board. -
Back to the moon
President Bush proposed a new space program that would send humans back to the moon by 2015 and establish a base to Mars and beyond.
