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USSR Launches Sputnik 1
The USSR launches Sputnik 1, the first man-made satellite in Earth's orbit, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Tyuratam, Kazakhstan. -
USSR Launches Laika Into Orbit
The USSR launches Sputnik 2, with the dog Laika on board. Laika was the first animal to orbit the Earth, however as the technology to de-orbit had not yet been developed, Laika overheated and died on her fourth orbit. -
USA Launches Explorer 1
The USA launches Explorer 1, the first satellite launched by the USA. The launch of this satellite began the space race between the US and USSR. -
USA Creates NASA
The USA creates NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, to help win the Space Race. -
USA Launches Mercury-Redstone 2, Featuring Ham the Chimp
The USA launches the first great ape into space, Ham the chimpanzee. He made it back home safely, and his only injury was a bruised nose. -
USSR Launches Vostok 1
The USSR launches Vostok 1, the first manned mission into space. Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first human to reach orbital velocity and make a full orbit around the Earth. The flight took 108 minutes, and Gagarin parachuted down safely after ejecting from his capsule. -
USA Launches Freedom 7
The USA puts their first man in space in Mercury-Redstone 3, also known as Freedom 7. He was the second person and the first American to enter space. -
USA Launches Mercury-Atlas 6
The USA launches Mercury-Atlas 6, their first crewed orbital spaceflight, with John Glenn as the pilot completing 3 orbits before crashing down in the North Atlantic, with both Glenn and the capsule remaining in good condition. -
JFK Announces Plans to get People on the Moon
Known formally as the Address at Rice University on the Nation's Space Effort, US President John F. Kennedy's "We choose to go to the Moon" speech was given at Rice University Stadium in Houston, Texas, USA. The purpose of this speech was to bolster spirits and get people exciting and willing for a manned mission to the Moon. -
USSR Does the First EVA
Alexei Leonov, in the Soviet mission Voskhod 2, becomes the first person to complete a spacewalk - that being, the first person to safely exit their spacecraft in a spacesuit while still in space. Pavel Belyayev was also on board, however he did not participate in the spacewalk. -
USA Launches Gemini 3
The USA launches Gemini 3, which was the first time two American astronauts flew together in space. Gus Grissom and John Young, on board the spacecraft nicknamed "Molly Brown", completed 3 low-orbits and became the first US crew to use thrusters to change the size and shape of their orbit. -
USA Performs Their First Spacewalk
Ed White, with the Gemini 4 mission, becomes the first American to perform a spacewalk. James McDivitt was also on board the spacecraft, however he did not take part in the spacewalk. -
Buzz Aldrin on Gemini 12 Does First EVA Without Extreme Exhaustion
Then-rookie Buzz Aldrin successfully does 3 different spacewalks on the Gemini 12 for extended periods of time, without suffering from the extreme, life-threatening exhaustion of previous spacewalks. He proved that outside-of-craft work is feasible. -
USA's Gemini 6A Completes First Space Rendezvous
The USA's Gemini 6A, manned by Wally Schirra and Thomas P. Stafford, successfully does the first-ever space rendezvous with its companion craft, Gemini 7. The two crafts got so close together they could have docked, had they been equipped with the proper equipment. -
T-38 Crashes And Kills Gemini 9 Crew
A NASA Northrop T-38 Talon crashed into Lambert Field in St. Louis, Missouri, where the Gemini 9 spacecraft was being built. The original crew for the Gemini 9, Elliot See and Charles Bassett, were piloting the vehicle, however due to poor weather and pilot error it crashed, killing the both of them. -
Apollo 1 Cabin Fire Kills Crew
During a launch rehearsal test, a cabin fire breaks out in the spacecraft, killing the crew composed of Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger B. Chaffee. The name Apollo 1, which was chosen by the crew, was made official after the fire. -
NASA Launches Apollo 7
NASA launches Apollo 7, the first crewed spaceflight in the Apollo program and the first crewed spaceflight by NASA after the fire that killed the crew of Apollo 1. The crew was comprised of Walter M. Schirra, Donn F. Eisele, and R. Walter Cunningham. -
NASA Launches Apollo 8
NASA launches Apollo 8, the first spaceflight with humans to reach the Moon. The crew, composed of Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders, orbited the Moon 10 times before safely returning to Earth. -
NASA Launches Apollo 9
NASA launches Apollo 9, with the objective to, among other things, test and qualify the Lunar Module, which would be crucial for a manned lunar landing. The crew, James McDivitt, David Scott, and Rusty Schweickart, performed the first crewed flight of a lunar module, and the second docking of two crewed spacecraft (the first having been done by the USSR two months prior). -
NASA Launches Apollo 10
Apollo 10, manned by John Young, Thomas Stafford, and Gene Cernan, was a "test flight" to make sure everything was in order before attempting the Apollo 11 Lunar Landing. NASA briefly considered having Apollo 10 make a lunar landing, although they decided having a test flight first would be better. Apollo 10 set the record for the highest speed reached by a crewed vehicle, that being 39,897 km/h (24,791 mph). -
NASA Launches Apollo 11
Apollo 11, crewed by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, was the first manned Lunar Landing and marked the first human, that being Buzz Aldrin, to step foot on the moon.