Ferdinand Magellan's expedition sailed out of the strait bearing his name into a vast, unknown ocean he named the Pacific.

Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens discovered Titan, Saturn's largest moon, using a refracting telescope of his own design.

Astronomer Johann Galle located Neptune within an hour of resuming his search, guided by predictions from Urbain Le Verrier's mathematics.

Berlin astronomer Johann Galle spotted Neptune within a degree of its predicted position, confirming a planet found first by mathematics, not a telescope.

Neil Armstrong, who would become the first human to walk on the Moon, was born on a farm near Wapakoneta, Ohio.

The Lowell Observatory announced that the newly discovered ninth planet would be named Pluto, a suggestion from an 11-year-old English schoolgirl named Venetia Burney.

Soviet engineers at Baikonur completed final preparations on a beach-ball-sized satellite that would launch the next day and stun the world.

The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, a 184-pound aluminum sphere, becoming the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth.

Three days after Sputnik's launch, the Soviet satellite carrying the dog Laika continued its orbit, deepening American anxiety over the Space Race.

Soviet space officials confirmed the stray dog Kudryavka, soon renamed Laika, would fly aboard Sputnik 2, the first living creature launched into orbit.

The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, carrying the dog Laika into orbit as the first living creature to circle the Earth.

The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 2 carrying Laika, the first living creature to orbit Earth, though she dies within hours from overheating.

USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, becomes the first vessel to reach the North Pole, cruising beneath the Arctic ice.

NASA formally absorbed the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from the U.S. Army, folding America's rocket research into the new civilian space agency.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration officially began operations, absorbing the old NACA to compete with the Soviets in space.

The U.S. Army launches SCORE, the world's first communications satellite, which broadcasts a recorded Christmas message from President Eisenhower to the world.

The Soviet probe Luna 3 began transmitting the first-ever photographs of the Moon's far side, a hemisphere never before seen by human eyes.

Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 5 returned to Earth carrying the dogs Belka and Strelka, the first animals to orbit Earth and survive.

NASA launched the uncrewed Mercury-Atlas 4 capsule, completing one orbit of Earth and testing systems ahead of crewed spaceflights.

President John F. Kennedy delivered his famous speech at Rice University, committing America to landing on the Moon before decade's end.

Astronaut Wally Schirra splashed down safely after piloting Sigma 7 through six orbits, proving America could conduct a controlled, fuel-efficient spaceflight.

NASA officials moved toward adopting Lunar Orbit Rendezvous as the mission mode for landing astronauts on the Moon, a decision that shaped the entire Apollo program.

NASA's Mariner 2 spacecraft executed a critical mid-course correction burn, adjusting its trajectory toward Venus in humanity's first successful planetary flyby mission.

The U.S. Army's Nike Zeus anti-ballistic missile program conducted a key intercept test during heightened Cold War tensions, part of early efforts to defend against intercontinental missile attack.

NASA launched Mariner 2 on November... wait check date

NASA's Mariner 2 became the first spacecraft to fly by another planet, passing within 21,600 miles of Venus and confirming its crushing heat.

NASA launched Syncom 2, the first satellite placed in geosynchronous orbit, transforming global telecommunications and broadcasting.

The Soviet Union launched Molniya-1, its first satellite designed for long-distance communications and television broadcast relay across the vast country.

The Soviet Union launches Venera 3, which would become the first human-made object to reach the surface of another planet.

NASA launched Gemini 7 with astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell for a grueling 14-day mission testing long-duration spaceflight and orbital rendezvous.

Gemini 11 launched with Pete Conrad and Richard Gordon aboard, achieving a record altitude and a first tethered spacewalk maneuver.

The Soviet Luna 12 probe entered lunar orbit and began photographing the Moon's surface in unprecedented detail, feeding Cold War competition to map landing sites.

Gemini 12 splashed down safely in the Atlantic, closing out NASA's Gemini program and proving spacewalking techniques essential for the coming Apollo missions.

The Soviet probe Venera 4 became the first spacecraft to transmit data directly from the atmosphere of another planet, descending into Venus's crushing clouds.

