List of space exploration milestones, 1957-1969

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This is a list of "first" achievements in spaceflight from the first artificial satellite through the Moon landing. It focuses primarily on Space race accomplishments that led to the landing on the Moon. Missions are given in order of launch date.

Contents

[edit] Miscellaneous milestones

Milestone Date Country Mission
First manmade satellite in Earth orbit October 1957 USSR Sputnik 1
First animal in orbit (Laika) November 1957 USSR Sputnik 2
First solar probe March 1960 USA Pioneer 5
First weather satellite [1] April 1960 USA TIROS-1
First passive communications satellite [2] May 1960 USA Echo 1
First operational navigation satellite 1960 USA Transit
First active communications satellite July 1962 USA Telstar
First geosynchronous satellite July 1963 USA Syncom 2
First successful rocket capable of sending a mission to land on the Moon (Saturn V) November 1967 USA Apollo 4

[edit] Unmanned lunar missions

Milestone Date Country Mission
First probe to go near the Moon (5995 km), went into heliocentric orbit January 1959 USSR Luna 1
First probe to impact the Moon September 1959 USSR Luna 2
First probe to photograph the far side of the Moon October 1959 USSR Luna 3
First unmanned soft landing on the Moon, first to transmit from the Moon's surface January 1966 USSR Luna 9
First probe to orbit the Moon March 1966 USSR Luna 10
First probe to map the Moon August 1966 USA Lunar Orbiter 1

[edit] Manned missions

Milestone Date Country Mission
First man in space, first man to orbit the Earth April 1961 USSR Vostok 1
First manual control of a manned spacecraft May 1961 USA Freedom 7
First one-day flight August 1961 USSR Vostok 2
Two spacecraft launched into nearly intersecting orbits.
Misleadingly claimed by USSR as first rendezvous.[3] [4] [5]		 August 1962 USSR Vostok 3 and Vostok 4
First four-day flight August 1962 USSR Vostok 3
First woman in space June 1963 USSR Vostok 6
First crew of three astronauts onboard one spacecraft October 1964 USSR Voskhod 1
First spacewalk (EVA) March 1965 USSR Voskhod 2
First manned spacecraft to change orbit March 1965 USA Gemini 3
First eight-day mission August 1965 USA Gemini 5
Two spacecraft maneuvering to close proximity under fine control.
Generally accepted as the first rendezvous in space. [4] [6]		 December 1965 USA Gemini 6A
First two-week mission December 1965 USA Gemini 7
First docking with another spacecraft March 1966 USA Gemini 8
First extended EVA June 1966 USA Gemini 9A
First manned mission to leave Earth orbit, first to orbit the Moon December 1968 USA Apollo 8
First docking between two manned craft in Earth orbit and exchange of crews January 1969 USSR Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5
First successful manned flight of a spacecraft capable of landing on the Moon (Apollo Lunar Module) March 1969 USA Apollo 9
First manned landing on the Moon July 1969 USA Apollo 11

[edit] Unmanned planetary missions

Milestone Date Country Mission
First flyby of Venus (< 100,000km), but contact was lost February 1961 USSR Venera 1
First successful flyby of Venus (less than 35,000km) August 1962 USA Mariner 2
First Mars flyby (11,000km) but contact was lost November 1962 USSR Mars 1
First successful Mars flyby (returned pictures) November 1964 USA Mariner 4
First impact of Venus (contact lost) November 1965 USSR Venera 3
First to enter Venus' atmosphere June 1967 USSR Venera 4
First to parachute in Venus atmosphere, lost contact before landing, soft-landed? January 1969 USSR Venera 5

[edit] See also


 v • d • e 
Space Exploration Lists and Timelines

List of human spaceflights • Timeline of spaceflight • List of human spaceflights by program • List of astronauts by name •  List of astronauts by selection • List of spacewalks and moonwalks • List of Mir visiting spacecrafts and crews • List of Mir Expeditions • List of Mir spacewalks • List of NASA missions • List of Apollo astronauts • List of space shuttle missions • Space Shuttle crews • List of manned spaceflights to the ISS • List of International Space Station visitors • List of ISS spacewalks • List of unmanned spaceflights to the ISS • List of Constellation missions • List of Chinese spaceflights

Landings on other planets • List of planetary probes • Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes • List of objects at Lagrangian points • List of artificial objects on extra-terrestrial surfaces • List of artificial objects on the Moon • List of artificial objects on Venus • List of artificial objects on Mars • Timeline of Earth science satellites • List of Earth observation satellites

List of space exploration milestones, 1957-1969 • Space firsts • Spaceflight records • Timeline of astronauts by nationality • Timeline of first orbital launches by nationality • Timeline of Solar System exploration • Timeline of the Space Race

List of manned spacecraft • List of unmanned spacecraft by program • List of spacecraft • List of launch vehicles • Timeline of rocket and missile technology • List of space agencies • List of private spaceflight companies

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Vanguard 2 returned data on the amount of cloud cover in Feburary 1959
  2. ^ Project SCORE (December 1958) broadcast a recorded message and tested satellite communications.
  3. ^ G. Salakhutdinov, in a Russian periodical from 1990, relates the following quote :

    "The group flight ... well, a day after the launch, the first craft was over Baykanur. If the second craft were launched now with great precision, then they would turn out to be next to each other in space. And that's what was done ... The craft turned out to be 5 kilometers from each other! Well, since, with all of the secrecy, we didn't tell the whole truth, the Western experts, who hadn't figured it out, thought that our Vostok was already equipped with orbital approach equipment. As they say, a slight of hand isn't any kind of fraud. It was more like our competitors deceived themselves all by their lonesome. Of course, we didn't shatter their illusions."
    - First Deputy Chief Designer Vasily Mishin

    -- G. Salakhutdinov, "Once more about space, interview with Academician Vasiliy Pavlovich Mishin former chief designer of rocket-space equipment" (English title), Ogenek 34 (August 18-25 1990):4-5.
    Translation at http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20000088626_2000122281.pdf , page 379.
  4. ^ a b The USSR's claimed rendezvous was two spacecraft launched into nearly intersecting (but not identical) orbits, but never coming closer than five miles. The US (and many space historians) indicate that the first true rendezvous was in 1965, when Gemini 6A shifted its orbit and maneuvered to and remained within 30 cm (about 1 foot) of Gemini 7, a precursor to docking. For further clarification and references, see Space rendezvous.
  5. ^ http://www.astronautix.com/flights/vostok3.htm
  6. ^ http://www.astronautix.com/flights/gemini6.htm

[edit] External links

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