Solar system

History of Space Exploration

By tiipd4

  • Albert the Monkey

    Albert the Monkey
    On Jun 14, 1949, a Rhesus monkey named Albert II, originally from Asia, was the first monkey from space. He flew in a special American V2 rocket that was adapted for his needs and flew to a height of 83 miles from Earth. Unfortunately, Albert died on impact after his parachute failed.

  • Sputnik

    Sputnik
    Almost a decade later, on October 4, 1957, Russia launched the first artificial satellite, called Sputnik 1. It was the first satellite to orbit the earth. According to the history of space exploration, Sputnik launched what was later known as the Space Race between America and the Soviet Union.

  • Explorer 1

    Explorer 1
    Early the next year, on January 31, America followed suit by launching its first satellite, called Explorer 1. It remained in orbit until 1970. It was the first in a series of over 90 other satellites used for research and other purposes.

  • Yuri Gagarin

    Yuri Gagarin
    In 1961, Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, became the first man in space. He launched into orbit of the Earth on April 12. He completed one orbit of the Earth and landed a little less than two hours after launch.

  • Alan Shepard

    Alan Shepard
    That same year, the first American to fly in to space was Alan Sheppard. His trip in to space lasted 15 minutes. During his trip in to space, he experienced about five minutes of weightlessness.

  • Neil Amrstrong

    Neil Amrstrong
    Astronaut Neil Armstrong made history on July 20, 1969, when he became the first man to step on to the moon. The first words upon settling the craft on the moon was “The eagle has landed.” According to his historians, Mr. Armstrong took “One small step for a man, one giant step for mankind.”