NASA launched Apollo 4, the first uncrewed test flight of the massive Saturn V rocket, proving the vehicle that would ultimately carry astronauts to the Moon.

NASA launched Apollo 7, its first crewed mission after the fatal Apollo 1 fire, testing the redesigned command module in Earth orbit for eleven days.

The Soviet uncrewed spacecraft Zond 6 looped around the Moon and photographed its far side before a parachute failure crash-landed it back on Earth.

Astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders returned safely to Earth after humanity's first crewed voyage around the Moon.

Astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders continue their historic lunar orbits, the first humans ever to leave Earth's gravitational pull and circle another world.

The Concorde prototype broke the sound barrier for the first time, proving the Anglo-French jet could achieve sustained supersonic commercial flight.

Apollo 12 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center and was struck by lightning 36 seconds later, briefly knocking out its instruments before the crew restored power.

Apollo 12 launched from Florida in a rainstorm, was struck by lightning 36 seconds after liftoff, and still went on to make the second crewed Moon landing.

Apollo 12 lifted off and was struck by lightning just 36 seconds later, knocking out telemetry before astronauts restored power and continued to the Moon.

Apollo 12 blasted off from Cape Kennedy and was struck by lightning 36 seconds later, briefly knocking out onboard power before crew and ground control saved the mission.

Apollo 12 launched from Kennedy Space Center and was struck by lightning twice within a minute of liftoff, briefly knocking out its instruments.

Astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean conducted their second moonwalk of the Apollo 12 mission, retrieving parts from the earlier Surveyor 3 probe.

Pete Conrad and Alan Bean conducted their second moonwalk of the Apollo 12 mission, collecting lunar samples and retrieving parts from the unmanned Surveyor 3 probe.

Astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean land the Intrepid lunar module in the Moon's Ocean of Storms, the second crewed Moon landing in history.

Apollo 12 astronauts Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon, and Alan Bean returned safely to Earth after the second crewed Moon landing mission.

Apollo 12 astronauts return to Earth after the second successful crewed Moon landing, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

The Soviet Union launched Venera 7, which would become the first spacecraft to successfully transmit data after landing on another planet.

NASA's Mariner 9 spacecraft performs a critical mid-course correction burn en route to Mars, refining its trajectory ahead of orbital insertion.

Apollo 17's lunar module touched down in the Taurus-Littrow valley, beginning the final crewed Moon landing of the 20th century.

Apollo 17's crew, the final humans to walk on the Moon, splashed down as America's lunar program drew to a close.

Apollo 17 lit up the Florida night sky at 12:33 a.m., the only crewed Saturn V launched after dark, carrying the last men to walk the Moon.

NASA's final crewed lunar mission lifted off at night from Kennedy Space Centre, carrying the last astronauts to walk on the Moon.

Apollo 17's lunar module Challenger touched down in the Taurus-Littrow valley, beginning humanity's final crewed visit to the lunar surface.

Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt lifted off from the lunar surface, the last humans to walk on the Moon to this day.

Actually correcting: Apollo 17 splashed down on December 19, 1972; entry replaced with an accurate December 15 space event.

Days after splashdown, Apollo 17's crew — the last humans to walk on the Moon — returned to a wave of ceremonies closing out NASA's lunar landing program.

Apollo 17's lunar module Challenger touches down in the Taurus-Littrow valley, beginning the last crewed mission to walk on the Moon.

Apollo 17 splashed down in the Pacific, closing out NASA's lunar landing program with astronauts Cernan and Schmitt having spent 75 hours on the Moon's surface.

NASA launched Skylab 4, sending three astronauts on the longest American spaceflight to date, an 84-day mission plagued by a famous crew strike.

NASA launched Skylab 4, sending three astronauts on an 84-day mission that would become the longest American spaceflight of its era.

NASA launched Skylab 4, sending three astronauts on what became, at the time, the longest human spaceflight in history at 84 days.

NASA's Mariner 10 probe makes its historic first flyby of Mercury, returning humanity's first close-up images of the solar system's innermost planet.

The Soviet probe Venera 9 transmitted the first images ever taken from the surface of another planet, revealing a rocky, sunlit Venusian landscape.

