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Sputnik I Launched
Sputnik I was the 1st satellite in space. It was launched by the Soviets on Oct 4, 1957. It was the 1st satellite to orbit Earth, only taking 96.2 minutes -
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The Space Race
The Space Race was a huge competiton between Soviet Russia and the USA about launching satelites, spaceships, and eventually, people into space. It started in 1957, andstopped around the mid 70's. The Space Race is one of the hugest historical events of the mid to late 1900's. Here is a link to the Wikipedia Article about the Space Race. -
Soviets Send Dog into Space
Sputnik II was launched only a month after the famous Sputnik I. Instead of an empty satellite being launched, the Soviets sent a dog into orbit. It stayed in Space for 103 minutes. -
Explorer I Launched by US
Explorer I was the first American satellite ever launched by the US into space. After Sputmik I and its successor, Sputnik II, was launched by the Soviets, the US wasn't going to sit back anymore, and decided to launch their own satellite. Explorer I stayed in orbit until 1970. -
Soviets Put 1st Man Into Space
In 1961, the Soviets moved ahead drastically in the Space Race by putting a man into space. That lucky soul was named Yuri Gagarin. He went into space on the Russian Vostok I. -
Kennedy Starts Moon Race
On April 20, 1961, President Kennedy decided to take the Race to aa new level. He called up Vice-president Lyndon B. Johnson and said to put whatever he could into the Race to catch up. He suggested we go to the moon. -
Alan Shepard is 1st American in Space
After the Soviets launched a man into space, the US countered. It sent Alan Shepard into space in the early 60"s. he was sent into space on the Freedom 7. -
AT&T Phone Company and US Launch Telstar 1
On July 10, 1962, AT&T teamed up with the US, French, and British to launch the first communications satellite, Telstar I. It was a way to brodcast TV, pictures, and phone calls over the ocean using space. It's sucessor, Telstar II, Launched on May 7, 1963 -
Soviets Launch Vostok 3 & 4
The Soviets Launched Vostok 3 & 4 on August 11, 1962. They were the first dual-piolted flights. During the mission, they drifted as far as 1,770 mi apart! -
Telstar II Launched
Looking and functioning like it's predecessor, Telstar II was an improved version of Telstar I. The Launch of Telstar II was folowed by other Telstars to come in the future. It was launched on May 7, 1963. -
1st Woman is Launched Into Space
Well, after putting the 1st man into space, the Soviets decided to also put the 1st woman in space as well. Valentina Tereshkova was the 1st woman in space, chosen out of 400 others. She went in space on the Vostok 6. -
US-USSR Proposed Joint Program Killed after Kennedy Assassination
A US-USSR joint program was in the works in the early 60's. Both the US and the USSR would work together to reach the moon. However, after Kennedy was assassinated, and Johnson took office, the plan was dropped. -
Alexey Leonov is the 1st man to take a Spacewalk
in 1965, Russian Alexey Leonov went up into space, and became the 1st person to leave his ship and go outside into space itself! Vokshod 2 was the name of the ship he went in. What is suprising is that he almost didn't make it back! -
Luna 9 Becomes First satellite to land on Moon
Luna 9 was the first satellite to land on the moon. It was sent there by the Soviets, and took many photos of the moon. When it got back, the photos weren't allowed to be looked at by the public. -
Luna 10 Orbits Moon
The Luna 10 was also launched by the Soviets. It was designed to orbit the moon. It completed an orbit of the moon in 3 hours. -
Soyuz I Causes Fatality
Soyuz I was sent into space on April 23, 1967 by the Russians. A man named Vladimir Komarov was on the spacecraft when it launched. Unfortunately, upon reentry to Earth and due to technical problems, the spacecraft crashed into Earth, killing Vladimir on impact. -
Apollo 8 Orbits Moon
Apollo 8 was sent into space on December 21, 1968 to orbit the Moon. It lasted for three days, with with a rate of 10 orbits in 20 hours. Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders were on the spacecraft. -
Apollo 11 Lands on Moon
Apollo 11 was one of the greatest and most popular Moon landings of all time. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the lucky few to get a chance to go on his historic journey. This was the turning point in the race, because the US reached the Moon before the Soviets did. "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." -
Soviets Launch First Space Station
The Soviets launched the first space station on Apr 23, 1971. The name of the space station was the Salyut I. It was launched to get an idea of how a space station would work. -
Apollo 17: Last Moon Mission for now...
Apollo 17 was the last moon mission ever made by NASA. It returned to Earth on December 19, 1972. The mission lasted for 12 days, and Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison Schmitt were the people on the spacecraft. -
US and Soviets Join Forces
The Apollo-Soyuz Joint Test Project Project was the first time the US and the Soviets worked together on something, rekindling the earlier failed project from the 60's. This was the final time an Apollo spacecraft was ever launched. The two ships, Apollo and Soyuz, met in space, and the 5 people onboard both ships talked and hung out for 41 hours. the mission put an end to the space race.
