Screenshot 2025 02 23 at 8.59.12 am

The Great Space Race

By KathleenRedmond
  • Period: to

    The Race to Space

    After WWII, the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.) and the United States of America (U.S.) entered into a period known as the Cold War. This war to prove their superiority over the other nation extended into space. What started as each nation building long range missiles developed into building rockets to explore space.
  • U.S.S.R. launches Sputnik

    U.S.S.R. launches Sputnik

    The U.S.S.R. launches Sputnik - the first artificial satellite.
  • First Animal in Space

    First Animal in Space

    The U.S.S.R. placed the first animal in a spacecraft, the dog Laika, aboard Sputnik 2.
  • First U.S. Satellite Launched

    First U.S. Satellite Launched

    The first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, was launched. It was the first satellite to carry science instruments.
  • NASA is created

    NASA is created

    In the U.S., the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in order to lead the space program
  • First Human in Orbit

    First Human in Orbit

    The U.S.S.R. launched the first human into orbit, Yuri Gagarin, on Vostok 1.
  • JFK Declares U.S. will Land a Man on the Moon

    JFK Declares U.S. will Land a Man on the Moon

    President John F. Kennedy of the U.S. declares in front of Congress that the U.S. will put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. This effectively gives shape to the end goal of the 'space race.'
  • First American in Orbit

    First American in Orbit

    John Glenn, on Mercury-Atlas 6, became the first American to orbit the Earth.
  • First Woman in Space

    First Woman in Space

    Valentina Tereshkova from the U.S.S.R. became the first woman in space.
  • First Multi-Person Spacecraft Orbits Earth

    First Multi-Person Spacecraft Orbits Earth

    The U.S.S.R. launched the first multi-person spacecraft, Voskhod, into low Earth orbit. The crew consisted of three cosmonauts: Vladimir Mikhailovich Komarov, Konstantin Petrovich Feoktistov, and Boris Borisovich Yegorov.
  • First Space Walk

    First Space Walk

    The very first space walk was performed by Aleksei Leonov of the U.S.S.R. from the spacecraft Voskhod 2.
  • First American Space Walk

    First American Space Walk

    The first American space walk was completed by Ed White from Gemini 4.
  • Death of Sergei Korolev

    Death of Sergei Korolev

    Sergei Korolev from the U.S.S.R. dies. He was the head of the Soviet space programming, responsible for Sputnik, Vostok Soyuz. This leads to several delays in the U.S.S.R. space programs.

  • Death of U.S. Astronauts

    Three US astronauts, Virgil Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee, are tragically killed after their spacecraft catches fire during a launch simulation. This leads to a year and half delay in the Apollo program.
  • First Unmanned Spacecraft to Fly Around Moon

    First Unmanned Spacecraft to Fly Around Moon

    The unmanned Soviet probe -Zond 5 - becomes the first spacecraft to fly around the Moon and return to Earth.
  • First Apollo Space Flight

    First Apollo Space Flight

    U.S. launches the first flight of the Apollo program with astronauts Walter Schirra, Donn Eisele, and Walter Cunningham on Apollo 7. This flight saw the first live TV broadcast of Americans in space.
  • First Crewed Flight around the Moon

    First Crewed Flight around the Moon

    The first crewed flight around the Moon took place, with Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders on Apollo 8.. These astronauts took photos that were immensely helpful to the Apollo 11 landing preparation.
  • Moon Landing

    Moon Landing

    The first humans landed on the Moon: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on Apollo 11 from the U.S. By landing on the moon, the United States effectively “won” the space race that had begun with Sputnik’s launch in 1957.