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Explorer 2
Explorer 2 is launched by a Jupiter-C rocket, and fails to reach orbit. -
Pioneer 1
Pioneer 1, U.S. - IGY space probe, launched to a height of 70,700 miles. -
Luna 2
September 12, 1959 - Luna 2 is launched, impacting on the moon on September 13 carrying a copy of the Soviet coat of arms, and becoming the first man-made object to hit the moon. -
Vostok 6
Vostok 6 carries Soviet Cosmonaut Valentia Tereshkova, the first woman in space and orbits the Earth 48 times. -
Soviet Vennus 3
November 16, 1965 - Soviet Venus 3 is launched, becoming the first craft to impact Venus on March 1, 1966. -
Soviet Soyuz 1
April 23, 1967 - Soviet Soyuz 1 is launched, carrying Vladimir M. Komarov. On April 24 it crashed, killing Komarov, the first spaceflight fatality -
NASA
NASA launches the first Synchronous Meteorological Satellite, SMS-1. -
Einstein
The Einstein Observatory begins its 30-day mission. -
Pioneer
Two Pioneer spacecraft reach Venus. One drops four probes into the atmosphere, while the other maps the surface. -
Asteroid XM1
Asteroid XM1 passes within 65,000 miles of Earth. -
NASA
The NASA satellite Stardust lifts off for a rendezvous with the Comet Wild-2 in January of 2004