The Space Race 1957 - 1974
The Space Race1957 - 1974
Sputnik I1957 - First satellite to orbit Earth
Sputnik II1957 - First orbiting life form, a dog named Laika
Explorer I1958 – First American satellite, unmanned
Vanguard1958 – First solar powered satellite
Sputnik III1958 – First data about Earth taken from orbiting satellite
Jupiter AM-181959 – First primates (two chimpanzees) launched into orbit around Earth
Explorer 61959 – First photo of Earth from Space
Luna 21959 – First probe to impact on moon
Luna 31959 – First probe to photograph moon’s far side
Sputnik V1960 – First recovery of orbited animals (Belka and Strelka)
Venera1961 – Venus probe, passed within 62,000 miles of Venus
Vostok I1961 – First manned space flight, Yuri Gagarin. One orbit of Earth
Mercury-Freedom1961 – Alan Shepard, first American in space. Partial orbit of Earth
Vostok III1962 – Orbited Earth for 3 days and 22 hours (Nikolaev and Popovich)
Mercury 91963 – First American-manned flight over 24 hours
Ranger 71964 – First successful American lunar probe with 4, 316 close up moon photos before impact
Mariner 41964 – First successful flyby of Mars
Voskhod II1965 – First space walk (10 minutes) Leonov’s suit expanded in heat of sun, needed to deflate to get back in space vehicle
Gemini 41965 – First American space walk (21 minutes)
Luna 91966 – First soft landing on moon, returning photos
Gemini 81966 – First meeting in space with previously launched object (Agena 11, above). Began to spin out of control. Neil Armstrong stopped it spinning.
Surveyor I1966 – First American soft landing on the moon, returned 11, 240 photos
Apollo 11967 – Fire inside spacecraft during ground testing killed 3 astronauts
Surveyor 31967 – Landed on moon. Took photos and first soil analysis
Mariner 61969 – Flew by Mars, transmitted 75 images
Apollo 1120th July 1969 – First manned lunar landing. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Michael Collins remained in orbit in command module. 22 hours on moon