Space Exploration Timeline

By Carson Preston

1900-1979

1979-1998

1900

• Tsiolkovsky started testing rockets • Country: Russia• Results: Tsiolkovsky is considered to be one of the

founding fathers of rocketry and astronautics. His works later inspired leading Soviet rocket engineers such as Sergey Korylov and Valentin Glushko and contributed to the early success of the Soviet space program. He is considered the father of space flight.

1914

• Goddard patented the first rocket• Country: U.S.A.• Results: Goddard actually received 2 U.S.

patents. One was for a rocket using liquid fuel. The other was for a two or three stage rocket using solid fuel. This led to the launching of rockets.

1926• Goddard launches the first successful rocket• Country: U.S.A. • Results: On March 16, 1926, Robert Goddard

successfully launched the first liquid-fueled rocket in Auburn, Mass. The first-of-its-kind rocket reached an altitude of 41 feet, lasted 2 seconds and averaged about 60 miles per hour.

1930• Country: Germany• Results: The V-2 was a

single-stage rocket fueled by alcohol and liquid oxygen. It stood 46.1 feet high and had a thrust of 56,000 pounds. Also known as the A-4, it had a payload capacity of 2,200 pounds and could reach a velocity of 3,500 miles per hour.

V-2 Spacecraft was made

1944• V-2 spacecraft left Earth’s atmosphere• Country: Germany• Result: Breaking the sound barrier, it reached

an altitude of sixty miles. It was the world's first launch of a ballistic missile and the first rocket ever to go into the fringes of space.

1954Viking Spacecraft reached 159 miles above the EarthCountry: USAResults: The purpose of the Viking was to provide a vehicle better suited to scientific research. The Viking had profound influence on the design of the rocket.

1957Soviet Satellite, Sputnik , became the first manmade object to orbit the EarthCountry: Soviet UnionResults: Apart from its value as a technological first, Sputnik also helped to identify the upper atmospheric layers density, through measuring the satellite's orbital changes. It also provided data on radio-signal distribution in the ionosphere. Pressurized nitrogen in the satellite's body provided the first opportunity for meteroid detection.

1961

• The Redstone rocket lifted• Country: America• Results: inaugurated America's human

spaceflight program

1961Soviet Yuri Gagarin becomes the first space travelerCountry: Soviet UnionResults: As pilot of the spaceship Vostok 1, he proved that man could endure the rigors of lift-off, re-entry, and weightlessness. Yuri became an international hero and legend

1967

• Photograph of the moon taken by Lunar Orbiter

• Country: USA• Results: Photos helped select Apollo landing

sites by mapping the Moon's surface.

1969Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moonCountry: USAResults: Neil Armstrong made a huge step for mankind.

1971 – Mariner 9 took pictures of Mars

• Country: USA • Results: helped in the exploration of Mars; It was to study temporal changes in the Martian atmosphere and surface. Mars' two moons were also to be analyzed. Mariner 9 more than met its objectives.

1971 – First space station, Salyut 1• Country: Soviet Union• Result: The main purpose of Salyut 1 was to study the

effects of long duration spaceflight on the human body and to take photographs of the Earth from space. It carried a telescope for studying star spectra, a greenhouse to analyze plant growth, a camera and film plates to study cosmic rays and a telescope that could detect gamma rays coming from the sun. However, the cover on the gamma ray telescope failed to jettison, making it unusable.

1972Apollo 16 takes pictures of EarthCountry: USAResults: Apollo 16 was the tenth manned mission in the Apollo program. It was the fifth mission to land on the moon and the first to land in a highlands area. The mission was launched on April 16, 1972, and concluded on April 27. It was a J-class mission, featuring a Lunar Rover and brought back 94.7 kg of lunar samples.

1973

• America launches the space station• Country: USA• Results: NASA gained valuable knowledge

about human performance under microgravity conditions.

1973First US space station launched (Skylab)Country: USAResults: SKYLAB was the first NASA space station, launched May 14, 1973 and visited by three crews during 1973 and 1974. It was constructed from the upper-stage booster shell of a Saturn rocket (S-IV-B). The spacecraft became famous as an on-the-job training site for space repairs by astronauts, having experienced numerous problems during its launch and in space.

1976Images from satellite show martian soil – from first US space probe to land on another planet, Viking 1Country: USAResults: Much of what we now know about Mars is due to the extraordinary efforts of the Viking.

Image Above: This image, taken by the Viking 1 lander shortly after it touched down on Mars July 20, 1976, is the first photograph ever taken from the surface of Mars. Credit: NASA

1979

• Skylab shows the image of the sun’s corona• Country: USA• Results: gave the astronauts a fantastic view of

the sun

1981First re-usable shuttle, Columbia, was launchedCountry: USAResults: encouraged technology; made International Space Station possible; taught lessons for the designers and operators of NASA's next spaceships.

1983Challenger takes photos of Earth that shows AustraliaCountry: USAResults: helped map Australia

1986Mir Space Station launchedCountry: Soviet UnionResults: The Russian Space Station Mir endured 15 years in orbit, three times its planned lifetime. It outlasted the Soviet Union, that launched it into space. It hosted scores of crewmembers and international visitors. It raised the first crop of wheat to be grown from seed to seed in outer space. It was the scene of joyous reunions, feats of courage, moments of panic, and months of grim determination. It suffered dangerous fires, a nearly catastrophic collision, and darkened periods of out-of-control tumbling.Mir soared as a symbol of Russia’s past space glories and her potential future as a leader in space. And it served as the stage—history’s highest stage—for the first large-scale, technical partnership between Russia and the United States after a half-century of mutual antagonism.

1990Hubble Telescope launchedCountry: USAResults: Hubble was a vital research tool and a public relations boon for astronomy.

1995

• Galileo sends back photos and data about Jupiter’s composition

• Country: USA• Results: Galileo changed the way we look at our solar

system. The spacecraft was the first to fly past an asteroid and the first to discover a moon of an asteroid. It provided the only direct observations of a comet colliding with a planet.

1996Mars Pathfinder landed on mars and released the “Rover”Country: USAResults: analyzed the Martian atmosphere, climate, geology, and the composition of its rocks and soil.

Rover

1998First modules of the International Space Station launched Countries: Russia & USAResults: Primarily a research laboratory, the ISS offers an advantage over spacecraft such as NASA's Space Shuttle because it is a long-term platform in the space environment, where extended studies are conducted.