HistoryTimelineLayer:Timeline of the Space Race
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sources: Timeline of the Space Race events: First intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)\; fully operational September 1957 (R-7 Semyorka);;;;08.21.1957;; First artificial satellite. First signals from space (Sputnik 1);;;;10.04.1957;; First dog in orbit (Laika) (Sputnik 2);;;;11.03.1957;; First US intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) (SM-65A Atlas);;;;12.17.1957;; First US satellite, detection of Van Allen radiation belts (Explorer 1-ABMA);;;;01.31.1958;; First solar-powered satellite (Vanguard 1-NRL);;;;03.17.1958;; First communications satellite (Project SCORE-ABMA);;;;12.18.1958;; First rocket engine restart in Earth orbit. First lunar spacecraft. First detection of solar wind (Luna 1);;;;01.02.1959;; First human-made object in heliocentric orbit (Luna 1);;;;01.04.1959;; First weather satellite (Vanguard 2-NASA (NRL);;;;02.17.1959;; First satellite in a polar orbit (Discoverer 1-USAF/ARPA);;;;02.28.1959;; First spy satellite to carry a camera (failed to achieve orbit) (Discoverer 4-USAF/ARPA);;;;06.25.1959;; First photograph of Earth from orbit (Explorer 6-NASA);;;;08.07.1959;; First impact into another celestial body (Moon) (Luna 2);;;;09.14.1959;; First photos of far side of the Moon (Luna 3);;;;10.07.1959;; First Imaging weather satellite (TIROS-1-NASA);;;;04.01.1960;; First satellite recovered intact from orbit (Discoverer 13-USAF/ARPA);;;;08.11.1960;; First passive communications satellite (Echo 1A-NASA);;;;08.12.1960;; First successful recovery of film from an orbiting satellite. First aerial recovery of an object returning from Earth orbit (Discoverer 14-USAF/ARPA);;;;08.18.1960;; First animals and plants returned alive from space (Belka and Strelka) (Sputnik 5);;;;08.19.1960;; First primate Ham (chimpanzee) in Space (Mercury-Redstone 2);;;;01.31.1961;; First launch from Earth orbit of upper stage into a heliocentric orbit. First mid-course corrections. First spin-stabilisation (Venera 1);;;;02.12.1961;; First human spaceflight (Yuri Gagarin). First orbital flight of a manned vehicle (Vostok 1);;;;04.12.1961;; First pilot-controlled space flight (Alan Shepard). First human space mission that landed with pilot still in spacecraft and thus the first complete human spaceflight by FAI definitions (Freedom 7);;;;05.05.1961;; First planetary flyby (Venus) (Venera 1);;;;05.19.1961;; First crewed mission lasting a full day. (Vostok 2, Gherman Titov);;;;08.06.1961;; First American in orbit (John Glenn) (Friendship 7);;;;02.20.1962;; First orbital solar observatory (OSO-1-NASA);;;;03.07.1962;; First spacecraft to impact the far side of the Moon. (Ranger 4-NASA);;;;04.26.1962;; First artificial satellite in orbit made by a non-superpower (launched by US) (Ariel 1);;;;04.26.1962;; First active communications satellite (Telstar-AT&\;T);;;;07.10.1962;; First dual crewed spaceflight. First spacecraft-to-spacecraft radio contact and First simultaneous flight of crewed spacecraft (Vostok 3 / Vostok 4, Andriyan Nikolayev and Pavel Popovich);;;;08.12.1962;; First planetary flyby by a US mission (Venus) (Mariner 2-NASA);;;;12.14.1962;; First woman in space (Valentina Tereshkova). First civilian in space (Vostok 6);;;;06.16.1963;; Five-day human spaceflight record (Vostok 5);;;;06.19.1963;; First reusable piloted spacecraft and the first spaceplane (X-15, suborbital) (X-15 Flight 90-NASA);;;;07.19.1963;; First geosynchronous satellite (Syncom 2-NASA);;;;07.26.1963;; First satellite navigation system (NAVSAT-USN);;;;12.05.1963;; First geostationary satellite (Syncom 3-NASA);;;;08.19.1964;; First multi-person crew (3) (Voskhod 1);;;;10.12.1964;; First extra-vehicular activity ("space walk") (Voskhod 2);;;;03.18.1965;; First piloted spacecraft orbit change (Gemini 3-NASA);;;;03.23.1965;; First space walk by an American (Gemini 4-NASA);;;;06.03.1965;; First Mars flyby (Mariner 4-NASA);;;;07.14.1965;; Eight-day human spaceflight record (Gemini 5-NASA);;;;08.29.1965;; First artificial satellite launched by a non-superpower (Astérix);;;;11.26.1965;; First orbital rendezvous (station-keeping, no docking). (Gemini 6A / Gemini 7-NASA);;;;12.15.1965;; 14-day human spaceflight record (Gemini 7-NASA);;;;12.18.1965;; First soft landing on another celestial body (Moon). First photos from another celestial body (Luna 9);;;;02.03.1966;; First impact into another planet (Venus) (Venera 3);;;;03.01.1966;; First spacecraft docking (Gemini 8 / ATV-NASA);;;;03.16.1966;; First artificial satellite to orbit another celestial body: the Moon (Luna 10);;;;04.03.1966;; First direct-ascent rendezvous on first orbit. Record highest apogee, 1,374 kilometers (854 mi), for piloted Earth orbit (Gemini 11/ATV-NASA);;;;09.12.1966;; (November 12–14) First 5.5 hr extra-vehicular activity. First demonstration of practical work capability (Gemini 12-NASA);;;;11.12.1966;; First cabin fire, during ground test\; death of entire crew (Apollo 1);;;;01.27.1967;; First landing parachute failure\; pilot killed (Soyuz 1);;;;04.24.1967;; First docking of two remote-controlled spacecraft (Cosmos 186/ Cosmos 188);;;;10.30.1967;; (September 14-21) First terrestrial life to leave Earth orbit, to travel to and circle the Moon, and the first Moon mission with lifeforms to return safely to Earth (Zond 5 );;;;09.14.1968;; First orbital ultraviolet observatory (OAO-2-NASA);;;;12.07.1968;; First human-crewed spaceflight to, and orbit of, another celestial object: the Moon. First human spaceflight to enter the gravitational influence of another celestial body (Apollo 8-NASA);;;;12.21.1968;; First crew exchange in space. First docking of two manned spacecraft (Soyuz 4 / Soyuz 5);;;;01.16.1969;; First humans on the Moon. First space launch from another celestial body (Apollo 11-NASA);;;;07.20.1969;; First precisely targeted piloted landing on the Moon (Surveyor 3 site) (Apollo 12-NASA);;;;11.19.1969;; First explosion on board a spacecraft, crew survived. (Jim Lovell, John Swigert, Fred Haise) (Apollo 13-NASA);;;;04.14.1970;; First robotic automatic sample return from another celestial body: the Moon (Luna 16);;;;09.24.1970;; First remote-controlled mobile vehicle on another celestial body: the Moon (Lunokhod 1);;;;11.23.1970;; First X-ray orbital observatory (Uhuru (satellite)-NASA);;;;12.12.1970;; First soft landing on another planet (Venus). First signals from another planet (Venera 7);;;;12.15.1970;; First human-crewed space station launched (Salyut 1);;;;04.19.1971;; First human-crewed orbital observatory (Orion 1). 23-day manned space record (Soyuz 11 / Salyut 1);;;;06.29.1971;; First deaths in space due to cabin depressurization (Soyuz 11);;;;06.29.1971;; First mobile vehicle lunar rover driven by humans on the Moon (Apollo 15-NASA);;;;07.31.1971;; First spacewalk in deep space (Apollo 15 NASA);;;;08.05.1971;; First spacecraft to orbit another planet: Mars (Mariner 9-NASA);;;;11.14.1971;; First impact into Mars (Mars 2);;;;11.27.1971;; First soft Mars landing. First signals from Mars surface (Mars 3);;;;12.02.1971;; First human-made object sent on escape trajectory away from the Sun (Pioneer 10-NASA);;;;03.03.1972;; First mission to enter the asteroid belt and leave inner Solar System (Pioneer 10-NASA);;;;07.15.1972;; First commercially operated domestic satellite in geostationary orbit (Anik A1-Telesat);;;;11.09.1972;; First orbital gamma ray observatory (SAS-2-NASA);;;;11.15.1972;; 28-day human-crewed space record (Skylab 2-NASA);;;;05.25.1973;; 56-day human-crewed space record (Skylab 3-NASA);;;;07.28.1973;; 84-day human-crewed space record (Skylab 4-NASA);;;;11.16.1973;; First Jupiter flyby (Pioneer 10-NASA);;;;12.03.1973;; First planetary gravitational assist (Venus flyby) (Mariner 10-NASA);;;;02.05.1974;; First Mercury flyby (Mariner 10-NASA);;;;03.29.1974;; N-1 failures cause USSR to cancel N-1 program (N-1/Soyuz 7K-L3);;;;05.1974;; First multinational human-crewed mission (Soyuz 19, Apollo–Soyuz Test Project);;;;07.15.1975;; First approach and landing test flight of the Space Shuttle Orbiter (Approach and Landing Tests);;;;08.12.1977;; First orbital test flight of the Space Shuttle (STS-1);;;;04.12.1981;; First flight of Spacelab on Space Shuttle (STS-2);;;;11.12.1981;; First piloted approach and landing test flight of the Buran shuttle (OK-GLI);;;;11.10.1985;; Loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger\; death of entire crew on launch (STS-51-L);;;;01.28.1986;; Start of orbital assembly of Mir space station: launch of first module (Mir Core Module);;;;02.19.1986;; First automated approach and landing test flight of the Buran;;;;12.10.1986;; First successful Soviet super heavy-lift launch vehicle\; first Soviet rocket to use liquid hydrogen fuel (Energia-Polyus);;;;05.15.1987;; Automated orbital flight of Buran with launch vehicle (Energia-Buran );;;;11.15.1988;; United Nations accepts replacement of USSR with the Russian Federation\; Energia and Buran programs canceled due to lack of funds;;;;12.31.1991;;