|This page gives basic information on the most important space missions undertaken
by humans. The missions are organized by decade, beginning with the current
decade and continuing back in time to the 1950s, when firsthand space exploration
began. Within each decade, the missions are listed chronologically. For more
detailed information on specific missions, please visit this wonderful NASA
page, the NSSDC
Master Catalog Spacecraft Query Form, which allows you to input the name
of the spacecraft and find the most up-to-date information, such as launch dates,
technical specifications, scientific discoveries, and photographs.
The 21st Century
ICESat / CHIPSat ~ launched
January 2003 ~ The ICESat satellite is studying the global sea level
and the condition of the polar ice sheets, while the CHIPSat satellite is characterizing
the properties of the hot gas in the interstellar medium, in order to better
understand how stars form.
SORCE ~ launched January
2003 ~ This satellite is measuring incoming radiation from the Sun in
order to determine its effect on Earth's atmosphere and climate. It is studying
x-ray, ultraviolet, visible, and infrared radiation.
GALEX ~ launched April 2003 ~ The GALEX satellite will observe a million galaxies up to 10 billion years
old in order to determine when and how the first galaxies originated.
Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity ~ launched
July 2003 ~ This robotic explorer will land on Mars and study the rocks
and soil in order to get a better idea of the past existence of water on Mars.
Space Infrared Telescope Facility ~ launch
date August 2003 ~ The SIRTF is a successor to the Hubble Space Telescope.
It is an infrared telescope that will study the most distant and coldest objects
in the universe.
Hubble Space Telescope ~ launched
April 1990 ~ The HST has proven to be the most successful telescope ever
built. Although some ground-based telescopes are larger, they have the disadvantage
of peering through the atmosphere of the Earth. Hubble, on the other hand, is
in orbit 380 miles above Earth, so it does not encounter any atmospheric disturbances.
It has taken photographs of close objects such as the Moon and planets as well
as images of the most distant astronomical objects ever viewed by humans. When
Hubble was first launched, there was a small aberration in the telescope's mirror.
In 1993, a team of astronauts rendezvoused with Hubble and were able to fix
the problem. The photos Hubble has taken since this servicing mission are unparalleled
in quality, and have literally changed the face of astronomy. HST has now viewed
almost 20,000 objects and taken more than 350,000 pictures!
Ulysses ~ launched October
1990 ~ This is a joint U.S. and European solar observatory that passes
the poles of the Sun every five years. It gives a view of the Sun not available
SOHO ~ launched December
1995 ~ The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory is a joint U.S. and European
mission. It is studying the internal structure of the Sun, its outer atmosphere,
and the origin of the solar wind. It has been giving astronomers an uninterrupted
view of the Sun, and hopefully will provide information on the affect of the
Sun on Earth's environment.
Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) ~ launched
February 1996 ~ This probe entered the asteroid belt between Mars and
Jupiter and concentrated on the asteroids Mathilde and Eros.
Mars Global Surveyor ~ launched
November 1996 ~ This probe has been orbiting Mars since 1997, sending
back hundreds of photographs to make the most detailed map of the surface. Scientifically,
the surveyor has hinted that Mars may be a more hospitable environment to life
than was previously imagined: it is wet, volcanic, and geologically younger
than was previously believed.
Mars Pathfinder ~ launched
December 1996 ~ This unique mission was a landmark for NASA, because
it was designed innovatively to cut costs in a program whose budgets are constantly
being squeezed. Once in orbit around Mars, the lander separated from the orbiter,
and a parachute opened in order to slow the descent. A system of heavy-duty
airbags inflated around the lander, and it bounced along the surface in a rocky
valley. The airbags deflated, and the lander opened like a flower. A special
rover named Sojourner was then able to leave the lander and explore the local
surface. Sojourner was able to take photographs and geologically test the rocks
and dust, which greatly improved scientists' understanding of the red planet.
In addition, the whole scene was broadcast live on television and the internet,
making it a very popular mission with the general public.
Cassini ~ launched October
1997 ~ In 2004, Cassini will rendezvous with Saturn in a mission which
is similar to the Galileo mission of Jupiter. It will land on Saturn's biggest
moon, Titan, to study the possibility of life evolving on this moon. Scientists
believe that the relatively harsh environment on Titan is similar to the environment
on Earth when life first formed.
International Space Station ~ building
started in 1998 ~ The first extensive cooperation between space agencies
from different countries started in 1993, when the US, Russia, and other European
countries decided to pool their resources to build an international station
in space. Human crews are living aboard the space station for extended periods
of time, which has allowed scientists to study the reaction of the body to living
in a zero-gravity environment. Hundreds of microgravity scientific experiments
which are not possible on Earth have been conducted by the astronauts. Experiments
have been done in the fields of physics, geology, medicine, and technology.
Chandra X-ray Observatory ~ launched July 1999 ~ This observatory is in orbit around the Earth. Its
goal is to study high-energy regions of space containing exotic objects such
as black holes and the remnants of supernovae. It has already discovered a new
type of black hole, and has recorded x-rays coming from comets. It can observe
X-rays from particles during the last second before they fall into a black hole.
