Tsiolkovsky was a pioneering Russian aeronautical theorist and writer who is considered the father of the Soviet space program. He built the first wind tunnel and solved fundamental problems about space travel, such as use of liquid rocket fuel, long before such activity was feasible. Tsiolkovsky was the first scientist who realized that liquid fuels are the best fuels for rockets. Russian Scientist Lays the Foundation for Future Rocket Development

In 1914, a scientist named Robert Goddard received 2 US patents – one for a rocket using liquid fuel and the other for a 2 or 3 stage rocket using solid fuel. Country: United States Scientist Patents First Rocket

Country: United States By 1926, Robert Goddard had successfully built and tested the first rocket using liquid fuel. The flight of Goddard’s rocket on March 16, 1926, at Auburn, Massachusetts was a very significant event in history. Goddard’s Rocket Succeeds

V-2 Spacecraft Created Country: Germany In 1930 Verin fuer Raumschiffahrt successfully tested a liquid fuel engine with a conical nozzle which developed a thrust of 70 newtons.

V-2 Rockets Used in Combat In early September 1944, Germany began launching V-2s against allied cities, especially Antwerp, Belgium, and London, England. By the end of the war, 1,155 had been fired against England and another 1,675 had been launched against Antwerp and other continental targets. The guidance system for these missiles was imperfect and many did not reach their targets, but those that did struck without warning.

Country: United States Viking spacecraft reached 159 miles above the earth On May 24, 1954, Viking 11 rose to 158 miles above the earth, an altitude record for a western single-stage rocket up to that time. View of earth from spacecraft Viking II Breaks Record

History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I. It ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments and marked the start of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. October 4 Soviet Satellite Becomes the First Manmade Object to Orbit Earth

On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the earth on his spacecraft, the Vostok 1. Country: Soviet Union Man Reaches Space

The Army's Redstone, essentially an improved version of the V-2 rocket, was used in the first two Mercury suborbital flights. On May 5, 1961, A Mercury- Redstone launched America’s first astronaut, Alan Sheppard into space. A couple months later on July 21, 1961, another Mercury-Redstone launched Virgil Gus Grissom into space. Americans Reach Space

Lunar Orbiter Takes Picture of Moon Five Lunar Orbiter missions were launched in 1966 through 1967 with the purpose of mapping the lunar surface before the Apollo landings. 99% of the Moon was photographed The spacecraft was placed in a cislunar trajectory and on August 5, 1967.

Man Walks on the Moon As spacecraft commander for Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing mission, Neil Armstrong gained the distinction of being the first man to land a craft on the moon and first to step on its surface. The date was July 20, As he put his left foot down first Armstrong declared: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Country: United States

Originally, Mariner 9 was to have an identical companion, Mariner 8, but on May 8, 1971, 365 seconds after launch, Mariner 8's Centaur main engine shut down and the upper stage of the rocket, along with Mariner 8, fell into the Atlantic about 560 km north of Puerto Rico. Mariner 9 was the first of NASA's Mars orbiters. Mariner 9 was designed to provide the most complete view of Mars ever obtained with mission experiments similar to those of Mariner 6 and 7. Mariner 9 far exceeded its expectations in every way. Mariner 9 Takes Pictures of Mars

April 19, 1971: Russians Put the First Space Station Into Orbit This was the first manned orbital space station, but the victory was a tainted one, because the crew of the Salyut 1 mission died during the return to Earth. Salyut 1 was deorbited on October 11, 1971, and was recovered on October 16, 1971.

Country: United States En route to the moon, Apollo 16 takes pictures of Earth. It was the 5 th of 6 lunar landing missions. The mission was launched on April 16, 1972, and concluded on April 27. Apollo 16 Goes to the Moon

Country: United States Skylab was a U.S. space station adapted from the third stage of a Saturn V rocket and launched into orbit in May Three successive crews of three astronauts each occupied Skylab. The longest mission, which ended in February 1974, lasted almost three months. First US Space Station Launched

Country: United States Viking 1 was the first spacecraft sent to Mars and the first to successfully land on Mars and perform its mission. The “Face of Mars” July 25, 1976 Viking 1 Lands on Mars

Country: United States This grazing incidence telescope produced images of the Sun in x-rays with wavelengths from 6 to 49 Å. On the July 11, 1979, Skylab re-entered the Earth's atmoshpere and scattered debris over the Indian Ocean and the sparsely settled region of Western Australia. Skylab Shows Image of Sun’s Corona Before Reentering the Earth’s Atmosphere and Disintegrating

Country: United States NASA's Columbia orbiter was launched on April 12, It became the first shuttle to orbit the earth. It was a 54-hour mission with astronaut veteran John Young and then-rookie flyer Robert Crippen as pilot. It completed 27 missions before being destroyed during re-entry on February 1, 2003 near the end of its 28 th. All seven crew members were killed. Columbia Launched

Country: United States It took photos of earth that showed Australia, the Indonesian Islands with active volcanoes emitting smoke, and the Great Barrier Reef. On April 4, 1983, the Challenger Space Shuttle launched its maiden voyage. Challenger Space Shuttle Launched

The First Modern Era Space Station Launched by the Soviet Union In early 1986, Mir, the first modern-era space station was launched by the Soviet Union. It represented a major advance over first generation space stations.

Country: United States This Hubble photo is of a small portion of one of the largest-seen star-birth regions in the galaxy, the Carina Nebula. Towers of cool hydrogen laced with dust rise from the wall of the nebula. The pillar is also being pushed apart from within, as infant stars buried inside it fire off jets of gas that can be seen streaming from towering peaks. The Hubble Space Telescope was deployed from the Space shuttle Discovery during STS-31 on April 25, Hubble Telescope Launched

Country: United States The Galileo Spacecraft Arrives on Jupiter Upon arrival at Jupiter on December 7, 1995, the Galileo spacecraft delivered a probe that descended into the giant planet's atmosphere. The orbiter completed many flybys of Jupiter's major moons, reaping a variety of science discoveries. The mission ended on Sept. 21, 2003, when the spacecraft plunged into Jupiter's atmosphere.

Country: United States Pathfinder was launched on Dec, 4, 1996, and cruised for 7 months thru space before landing on Mars. The Rover took many great pictures and performed chemical analysis of rocks and soil. The Pathfinder Mars Pathfinder Lands on Mars

The International Space Station came into being on December 13, 1998, when the Zarya/Unity combination was released into free flight by the space shuttle Endeavour. It is the largest international scientific and technological endeavor ever undertaken. Countries: US and Russia The space station will be a permanent laboratory and a testing site for the technologies of the future and a laboratory for research on new, advanced industrial materials, communications technology, and medical research. International Space Station Launched