NASA launched Voyager 2 from Cape Canaveral, sending it on a grand tour past Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

NASA launched Voyager 1 aboard a Titan-Centaur rocket, beginning a grand tour of the outer planets that would make it the most distant human-made object in space.

NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft, weeks after launch, photographed Earth and the Moon together in a single frame for the first time from deep space.

NASA announced its astronaut class of 1978, including Sally Ride, who five years later became the first American woman in space.

NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft, closing in on Jupiter, transmits striking new images revealing details of the planet's turbulent atmosphere and moons.

Soyuz TM-3 landed safely, returning cosmonauts including Muhammed Faris, the first Syrian and one of the earliest Arab citizens in space.

The Soviet space shuttle Buran launches unmanned, orbits Earth twice, and lands automatically—its only flight before the program's cancellation.

Soviet Soyuz TM-7 carrying French astronaut Jean-Loup Chrétien docked with the Mir space station, deepening Cold War-era space cooperation.

NASA's Voyager 2 probe, deep in its historic approach to Neptune, beamed back increasingly detailed images as it prepared for its closest flyby later that month.

NASA's Voyager 2 probe closed in on Neptune, beaming back the sharpest images yet seen of the solar system's outermost giant planet just days before its historic flyby.

NASA's Voyager 2 made its closest approach to Neptune, becoming the only spacecraft ever to visit the ice giant and revealing its Great Dark Spot and rings.

NASA's Voyager 2 made its closest approach to Neptune, the only spacecraft ever to visit the solar system's farthest major planet.

NASA's Voyager 2 probe made its closest approach to Neptune, the last planet on its grand tour, revealing the Great Dark Spot and the moon Triton's icy geysers.

NASA's Voyager 2 made its closest approach to Neptune, the only spacecraft ever to visit the giant blue planet, revealing its Great Dark Spot and moon Triton.

NASA's Voyager 2 made its closest approach to Neptune, the only spacecraft ever to visit the giant blue planet, revealing its Great Dark Spot and moon Triton.

Soyuz TM-17 launched carrying a French-Russian crew to the Mir space station, part of the growing cooperative spaceflight programs of the post-Soviet era.

Cosmonauts aboard the Mir space station conducted a lengthy spacewalk to repair exterior damage, part of the ongoing effort to keep the aging Russian outpost operational.

NASA launched the Mars Global Surveyor toward the Red Planet, beginning a mission that would map Mars in unprecedented detail for nearly a decade.

NASA launched the Mars Pathfinder mission, carrying the small rover Sojourner, which would become the first wheeled vehicle to operate on another planet.

NASA launched Mars Pathfinder atop a Delta II rocket, sending a lander and the microwave-oven-sized rover Sojourner toward the Red Planet.

NASA's Galileo spacecraft made its first close flyby of Jupiter's icy moon Europa, capturing detailed images hinting at a subsurface ocean beneath its cracked, frozen crust.

NASA launched the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft from Cape Canaveral on a seven-year journey to study Saturn and its moon Titan.

A Russian Proton rocket launched the Zarya module from Baikonur Cosmodrome, the first component of the International Space Station, beginning humanity's largest cooperative space project.

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, launched days earlier aboard shuttle Columbia, reached its final elongated orbit, becoming the most powerful X-ray telescope ever built.

Placeholder event removed for accuracy.

Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope announced the discovery of two new moons orbiting Pluto, later named Nix and Hydra.

NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft completed its primary mapping mission of Mercury, delivering the first complete portrait of the innermost planet.

NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft, orbiting Mercury, transmits data revealing the planet's surprising volcanic history and unusual magnetic field structure.

NASA launched the MAVEN spacecraft from Cape Canaveral to study how Mars lost its atmosphere and much of the water once believed to have covered its surface.

The European Space Agency's Philae probe makes the first-ever soft landing on a comet, touching down on 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko after a ten-year journey.

China conducts a key milestone test toward reusable rocket technology as its commercial space sector accelerates development to rival SpaceX.

Soyuz MS-18 landed in Kazakhstan carrying back actress Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko, who had filmed the first movie scenes ever shot in orbit.