Juli & Rebecca Space Race

Russia Launches Sputnik

Oct 4, 1957

Russia launches the first sucessful rocket into space, Sputnik!

Explorer 1

Jan 31, 1958

Explorer 1 was the first American satellite to reach oribit, it was launched on this date. It carried scientific equipment that allowed us to the discover the Van Allen radiation belt.

Vanguard Satellite

Mar 17, 1958

United states launches the Vanguard satellite 1. It continues to function until 1961, for three years.

Mercury Seven (America)

Apr 2, 1959

'The Mercury Seven' are chosen. They are also referred to as the Original Seven or Astronaut Group 1. The group consisted of Walter M. "Wally" Schirra Jr., Donald K. "Deke" Slayton, John H. Glenn Jr., M. Scott Carpenter; back row: Alan B. Shepard Jr., Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom and L. Gordon Cooper, Jr.

Discoverer XIV

Aug 18, 1960

The United States launched its first camera equipped spy satellite, Discoverer XIV.

JFK Challenges America

May 25, 1961

John F Kennedy Challenges America to send a man to the moon before the end of the decade.

The New Nine

Sep 17, 1962

NASA selected a new group of astronauts nicknamed "the new nine".

John F Kennedy (America)

Nov 22, 1963

The President of America is assasinated.

Astronuat Dies

Oct 31, 1964

Astronaut Theodore Freeman dies in a plane crash.

Ed White

Jun 3, 1965

Ed White performs America's first spacewalk in space.

Close range mars picture

Jul 14, 1965

The mariner 4, the fourth in a series of spacecrafts, returned close range pictures of mars to earth.

Astronauts die in plane crash

Feb 28, 1966

Charles Basset and Elliot See died when their plane crashed due to bad weather. Rain, snow and fog were all an issue during the flight.

American Spacecraft Lands on Moon

Jun 2, 1966

American Spacecraft; 'Surveyor 1' softly lands on the moon. This is the second spacecraft to land after Russias' 'Luna 9.'

Astronaut Death (America)

Jun 6, 1967

Astronaut Edward GIvens dies in tragic automobile accident.

Clifton Williams ( America )

Oct 5, 1967

Astronaut Clifton Wiliams dies in plane crash.

Apollo 7 crew

Oct 11, 1968

The crew of apollo 7 begun a 10 day mission to study the new spacecraft.

First manned journey from earth to moon

Dec 21, 1968

Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders begin the first manned journey from the Earth to the Moon.

Soyuz 4 & 5

Jan 16, 1969

Soyuz 4 & 5 completed the first Soviet spacecraft landing.

Men on The Moon

Jul 20, 1969

Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon.

Precision Lunar Landing

Mar 6, 2014

Pete Conrad and Alan Bean perform the first precision lunar landing, touching down near the surveyor 3