SPACE EXPLORATION TIMELINE
1957
The Space Age began when the Soviet Union launched the first artificial
satellite, Sputnik 1, into low Earth orbit
1958
The United States launched its first satellite, Explorer 1, on January 31,
1958. This started the “Space Race” between USA and Russia. In the
same year the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA
was formed.
1961
The first human in space was Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. He
orbited Earth once.
1962
John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth. He orbited Earth
three times.
1969
The first moon landing was Apollo 11. The first man to walk on the
moon was American Astronaut Neil Armstrong
1971
1981
Mariner 9: The first mission to orbit another planet (Mars)
The first manned shuttle mission, Columbia, was launched. The shuttle
can land like an airplane and is reusable.
1986
First space shuttle disaster. The Challenger explodes shortly after
liftoff. All the crew, including the first civilian in space teacher Christa
McAuliffe, was
lost.
1990
2003
Launch of the Hubble Space Telescope from the Space Shuttle
Second shuttle disaster, Columbia, breaks up in the atmosphere while
returning to Kennedy Space Center after completing their mission
2004
The first private, manned, space flight Space Ship One is launched
2011
End of an Era: the Atlantis is the last space shuttle to be launched into
space, ending the 30-year space shuttle program
2015
NASA working with SpaceX, a private company, to return Americans to
space
2019
2020
Astronomers release the first ever image of a black hole
SpaceX makes history as the first private company to launch astronauts
into space
NASA launched the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
2021