CK12 Earth Science

Table 23.1: Space Race Timeline

Date Accomplished Country Name of Mission

October 4, 1957 First artificial satel-

lite, first signals

from space

USSR Sputnik 1

November 3, 1957 First animal in orbit
(the dog Laika)

USSR Sputnik 2

January 31, 1958 USA’s first artificial
satellite

USA Explorer I

January 4, 1959 First human-made
object to orbit the
Sun

USSR Luna 1

September 13, 1959 First impact into
another planet or
moon (the Moon)

USSR Luna 2

April 12, 1961 First manned
spaceflight and
first manned orbital
flight (Yuri Gagarin)

USSR Vostok 1

May 5, 1961 USA’s first space-
flight with humans
(Alan Shepherd)

USA Mercury-Redstone 3

(Freedom 7)

February 20, 1962 USA’s first orbital
flight with humans
(John Glenn)

USA Mercury-Atlas 6

(Friendship 7)

December 14, 1962 First planetary flyby
(Venus)

USA Mariner 2

June 16, 1963 First woman in
space, first woman
in orbit (Valentina
Tereshkova)

USSR Vostok 6

March 18, 1965 First extra-vehicular
activity (“space-
walk”) (Aleksei
Leonov)

USSR Voskhod 2

February 3, 1966 First soft landing on
another planet or
moon (the Moon),
first photos from an-
other world

USSR Luna 9