Timeline of Space Exploration

By 14sparkles

  • Sir Isaac Newton published Philosophae Naturalis Principia Mathematica

    Felt to be the most important scientific works ever written, this set of 3 books explains Newton's 3 laws of motion and his law of universal gravity.

  • First American-designed rocket reaches space

    Wac Corporal is launched from the White Sands Proving Grounds in New Mexico and goes an altitude of 50 miles to the edge of space.

  • First live animal in space

    Laika was taken to space in a special environment capsule by Sputnik 2 and lived for 8 days.

  • First American satellite in space

    Explorer I was launched into space by the Army. The scientific instruments it carried were able to perform studies that discovered the radiation belts around Earth.

  • Luna I orbits Sun

    First man-made spacecraft orbits Sun accidentally after trying to land on the moon and the moon's gravity threw it into space.

  • First American astronaut in space

    Astronaut Alan Shepard spent 15 minutes in space, where he was weightless for 5 minutes.

  • American first operational space shuttle mission

    Space Shuttle Columbia begins first operational space shuttle mission. There were 4 crew members who spent 5 days conducting experiments and deploying 2 commercial satellites.

  • First American woman in space

    Sally K. Ride was the first American woman astronaut in space on Space Shuttle Challenger Mission STS-7.

  • Last American Space Shuttle launched into space

    Space Shuttle Atlantis was launched into space for the last time. NASA will now ask private companies to provide travel for low Earth orbit.