Space Exploration Throughout the Years By Seth Kessel

1950’s October 4, 1957-Sputnik 1 was launched by U.S.S.R. It was the first thing made by man to orbit earth. It returned from orbit on January 4, 1958. November 3, 1957-Sputnik 2 was launch carrying a dog. October 1, 1958-N.A.S.A. was founded. September 12, 1959-Luna 2 was the first man-made object to touch the moon.

1960’s April 1, 1960-Tiros 1 was the first weather satellite and was launched by the U.S. August 18, 1960-Discoverer XIV launches the first U.S. camera-equipped Corona spy satellite. April 12, 1961-Vostok 1 is launched by the U.S.S.R., carrying Cosmonaut Yuri A. Gargarin, the first man in space. He orbits the Earth once. May 5, 1961-Mercury Freedom 7 carries Alan B. Shepard, Jr., the first U.S. Astronaut into space, in a suborbital flight. August 6, 1961-Vostok 2 is launched by the U.S.S.R., carrying Cosmonaut Gherman Titov, the first day-long Soviet space flight. July 20, 1969-Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, Jr. make the first manned soft landing on the Moon, and the first moonwalk, using Apollo 11.

1970’s April 11, 1970-Apollo 13 is launched, suffering an explosion in its SM oxygen tanks. Its Moon landing is aborted, and the crew, James A. Lovell, Jr., John L. Swigert, Jr., and Fred W. Haise, Jr. return safely. December 15, 1970-Soviet Venera 7 is the first probe to soft-land on Venus, transmitting for 23 minutes. January 31, 1971-Apollo 14 moon mission is launched by the U.S. with the legendary Alan Shepard, along with Stuart Roosa and Edgar Mitchell on board. They land in the planned Apollo 13 site, the Fra Mauro highlands, which they explore with the help of a two-wheeled cart that permits the transport of a significantly greater quantity of lunar material than previous missions. Shepard becomes the first man to hit a golf ball on the moon. March 2, 1972-Pioneer 10 is launched on an Atlas/Centaur/TE364-4 towards Jupiter by the U.S., designed to familiarize alien life with humans. It returns the first close-up images of Jupiter in 1973.

1980’s March 1, 1982-Venera 13 lands on Venus and provides the first Venusian soil analysis. April 4, 1983-The space shuttle Challenger lifts off for its first mission (STS-6) and has the first American space walk in nine years. The crew was Paul Weitz, Karol Bobko, Donald Peterson, and Story Musgrave. June 19, 1983-Sally K. Ride is the first U.S. woman to travel in space on Challenger mission STS-7.

1990’s April 5, 1990-U.S. Pegasus rocket is deployed from a B-52 bomber, and launched the Pegsat satellite in the first demonstration of the Pegasus launch vehicle. April 24, 1990-Space Shuttle Discovery launches and deploys the Edwin P. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) astronomical observatory. October 15, 1997-Launch of the double probe Cassini/Huygens, aimed at Saturn.

2000’s and Today January 3, 2000 - the Galileo space probe safely completes its encounter with Jupiter's ice moon, Europa, at an altitude of 343 km. October 11, 2000 - Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off on a 14-day mission to install the Z1 segment, the first piece of the space station truss, and a third docking port (PMA-3) for the Unity adapter. They also test the new 'SAFER' spacesuit backpack propulsion units.  January 2012- Right now N.A.S.A. has shut down their shuttle program.