In 1942 the German V2 was first rocket to reach 100km from Earth's surface. The rocket was designed by Wernher Von Braun, who later worked for NASA as the creator of the rockets that went to the moon.
The first animals to reach space — not counting any bacteria that may have hitched a ride on previous rockets — were fruit flies. Fruit flies were used to study the effects of space travel, and were chosen becouse they are more similar to humans than you might imagine! In 1947, the United States put fruit flies aboard captured German V-2 rockets. In 3 minutes and 10 seconds, the fruit flies reached a distance of 110km.
The first mammal in space was Albert II, a Rhesus monkey that originally comes from Asia. Albert I's mission had been unsuccessful, but the second Albert reached a distance of 134km on June 14, 1949. Albert was anesthetized during flight and implanted with sensors to measure his vital signs. Unfortunately, Albert II died upon impact at re-entry.
The Soviet Union launches the first artificial satellite. Called Sputnik, a combination of words meaning "fellow-traveler of Earth," it weighs about 184 pounds. Sputnik circles the globe beeping radio signals, demonstrating that the Soviets have rockets that could send warheads anywhere on Earth. This event triggers the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union.
In november 1957, the Russian space dog Laika became the first animal to orbit earth. Lilka travelled in a spacecraft known as Sputnik 2. Her name means "barker" in Russian. She lives for seven days, proving that animals (and presumably humans) can survive in space
Riding on the Soviet Vostok 1, Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man in space. In case spaceflight caused Gagarin to behave strangely, the craft's controls were locked. There was a key onboard in a sealed envelope in case of emergency. Vostok 1 shook wildly during entry, but Gagarin did not use the key. Once he was low enough, he ejected and used a parachute.
The first woman in space was Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. She spends three days alone in space. Her spacecraft comes within three miles of Valeri Bykovsky in Vostok 5. This is first time two spacecraft pass this close together while in orbit. A crater on the far side of the Moon is named after her!
During the flight of Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong becomes the first man to walk on the moon. Buzz Aldrin is the second. Apollo 11 worked perfectly, flying them 402 000 km to the moon, and bringing them all the way back to earth.Armstrong says, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Millions of people watch live on television.
The first woman in space was Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. She spends three days alone in space. Her spacecraft comes within three miles of Valeri Bykovsky in Vostok 5. This is first time two spacecraft pass this close together while in orbit. A crater on the far side of the Moon is named after her!
Viking 1, an unmanned scientific probe controlled by scientists on Earth, transmits the first pictures from the surface of Mars. Viking 2 arrived in September 1976.
The crew of space shuttle mission STS-31 deploys the Hubble Space Telescope. Soon thereafter, the Hubble's primary mirror is found to be damaged. In December 1993, the crew of space shuttle STS-61 corrects the problem during space walks watched live on television by millions of people. The Hubble Space Telescope then provides the first images of distant galaxies and planets outside our solar system.