Chandra flies 200 times higher above the Earth than does the Hubble Space Telescope.
Space Shuttles ~ first
flight April 1981 ~ The space shuttles were designed as a new type of
spacecraft that could withstand re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere and subsequently
be used again for later missions. There have been five space shuttles: Columbia,
Discovery, Endeavor, Atlantis, and Challenger. The first American woman in space,
Sally Ride, lifted off in June 1983. The Challenger exploded during launch on
January 28, 1986, killing all seven crew members. The shuttle program was then
grounded for more than two years while safety issues were reviewed. On ... the
Columbia exploded during reentry, also killing all seven astronauts. It has
been determined that a piece of foam hit the wing during launch, causing an
unstable condition for re-entering the atmosphere. Aside from these tragedies,
the space shuttle program has been very successful, having completed more than
65 missions and acting as both a transport device and a scientific laboratory.
Venera 15&16 ~ launched
1983 ~ These two Soviet crafts mapped Venus' surface.
Mir Space Station ~ launched
February 1986 ~ This was the first space station, designed to hold a
human crew in orbit of the Earth for extended periods of time. Mir was in service
for more than 10 years, during which time many NASA astronauts had the chance
to practice living in space.
Magellan ~ launched May
1989 ~ Venus' landscape and its magnetic field were studied by this craft,
along with the distribution of mass within the planet. It provided the first
comprehensive look at the geology of Venus.
Galileo ~ launched October
1989 ~ In 1995, Galileo arrived at Jupiter and shot a probe into the
atmosphere. It spent several years doing a survey of the planet and several
of its moons. Europa was found to be particularly interesting, with an ocean
under a crust of ice. The volcanic moon Io was also studied.
Apollo 13 ~ launched April
1970 ~ This Apollo mission did not make it to the Moon, because an oxygen
tank burst. It is considered one of NASA's finest achievements, however, since
so many obstacles were overcome in bringing the astronauts safely back to Earth.
Venera 1-10 ~ launched 1970-1982 ~ These Soviet spacecraft landed on the surface of Venus. Because of the intense
conditions at the surface, they only worked for a few minutes, but four of the
missions sent back photographs of the surface, which was covered with lava rocks.
Apollo 14 ~ launched February
5, 1971 ~ Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell walked on the Moon.
Mariner 9 ~ launched May
1971 ~ This was the first spacecraft to actually orbit the planet Mars.
The surface was again photographed and the atmosphere was analyzed extensively.
Apollo 15 ~ Launched July
30, 1971 ~ David Scott and James Irwin walked on the Moon.
Pioneer 10 ~ launched March
1972 ~ The first flyby of Jupiter was done in 1973. The atmosphere and
magnetic field were studied. Pioneer 10 continued to communicate with Earth
on its way out of the solar system, and in January 2003, its last signal was
recorded. As of July 2003, Pioneer 10 is 7.83 billion miles from the Earth,
and it is traveling at a speed of 27,317 miles per hour.
Apollo 16 ~ launched April
20, 1972 ~ John Young and Charles Duke walked on the Moon.
Apollo 17 ~ launched December
11, 1972 ~ Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt walked on the Moon. Schmitt
was the first scientist chosen to be an astronaut (he was a geologist).
Pioneer 11 ~ launched April
1973 ~ This probe followed Pioneer 10 in a trip to Jupiter, and then
went on to Saturn. Its mission ended in November 1995, when the last communication
was received. If Pioneer 11 survives long enough, in 4 million years it will
pass near one of the stars in the constellation Aquila.
Mariner 10 ~ launched November
1973 ~ This is the only American spacecraft sent to Mercury. It flew
by the planet three times to take pictures, which showed that Mercury has an
iron core and a moon-like surface that is constantly pelted by solar system
objects. The probe reached Mercury with the help of the gravitational influence
of Venus. It was the first mission to use this gravity assist trajectory, and
had the benefit of studying both planets.
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project ~ launched
July 1975 ~ This was the first collaboration between the space programs
of the United States and the Soviet Union. Rendezvous and docking procedures
were tested when spacecraft were launched separately from each country and then
met in space.
Viking 1 & 2 ~ launched
August and September 1975 ~ The purpose of these two missions was to
search for signs of life on Mars. They found no signs of life in either the
past or the present, but took many photographs in order to map the surface of
Voyager 2 ~ launched August
1977 ~ Voyager 2 also did in-depth studies of Jupiter and its moons,
and found a thin ring around the planet. Its study of Saturn helped map the
atmosphere's quick-moving clouds. It then went on to the outer planets of the
solar system. It arrived at Uranus in 1986, and sent back photos of a planet
which appeared blue because of its methane atmosphere. The interesting moons
of Uranus were also photographed. In 1989, it reached Neptune, and found that
this planet has an active atmosphere. Also of interest was the fact that Neptune's
moon Triton has a thin atmosphere. After this grand tour, Voyager 2 headed out
of the solar system.
