The timeline of space! By kkipp Oct 4, 1957 Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1, the World's first orbiting artificial satellite May 5, 1961 NASA astronaut Alan Shephard is first American in space May 25, 1961 US President John F Kennedy announces intention to land men on the Moon by 31 December 1969 Feb 20, 1962 NASA astronaut John Glenn is first American to orbit the Earth Jan 27, 1967 Apollo 1 crew die on launch pad in fire Jul 20, 1969 Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle lands on the Moon's Sea of Tranquility May 14, 1973 US space station Skylab launched Jan 28, 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explodes 73s into ascent Apr 24, 1990 NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope launched Feb 1, 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia breaks up on re-entry killing all crew