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The Soviet Union launches the first artificial Earth satellite, Sputnik 1, into orbit.
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The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2 carrying Laika, a dog, as a passenger.
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NASA's Vanguard 1 orbits the Earth powered on solar energy.
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NASA launches Project SCORE which used a satellite to relay President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Christmas message to the entire US via shortwave radio.
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Explorer 6, launched by NASA, takes a photograph of Earth while in orbit.
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NASA launches GRAB-1 which collects electronic intelligence information on the Soviet Union and China.
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NASA successfully recovers Discoverer 13 after returning to Earth from orbit.
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Soviet Union's Sputnik 5 carrying two dogs, Belka and Strelka, and several plants and other animals returns to Earth with all passengers alive.
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The Soviet Union launches the Vostok 1 with a human passenger, Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space.
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NASA launches the Freedom 7 with Alan Shepard as a pilot. Shepard is in full control of the ship unlike the Soviet launch, and he returns to Earth with the ship in the first complete spaceflight.
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NASA's OSO-1 is launches with the intentions of studying the Sun.
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Canada launches the Alouette 1 satellite into orbit becoming the first non-superpower to enter the space race; Until this point, the United States and Soviet Union had been the only participants.
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Soviet Union launches Vostok 6 carrying a passenger, Valentina Tereshkova, who became the first woman to enter space.
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NASA's X-15 flown by William Knight officially becomes the first piloted spacecraft to be reuseable.
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The US Navy launches the TRANSIT system or SATNAV, the first global navigation satellite.
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NASA's Mariner 4 is the first spacecraft to reach Mars.
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The Soviet Union's unmanned Luna 9 lands on the moon capturing the first photos on the moon's surface.
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NASA's Gemini 8 performs a docking test with a target vehicle becoming the first spacecraft to dock with another in orbit.
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Soviet Union's Luna 10 enters the Moon's orbit becoming the first man-made satellite to do so.
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NASA's Apollo 8 leaves Earth's orbit on its mission to orbit the Moon. After taking the first photo of an "Earthrise", it returns home.
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Soviet Union launches Soyuz 5 which docked with Soyuz 4 and exchanged its crew.
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NASA's Apollo 11 lands on the Moon and Neil Armstrong becomes the first man to walk on the Moon.
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Soviet Union's Lunokhod 1 is remotely controlled from Earth to explore the surface of the Moon.
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Soviet Union's Venera 7 lands on Venus and transmits data back to Earth
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The Soviet Union launches Salyut 1 with a human crew.
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NASA's Apollo 15 carries the Lunar Roving Vehicle to the Moon where its crew drives it on the Moon's surface.
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NASA's Mariner 9 enters Mars's orbit.
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Soviet Union's Mars 3 lands on Mars and transmits data to Earth.
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NASA's Pioneer 10 is sent on an escape trajectory away from our Sun and becomes the first spacecraft to leave our solar system.
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USA and Soviet Union begin a joint operation that would dock an Apollo Command Module with Soyuz 19. The two crews conducted joint experiments and exchanged handshakes and gifts.