Timeline of Space Exploration

First time looking through a telescope at the Moon

Jan 1, 1610

Galileo Galilei was the first person to see the moon through a telescope

First liquid fueled rockets launched

Mar 16, 1926

Robert H. Goddard Launches the first liquid fueled rockets

First personal rocket launched with students

Jan 1, 1929

Hermann Oberth launches first personal rocket with students

The first liquid fueled rockets were developed by the German military

Jan 1, 1931

First German military liquid fueled rockets developed

The first rocket launched by the Soviet Union that was there own

Jan 1, 1933

Soviet Union launches first rocket of there own

First research flight launched by the U.S.

Oct 24, 1946

First research flight launched by the U.S. captured by the V-2 space rocket

First animals launched into space

Feb 20, 1947

First animals launched into space (fruit flies) by the U.S.

First missile produced by USSR

Jan 1, 1957

First ballistic missile produced by the USSR

First artificial satellite put into space by the USSR called Spunik 1

Oct 4, 1957

First artificial satellite put into space that brings back signals to earth launched by the USSR

First animal launched into orbit by the USSR

Nov 3, 1957

First animal launched into orbit, dog named Laika launched by USSR and did not return alive

First photograph of Earth from U.S. NASA

Jan 1, 1959

First photograph of the earth from the earth's orbit by U.S. NASA

First rocket launched in orbit by USSR

Jan 2, 1959

First rocket launched into earths orbit by the USSR

USSR detects solar wind

Jan 2, 1959

First detection of solar wind by USSR

First time plants and animals return to earth safely from Earths orbit

Aug 20, 1960

First plants and animals to return to earth safely/alive from the Earth's orbit

First human spaceflight

Apr 12, 1961

First human spaceflight and manned orbital flight

USSR puts first women in space

Jun 16, 1963

First women in space by USSR

First sighting of Mars By NASA

Jan 1, 1965

First sighting of mars and flyby by U.S. NASA

First artificial satellite around another world by USSR

Jan 1, 1966

First artificial satellite around another world (moon) purposed by USSR

First human on moon

Jul 20, 1969

First human on moon by the U.S. (Apollo 11) successful! Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin

First space station put into space by USSR

Apr 19, 1971

First space station in space by USSR

First landing on Mars

Jul 20, 1976

First soft landing on Mars and first signals from the surface

First reusable spacecraft by the U.S.

Apr 12, 1981

First reusable manned spacecraft by U.S.

First spacecraft beyond the orbit of Neptune

Jan 1, 1983

First spacecraft beyond the orbit of Neptune by U.S. NASA

First photograph of the whole solar system

Feb 14, 1990

First photograph of the whole solar system by U.S. NASA

First polar orbit around the Sun

Jan 1, 1992

First polar orbit around the Sun by U.S. NASA and the ESA

Longest duration in orbit of Earth by Russia

Jan 1, 1995

Longest duration in the orbit of earth by Valeri Polyakov (437.7 days) from Russia

First orbit of an Asteriod

Oct 26, 2000

First orbit of an asteroid by U.S. NASA

First landing on an Asteriod

Feb 12, 2001

First landing on an asteroid by U.S. NASA

First space telescope launched

Jan 1, 2009

Kepler Mission launched first space telescope designated for research of Earth's expoplanets by USA

First sample of an Asteriod brought back to earth

Jan 1, 2010

First sample of an asteroid brought back to earth by Japan

NASA rover lands on Mars

Aug 6, 2012

NASA rover successfully lands on mars to seek out life-clues by U.S. NASA