Labels:text | paper | font | publication | document OCR: OCTOBER, 1957 U.S.S.R. launches Sputnik 1, the first satellite to orbit earth NOVEMBER 3, 1957 A Soviet dog, Laika, becomes first living creature sent into space FEBRUARY 1, 1958 First U.S. space satellite, Explorer 1, is launched JANUARY 2, 1959 U.S.S.R. launches Luna 1, the first craft to leave the earth's gravity MAY 28, 1959 Two monkeys sent into orbit by U.S. return safely AUGUST 7, 1959 U.S. craft Explorer 6 takes first pictures of earth from outer space OCTOBER 4, 1959 U.S.S.R. launches Luna 3 to take first photographs of far side of the moon AUGUST 20, 1960 Two dogs return alive after Soviet space mission APRIL 12, 1961 Russian Yuri Gagarin is first person to travel into space MAY 5, 1961 Alan Shepard is first American in space MAY 25, 1961 Kennedy promises to send man to the moon NOVEMBER 29, 1961 Enos, a chimpanzee, completes two orbits in U.S. Mercury craft FEBRUARY 20, 1962 John Glenn becomes first U.S. astronaut to orbit earth JUNE 16, 1963 Valentina Tereshkova is first woman in space MARCH 18, 1965 Alexei Leonov makes the first space walk JUNE 3-7, 1965 Edward White is first American to walk in space JANUARY 31, 1966 U.S.S.R. launches Luna 9: first moon soft landing MARCH 16, 1966 First docking of a manned U.S. spacecraft with an unmanned satellite JANUARY 27, 1967 Apollo 1 crew die in a fire during training exercise DECEMBER 24, 1968 Crew of Apollo 8 are first to enter lunar orbit JULY 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong is first person to walk on the moon APRIL 17, 1970 Apollo 13 mission returns to earth after near disaster DECEMBER 15, 1970 U.S.S.R.'s Venera 7 probe lands on Venus DECEMBER 19, 1972 Last mission of U.S. Apollo moon program returns to earth MAY 25, 1973 NASA launches Skylab, the first manned space station JULY 17, 1975 U.S. Apollo 18 and Soviet Soyuz 19 dock in space APRIL 12, 1981 U.S. launches first reusable craft, space shuttle Columbia JANUARY 28, 1986 Challenger shuttle explodes just 74 seconds after liftoff FEBRUARY 19, 1986 Soviets launch MIR, the first permanently manned space station SEPTEMBER 28, 1988 U.S. shuttle missions resume with first flight of Discovery APRIL 25, 1990 Discovery launches NASA's Hubble Space Telescope APRIL 23, 1992 NASA's COBE satellite finds evidence to prove Big Bang theory DECEMBER 10, 1993 Space-walking astronauts repair the mirror of the Hubble Telescope
