Space race

Question 1

1957

Answer 1

The USSR launches Sputnik 1 - the world’s first telecommunications satellite. Sputnik 2 was launched later that year and carried a small dog named Laika – the first living animal to go into orbit.

Question 2

1959

Answer 2

The USSR launches Luna 1 - the first man-made object to orbit the sun. The USA then sent Pioneer 4 to do a fly-past of the Moon, prompting the Soviets to launch Luna 2 at the moon.

Question 3

1960

Answer 3

The USA launches Discovery XIV - the first satellite equipped with a spy camera.

Question 4

1961

Answer 4

The USSR puts the first man, Yuri Gagarin, into space. The USA responds by launching its own Apollo missions, and Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space. President John F Kennedy challenges America to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

Question 5

1969

Answer 5

The American astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, become the first men to walk on the moon.