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Sputnik 1: October 4, 1957
The Sputnik 1 was the first artificial satellite that was able to successfully orbit earth. It was launched in Kazakhstan. The satellite was an aluminum sphere with a 58 cm diameter. The satellite was used to find the density of the upper layers of the atmosphere. Sputnik 1 lasted about 3 weeks, before the batteries failed. -
Project Mercury: 1961-1963
During Project Mercury, the first American was launched into space. Project Mercury consisted of 6 different space launches. Each launch only involved one astronaut. Two of the six went into space and came right back, four of the six went into space and orbited the earth. The Project Mercury spacecraft’s were very small, because of this; astronauts couldn’t leave their seats. Project Mercury is a very important because it allowed NASA to put people in space. The information learned during Projec -
Yuri Gagarin: April 12, 1961
On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin (Russian) became the first human to enter space. Yuri participated in a 108-minute orbit in the Vostok 1 rocket. -
Apollo Missions: 1961-1975
The Apollo program involved 11 space flights and walking on the moon! Missions 1-4 didn’t actually go to the moon, instead they tested the Apollo program equipment. All but one of the seven other missions landed on the moon. During the Apollo missions, a total of 12 astronauts walked on the moon. Each mission involved three astronauts. A Saturn I (1) B rocket was used to test the Apollo equipment. Saturn V (5) rocket was used when sending the astronauts into space. Apollo 8 was the first mission
