From the Earth to the Moon


Jun 20, 1944 First suborbital launch, DE 109 mi (176 km) Aggregat A-4 MW 18014
May 10, 1946 First suborbital launch, USA 70 mi (112.7 km) Hermes V-2 No. 3
Feb 20, 1947 First animals in space fruit flies Hermes V-2 No. 20, Blossom 1
Oct 10, 1948 First suborbital launch, USSR ~62 mi (100 km) R-1 No. 3
Jun 14, 1949 First mammal in space. Died on impact. Albert II Hermes V-2 No. 47, Blossom 4B
Jul 22, 1951 First mammals recovered from space Tsygan, Dezik R-1 IIIA-1
Oct 4, 1957 First satellite, USSRSputnik-1 Sputnik-1, 8K71PS No. M1-1PS
Nov 3, 1957 First animal in orbit. Died in flight. Laika Sputnik-2, 8K71PS No. M1-2PS
Feb 1, 1958 First satellite, USA Explorer 1 Juno I RS-29 UE
Jan 4, 1959 First Moon approach Luna 1 Ye-1 No. 4
May 28, 1959 First primates recovered from space Miss Able, Miss Baker Bio-Flight No. 2, Jupiter AM-18
Sep 12, 1959 First spacecraft on Moon Luna 2 Ye-1 No. 7
Oct 7, 1959 First gravity assist maneuver Luna 3 Ye-2A No. 1
Aug 19, 1960 First mammals recovered from orbit Belka, Strelka Korabl-Sputnik 2, Vostok-1K No. 2
Jan 31, 1961 First hominid in space Ham Mercury-Redstone 2, Mercury No. 5
Mar 30, 1961 First human in mesosphere Joseph Walker X-15-1 Flight 35
Apr 12, 1961 First human in space and orbit Yuri Gagarin Vostok 1, Vostok-3KA No.3
May 5, 1961 First human-piloted spaceflight Alan Shepard Mercury-Redstone 3, Freedom 7
May 19, 1961 First planetary flyby, Venus Venera-1 Venera-1VA No. 2
Jun 19, 1963 First Mars flyby Mars 1 Mars 2MV-4 No. 4
Mar 18, 1965 First EVA Alexei Leonov Voskhod 2, Voskhod-3KD No. 4
Mar 16, 1966 First orbital spacecraft docking Neil Armstrong, David Scott Gemini SC8, GATV-5003
Apr 3, 1966 First spacecraft to orbit Moon Luna 10 Luna Ye-6S
Dec 24, 1968 First humans to orbit Moon Frank Borman, James Lovell, William Anders Apollo 8 CSM-103
Jul 20, 1969 First humans on Moon Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin Apollo 11 LM-5, Eagle