First artificial Satellite in space (4 OCTOBER 1957)
The Sputnik 1 was the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth sent by the U.S.S.R (Soviet Union) during the Space Race. It was a polished metal sphere, 58cm in diameter, with four external radio antennae to broadcast radio pulses. It was launched into an elliptical 'Low Earth Orbit' and was visible all around the Earth and it's radio pulses were detectable.
First Higher Life Form In space -- Laika the dog (3 November 1957)
Laika was the first higher life form launched into space by the Soviet Union. Little was known about the impact of spaceflight on living creatures at the time of Laika's mission, and the technology to de-orbit had not yet been developed, so there was no expectation of Laika's survival.
Scientists believed humans would be unable to survive the launch or the conditions of outer space, so engineers viewed flights by animals as a necessary precursor to human missions. Laika underwent training with two other dogs, and was eventually selected to be the occupant of the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 that was launched into space on November 3, 1957.
Laika died within hours after launch from overheating caused by a failure of the central sustainer. The true cause and time of her death were not made public until 2002; instead, it was widely reported that she died when her oxygen ran out on day six. Soviet government initially claimed that she was euthanised prior to oxygen depletion. The experiment aimed to prove that a living passenger could survive being launched into orbit and endure weightlessness, paving the way for human spaceflight and providing scientists with some of the first data on how living organisms react to spaceflight environments.
On April 11, 2008, a small monument in her honour was built near the military research facility in Moscow which prepared Laika's flight to space. It features a dog standing on top of a rocket.
Scientists believed humans would be unable to survive the launch or the conditions of outer space, so engineers viewed flights by animals as a necessary precursor to human missions. Laika underwent training with two other dogs, and was eventually selected to be the occupant of the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 that was launched into space on November 3, 1957.
Laika died within hours after launch from overheating caused by a failure of the central sustainer. The true cause and time of her death were not made public until 2002; instead, it was widely reported that she died when her oxygen ran out on day six. Soviet government initially claimed that she was euthanised prior to oxygen depletion. The experiment aimed to prove that a living passenger could survive being launched into orbit and endure weightlessness, paving the way for human spaceflight and providing scientists with some of the first data on how living organisms react to spaceflight environments.
On April 11, 2008, a small monument in her honour was built near the military research facility in Moscow which prepared Laika's flight to space. It features a dog standing on top of a rocket.
Confirmed existence of the Van Allen Belts (31 January 1958)
Explorer 1 (1958 Alpha 1) was the first Earth satellite of the United States. The mission followed the first two Earth satellites the previous year, the Soviet Union's Sputnik 1 and 2, beginning the Cold War Space Race between the two nations. Explorer 1 was launched on January 31, 1958 atop the first Juno booster from the Cape Canaveral Missile Annex, Florida. It was the first spacecraft to detect the Van Allen radiation belt returning data until its batteries were exhausted after nearly four months. It remained in orbit until 1970, and has been followed by more than 90 scientific spacecraft in the Explorer series.
First Spacecraft in vicinity of the moon (2 January 1959)
Luna 1, also known as Mechta and First Cosmic Ship, was the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon, and the first spacecraft to be placed in heliocentric orbit. Intended as an impactor, Luna 1 was launched as part of the Luna programme in 1959, however due to an incorrectly timed upper stage burn during its launch, it missed the moon; in the process becoming the first spacecraft to leave geocentric orbit.
While traveling through the Van Allen belt, the spacecraft's scintillator made observations indicating that a small number of high energy particles exist in the outer belt. The measurements obtained during this mission provided new data on the Earth's radiation belt and outer space. The Moon was found to have no detectable magnetic field. The first ever direct observations and measurements of the solar wind, a strong flow of ionized plasma emanating from the Sun and streaming through interplanetary space, were performed. The spacecraft also marked the first instance of radio communication at the half-million-kilometer distance.
A malfunction in the ground-based control system caused an error in the rocket's burntime, and the spacecraft missed the target and flew by the Moon at a distance of 5,900 km at the closest point. Luna 1 then became the first man-made object to reach heliocentric orbit and was then dubbed a "new planet" and renamed Mechta ("Dream"). Its orbit lies between those of Earth and Mars. The name "Luna-1" was applied retroactively years later. Luna-1 was also referred to as the "First Cosmic Rocket", in reference to its achievement of escape velocity.
While traveling through the Van Allen belt, the spacecraft's scintillator made observations indicating that a small number of high energy particles exist in the outer belt. The measurements obtained during this mission provided new data on the Earth's radiation belt and outer space. The Moon was found to have no detectable magnetic field. The first ever direct observations and measurements of the solar wind, a strong flow of ionized plasma emanating from the Sun and streaming through interplanetary space, were performed. The spacecraft also marked the first instance of radio communication at the half-million-kilometer distance.
A malfunction in the ground-based control system caused an error in the rocket's burntime, and the spacecraft missed the target and flew by the Moon at a distance of 5,900 km at the closest point. Luna 1 then became the first man-made object to reach heliocentric orbit and was then dubbed a "new planet" and renamed Mechta ("Dream"). Its orbit lies between those of Earth and Mars. The name "Luna-1" was applied retroactively years later. Luna-1 was also referred to as the "First Cosmic Rocket", in reference to its achievement of escape velocity.