Voyager 1 ~ launched September
1977 ~ Voyager 1 was a sophisticated probe which did a flyby of Jupiter
and many of its moons. It found that the moon Io is the most volcanically active
body in the solar system. Then it headed to Saturn to study its ring system
and moons. It then started on a path out of the solar system. It is now almost
8 billion miles from the Earth, making it the most distant human-made object,
and is at the edge of the solar system.
Pioneer Venus ~ launched
May 1978 ~ This American craft mapped Venus' volcanic surface until 1992.
Pioneer 5 ~ launched March
1960 ~ The first study of the magnetic field between the planets was
conducted by Pioneer 5.
Vostok I ~ launched
April 12, 1961 ~ The first person in space was Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet
Air Force lieutenant. He orbited the Earth once in a flight that lasted 108
minutes. The Vostok spacecraft was flown with a combination of ground control
and onboard autopilot commands.
Mercury ~ launched May 1961 ~ Alan Shepherd was America's first man in space. The one-man spacecraft went
outside Earth's atmosphere but did not go into orbit.
Vostok 2 ~ launched August
1961 ~ The Soviets made another manned flight which lasted a day and
orbited the Earth 17 times.
Mercury ~ launched February
1962 ~ The first American to orbit the Earth was John Glenn, who orbited
the planet three times in a Mercury one-man spacecraft.
Mariner 2 ~ launched August
1962 ~ This was the first spacecraft to perform a flyby of another planet,
in this case Venus. It found that the surface of Venus was just as hot as that
of Mercury, and that the atmosphere is 100 times heavier than Earth's atmosphere.
Vostok 6 ~ launched June
1963 ~ Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. She orbited
the Earth 48 times in Vostok 6.
Mariner 4 ~ launched November
1964 ~ This was the first successful flyby of Mars, which took place
in 1965. It took photographs which showed a moonlike surface.
Voskhod 2 ~ launched March
1965 ~ Alexei Leonov was the first person to perform a spacewalk.
Gemini 4 ~ launched June
1965 ~ Edward White became the first American to walk in space. The goal
of the Gemini program was to practice space operations such as docking and reentry
The Gemini spacecraft held two astronauts, and provided important information
on how weightlessness affects the human body.
Pioneer 6-9 ~ launched between
December 1965-November 1968 ~ These crafts measured properties of the
solar wind and the sun's magnetic field.
Mariner 5 ~ launched June
1967 ~ This Mariner mission was designed to study Venus' atmosphere using
Apollo 7 ~ launched October
1968 ~ The Apollo spacecraft orbited the Earth in order to test the command
Apollo 8 ~ launched December
1968 ~ The first manned mission to the Moon successfully orbited for
a day and then returned to Earth.
Mariner 6 & 7 ~ launched
February and March 1969 ~ These two spacecraft were designed to work
together to provide a more detailed view of Mars' surface. It showed an abundance
of channels on the surface, which might have been carved by water, and a number
of volcanoes, valleys, and canyons.
Apollo 9 ~ launched March
1969 ~ In order to test the lunar landers that would take astronauts
to the surface of the Moon, the Apollo 9 spacecraft performed a dry run in an
Apollo 10 ~ launched May
1969 ~ This mission was an unmanned dress rehearsal for bringing the
first astronauts to the Moon. The lunar lander was flown close to the Moon's
surface (50,000 feet away), but did not actually land.
Apollo 11 ~ launched July
20, 1969 ~ The first men, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, reached the
moon. As Armstrong stepped out onto the Sea of Tranquility, he said, "That's
one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." They spent only
two hours on the surface collecting moon rocks, and then returned in the lunar
lander to the orbiting Apollo spacecraft.
Apollo 12 ~ launched November
19, 1969 ~ Charles Conrad and Alan Bean walked on the Moon.
Sputnik 1 ~ launched October
1957 ~ The Soviet Union launched the first satellite, which started the
'space race' between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Sputnik 2 ~ launched November
1957 ~ The Soviet Union's second satellite carried the first living thing,
a dog named Laika, into space.
Explorer 1 ~ launched January
1958 ~ The first American satellite recorded the existence of the Earth's
Van Allen Radiation Belt, a band of radiation encircling the Earth. The Van
Allen belt affects the amount of radiation from the Sun that hits the Earth.
Pioneer 1 ~ launched October
1958 ~ The first Pioneer spacecraft studied the Earth's Van Allen Radiation
belt, which had been discovered by the Explorer I.
Pioneer 3 ~ launched December
1958 ~ A second radiation belt around the Earth was discovered by this
Pioneer 4 ~ launched March
1959 ~ This was the first American spacecraft to escape the gravitational
pull of the Earth and come close to the Moon. It gave scientists an idea of
the radiation conditions of the Moon, in order to prepare for manned landings.
FOR THIS PAGE:
Robert Burnham, Alan Dyer,
and Jeff Kanipe, Astronomy: The Definitive Guide, Barnes and Noble Books, 2003.
NASA History Fact Sheet, http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/factsheet.htm.
NSSDC Master Catalog Spacecraft
Query Form, http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/sc-query.html