Space Race

The Space Race, an informal competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, lasted roughly from 1957 to 1975. It involved the parallel efforts by each of those countries to explore outer space with artificial satellites, to send humans into space, and to land people on the moon.

Other successes

Missions to other planets

The Soviet Union first sent planetary probes, to both Venus and Mars in 1960. The first spacecraft to successfully fly by Venus, the U.S.'s Mariner 2, did so on December 14 1962. It sent back surprising data on the high surface temperature and air density of Venus. Since it carried no cameras, its findings did not capture public attention as did images from space probes, which far exceeded the capacity of astronomers' earth-based telescopes.

Related Topics:
Venus - Mars - Mariner 2 - December 14 - 1962

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The USSR's Venera 7, launched in 1971, became the first craft to land on Venus. Venera 9 then transmitted the first pictures from the surface of another planet. These represent only two in the long Venera series; several other previous Venera spacecraft performed flyby operations and attempted landing missions. Seven other Venera landers followed.

Related Topics:
Venera 7 - 1971 - Venera 9 - Venera

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The US launched Mariner 10, which flew by Venus on its way to Mercury, in 1974. It became the first, and so far the only, spacecraft to fly by Mercury.

Related Topics:
Mariner 10 - Mercury - 1974

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Mariner 4, launched in 1965 by the U.S., became the first probe to fly by Mars; it transmitted completely unexpected images. The first spacecraft on Mars, Mars 3, launched in 1971 by the USSR, did not return pictures. The US Viking landers of 1976 transmitted the first such pictures.

Related Topics:
Mariner 4 - 1965 - Mars - Mars 3 - 1971 - Viking - 1976

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The U.S also sent Pioneer 10 on a successful fly by of Jupiter in 1973. This foreshadowed the first flyby of Saturn in 1979 with Pioneer 11, and the first and only flybys of Uranus and Neptune with Voyager 2.

Related Topics:
Pioneer 10 - Jupiter - 1973 - Saturn - 1979 - Pioneer 11 - Uranus - Neptune - Voyager 2

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Launches and docking

The first space rendezvous took place between Gemini 6 and Gemini 7, both U.S. craft, on December 15 1965. Their successor, Gemini 8, performed the first space docking on March 16 1968. The first automatic space docking linked the USSR's Cosmos-186 and Cosmos-188 on October 30 1967.

Related Topics:
Gemini 6 - Gemini 7 - December 15 - 1965 - Gemini 8 - March 16 - 1968 - October 30 - 1967

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The first launch from the sea took place with the U.S.'s Scout B, on April 26 1967. The first space station, the USSR's Salyut 1, commenced operations on June 7 1971.

Related Topics:
Scout B - April 26 - 1967 - Space station - Salyut 1 - June 7 - 1971

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