Sarah's Space timeline By 7d12009 Jul 20, 1969 Neil Armstong Landed On Moon Neil Armstrong landed on the moon on July 20 1969. Apr 12, 1981 Space Transportation System April 12, 1981 - The first manned mission of the Space Transportation System (STS-1), Columbia, is launched. Jan 28, 1986 Challenger broke apart January 28, 1986 the Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into flight.