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Sputnik: The World's First Artificial Satellite
The Soviet Union was first in space, with a tiny satellite that launched in October of 1957.
The American
Unmanned Space Program
Explorer, Vanguard, and beyond. See the U.S. try to catch up to the Soviet Union in space.
The
Soviet Space Program
The Soviets sustained the early lead, putting the first woman in space, the first animals in space, and the first living beings in orbit around the Moon.
Yuri Gagarin: First in Space
Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first person to orbit Earth, achieving the feat in April of 1961.
Valentina Tereshkova: First Woman in Space
This was a Soviet first as well. She completed 48 orbits of Earth in 1963.
The U.S. Manned Space Program
From start to finish, a detailed treatment of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. See individual articles for even more details on specific missions.
Project Mercury
Al Shepard was America's first in space, John Glenn was the first American to orbit Earth, and Mercury set the stage for future U.S. successes.
Project Gemini
Two-person capsules were the order of the day for these historic American missions, featuring some astronauts who would later walk on the Moon.
Apollo 1
The first Apollo 1 mission never got off the launchpad.
Apollo 7
Skipping a few numbers, NASA got back on track.
Apollo 8
The first Apollo mission to orbit the Moon.
Apollo 9
More and more tests, in readiness for a lunar landing.
Apollo 10
A full dress rehearsal, with everything but the landing.
Apollo 11
The famous first steps on another world.
Apollo 12
Why land on the Moon only once, especially when you can stick the landing?
Apollo 13
A reminder of just how dangerous and difficult these missions really were.
Apollo 14
A return to form and the lunar surface.
Apollo 15
Science, science, science: proving a famous medieval theory, bringing home big rocks, and more.
Apollo 16
More science, more experiments, more success.
Apollo 17
The last Apollo mission, because of budget cuts.
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