Timeline of space exploration

By pe19417
  • The first spotting of the moon through a telescope by Galileo Galilei

    The first spotting of the moon through a telescope by Galileo Galilei

  • Robert H. Goddard launches first liquid fueled rockets

  • Soviet Union launches first rocket of there own

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

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

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

  • The Soviet Union launched the first satellite

    The satelite was called Sputnik.
  • The Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 was launched with a dog named Laika.

    The Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 was launched with a dog named Laika.

    Laika did not survive the voyage.
  • The Soviet craft Sputnik 5 was launched, carrying the dogs Strelka and Belka

    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.

  • Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin went to space

    He was the very first human
  • Neil Armstrong becomes the first human being to walk on the moon

    Neil Armstrong becomes the first human being to walk on the moon

  • First Space Shuttle Launch

    The first manned mission of the Space Transportation System (STS-1), Columbia, is launched. This mission, as well as the next three, will be a test flight to try out the spacecraft's systems.

  • Voyager 2 Arrives at Saturn

  • First Venus Soil Samples

    The Soviet Venera 13 spacecraft lands on the planet Venus and provides the first scientific analysis of the Venusian soil.
  • First Spacecraft to Orbit Mercury

    First Spacecraft to Orbit Mercury

    NASA's Messenger spacecraft becomes the first man made craft to orbit the closest planet to the Sun. The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft begins its mission to map and photograph the planet's surface in high resolution. It will also study the planet's thin atmosphere and search for signs of water that could lie frozen beneath the surface.
  • First Skydive Jump to Break the Sound Barrier

    First Skydive Jump to Break the Sound Barrier

    Australian skydiver Felix Baumgartner becomes the first human being to break the sound barrier without a jet or spacecraft as he jumps from the edge of space. A capsule attached to a helium balloon takes him 24 miles up and he sets a new record, breaking the previous record for highest jump set by Joe Kittinger at 19.5 miles in 1960. During his descent, he reaches a top speed of 833 mph (1340 kph).