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USSR launches Sputnik
(October 4th, 1957-January 4th,1958)
This launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments. This event marked the start of the space age and the U.S- USSR space race. -
First dog in space( Laika on Sputnik 2)
November 3rd, 1957-April 14th, 1958
The experiment aimed to prove that a living organism could survive being launched into orbit and continue to function under conditions of weakened gravity and increased radiation. This provided scientists with some of the first data on the biological effects of spaceflight. -
First US satellite(Explorer 1)
January 31st, 1958-March 31st,1970
Explorer 1 became the first successfully launched satellite by the United States when it was sent to space on January 31, 1958. As a response to the launch of the Sputnik 1, Explorer 1's success marked the beginning of the US space age. -
Project Mercury
1958-1963
first announced on October 7th, 1958
Project Mercury was the United State's first human in space program. The objectives of the program, were to orbit a crewed spacecraft around Earth, and to test humans' ability to function in space. -
First man in space (Yuri Gagarin)
April 12th 1961- April 12th 1961
He became the first human to travel into space. He was in space for 108 minutes. His flight pushed the Soviet Union ahead in the space race with the United States. -
First American in space (Alan Shepard)
May 5th, 1961-May 5th 1961
He became the first American and the second man in space. He was in space for about 15.5 minutes. Three weeks later, based on the success of Shepard's brief flight, President John F. Kennedy committed the United States to achieving a lunar landing before the end of the decade. -
First American to orbit earth(John Glen)
February 20th, 1962- February 20th, 1962.
He spent 4 hours and 55 minutes in space. Glenn was a vital part of the US space program, and his orbit was an important equalizing step in the space race between the U.S and the Soviet Union. -
Project Gemini
1965-1966
The Gemini program was designed as a bridge between the Mercury and Apollo programs to test equipment and mission procedures in Earth orbit, and to train astronauts and ground crews for future Apollo missions. -
Apollo 1 disaster
it was planned to launch February 21st, 1967- destroyed January 27th, 1967
A fire swept through the Apollo 1 Command Module during a launch rehearsal test, which killed the three astronauts trapped inside. It was planned to be the first crewed mission of the Apollo program, the American undertaking to land the first man on the Moon. It was planned to launch on February 21, 1967, as the first low Earth orbital test of the Apollo command and service module. -
First manned American spacecraft to orbit the moon and return (Apollo 8)
December 21–27, 1968
Apollo 8 was the first mission to take humans to the Moon and back. While the crew did not land on the Moon's surface, the flight was an important prelude to a lunar landing, testing the flight trajectory and operations getting there and back. -
First men on the moon (Apollo 11)
July 16, 1969 – July 24, 1969
Apollo 11 was the first mission to land humans on the Moon. It fulfilled a 1961 goal set by President John F. Kennedy to send American astronauts to the surface and return them safely to Earth before the end of the decade. -
Space Shuttle Program
January 5th 1972- August 31st, 2011
it was the world's first reusable spacecraft, and the first spacecraft in history that can carry large satellites both to and from orbit. Many scientific investigations were conducted onboard, and the invaluable knowledge gained from their results has improved life in space and on Earth. -
Voyager 1 and 2 launched
Voyager 2 was launched on August 20th, 1977
Voyager 1 was launched on September 5th,1977
both have been in space for 47 years
These have explored all the giant planets of our outer solar system, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune; 48 of their moons; and the unique system of rings and magnetic fields those planets possess. -
International Space Station
November 20, 1988-2030
The space station has made it possible for people to have an ongoing presence in space. Human beings have been living in space every day since the first crew arrived. The space station's laboratories allow crew members to do research that could not be done anywhere else. -
First Spacecraft to land on the moon(luna 9)
January 31st, 1966- February 6th, 1966
Luna 9 was the first spacecraft to achieve a lunar soft landing and to transmit photographic data from the Moon's surface to Earth. Luna 9 proved that a vehicle can be successfully soft-landed on the moon.