Space firsts by Julia A (ESNEW00856)

Firs animal in space 1957

esnew00856ja1 — 2025-03-13 11:20:34 UTC

The first animal to make an orbital spaceflight around the Earth was the dog Laika, aboard the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 on 3 November 1957.

First man in space

esnew00856ja1 — 2025-03-13 11:23:12 UTC

Yuri Gagarin from the Soviet Union was the first human in space. His vehicle, Vostok 1 circled Earth at a speed of 27,400 kilometers per hour with the flight lasting 108 minutes. Vostok's reentry was controlled by a computer. Unlike the early US human spaceflightprograms, Gagarin did not land inside of capsule.

First woman in space

esnew00856ja1 — 2025-03-13 11:25:31 UTC

On 16 June 1963, Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to travel into space. The launch took place at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in southern Kazakhstan - the spaceport for both Sputnik 1, and Vostok 1, the first human spaceflight. Initially, the flight was planned for several months earlier.

First person to walk in space

esnew00856ja1 — 2025-03-13 11:30:20 UTC

At 02:56 GMT on 21 July 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon. He stepped out of the Apollo 11 lunar module and onto the Moon's surface, in an area called the 'Sea of Tranquility.

Voyager 1

esnew00856ja1 — 2025-03-13 11:36:03 UTC

Voyager 1 was the first spacecraft to cross the heliosphere, the boundary where the influences from outside our solar system are stronger than those from our Sun. Voyager 1 is the first human-made object to venture into interstellar space.

Voyager 2

esnew00856ja1 — 2025-03-13 11:38:02 UTC

Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to study all four of the solar system's giant planets at close range. Voyager 2 discovered a 14th moon at Jupiter. Voyager 2 was the first human-made object to fly past Uranus. At Uranus, Voyager 2 discovered 10 new moons and two new rings.