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