First picture of Earth From Orbit (7 August 1959)
Explorer 6 was a United States satellite launched on August 7, 1959. It was a small, spheroidal satellite designed to study trapped radiation of various energies, galactic cosmic rays, geomagnetism, radio propagation in the upper atmosphere, and the flux of micrometeorites. It also tested a scanning device designed for photographing the Earth's cloud cover, and transmitted the first pictures of Earth from orbit.
First Impact Into another celestial body (13 September 1959)
Luna 2 was the second of the Soviet Union's Luna programme spacecraft launched to the Moon. It was the first spacecraft to reach the surface of the Moon and thus the first manmade object to land on another celestial body. On September 14, 1959 it successfully impacted with the lunar surface.
Launch was scheduled for September 9, but the core stage was shut down after it failed to reach full thrust at ignition. The booster was removed from the pad and replaced by a different vehicle, delaying the flight by three days. Luna 2, like Luna 1, took a direct path to the Moon with a journey time of around 36 hours.
Luna 2 was similar in design to Luna 1, a spherical spacecraft with protruding antennas and instrument parts. The instrumentation was also similar, including scintillation counters, geiger counters, a magnetometer, Cherenkov detectors, and micrometeorite detectors. There were no propulsion systems on Luna 2 itself.
Launch was scheduled for September 9, but the core stage was shut down after it failed to reach full thrust at ignition. The booster was removed from the pad and replaced by a different vehicle, delaying the flight by three days. Luna 2, like Luna 1, took a direct path to the Moon with a journey time of around 36 hours.
Luna 2 was similar in design to Luna 1, a spherical spacecraft with protruding antennas and instrument parts. The instrumentation was also similar, including scintillation counters, geiger counters, a magnetometer, Cherenkov detectors, and micrometeorite detectors. There were no propulsion systems on Luna 2 itself.
First Photographs of the far side of the moon (4 october 1959)
Luna 3, or E-2A No.1 was a Soviet spacecraft launched in 1959, the third space probe to be sent to the neighborhood of the moon, and this mission was an early feat in the spaceborne exploration of outer space. Though it returned rather poor pictures by later standards, the historic, never-before-seen views of the far side of the Moon caused excitement and interest when they were published around the world, and a tentative Atlas of the Far Side of the Moon was created after image processing improved the pictures.
These views showed mountainous terrain, very different from the near side, and only two dark, low-lying regions which were named Mare Moscoviense (Sea of Moscow) and Mare Desiderii (Sea of Desire). Mare Desiderii was later found to be composed of a smaller mare, Mare Ingenii (Sea of Ingenuity), and several other dark craters. The reason for this difference between the two sides of the Moon is still not fully understood, but it seems that most of the dark lavas that flowed out to produce the maria formed under the Earth-facing half.
Luna 3 was followed by the United States with Ranger 7, Ranger 8, and Ranger 9.
These views showed mountainous terrain, very different from the near side, and only two dark, low-lying regions which were named Mare Moscoviense (Sea of Moscow) and Mare Desiderii (Sea of Desire). Mare Desiderii was later found to be composed of a smaller mare, Mare Ingenii (Sea of Ingenuity), and several other dark craters. The reason for this difference between the two sides of the Moon is still not fully understood, but it seems that most of the dark lavas that flowed out to produce the maria formed under the Earth-facing half.
Luna 3 was followed by the United States with Ranger 7, Ranger 8, and Ranger 9.
First ANimals to return alive from Orbit (19 august 1960)
Korabl-Sputnik 2 also known as Vostok-1K No.2 was a Soviet artificial satellite, and the third test flight of the Vostok spacecraft. It was the first spaceflight to send animals into orbit and return them safely back to Earth. Launched on August 19, 1960 it paved the way for the first human orbital flight,Vostok 1, which was launched less than eight months later.
Korabl-Sputnik 2 was the second attempt to launch a Vostok capsule with dogs on board as the first try on July 28 had been unsuccessful after the Blok G strap-on suffered a fire and breakdown in one of the combustion chambers, followed by its breaking off of the booster 19 seconds after launch. The launch vehicle then disintegrated, the rest of the strap-ons separating and flying in random directions with the core stage continuing on its trajectory until Range Safety issued the destruct command at T+28 seconds. The Vostok descent module was blasted free of the exploding booster, but the dogs were killed upon impact with the ground. It was believed that the combustion chamber disintegration was due to longitudinal vibrations. This created a considerable uproar as this problem had supposedly been corrected.
Korabl-Sputnik 2 was the second attempt to launch a Vostok capsule with dogs on board as the first try on July 28 had been unsuccessful after the Blok G strap-on suffered a fire and breakdown in one of the combustion chambers, followed by its breaking off of the booster 19 seconds after launch. The launch vehicle then disintegrated, the rest of the strap-ons separating and flying in random directions with the core stage continuing on its trajectory until Range Safety issued the destruct command at T+28 seconds. The Vostok descent module was blasted free of the exploding booster, but the dogs were killed upon impact with the ground. It was believed that the combustion chamber disintegration was due to longitudinal vibrations. This created a considerable uproar as this problem had supposedly been corrected.