Space Exploration

Celestial navigation

Related Lives

Bhutan

Land of the Thunder Dragon

Italy

The Land of Art and Romance

Afghanistan

The Jewel of Central Asia

President of the Republic of Panama

Head of the State

Life cover image

1997

First spacecraft to use aerobraking to enter orbit

17 Sep 1997

First spacecraft to use aerobraking to enter orbit

First operational rover on another planet

04 Jul 1997

First operational rover on another planet

First Orbital Radio Observatory Launched by Japan

12 Feb 1997

First Orbital Radio Observatory Launched by Japan

1995

First spacecraft to enter the atmosphere of a gas giant

07 Dec 1995

First spacecraft to enter the atmosphere of a gas giant

Galileo's First Orbit Around Jupiter

07 Dec 1995

First laser communication from space

1995

Longest Duration Spaceflight Achieved by Polyakov

22 Mar 1995

Longest Duration Spaceflight Achieved by Polyakov

1992

First spacecraft to map Venus in its entirety

13 Sep 1992

First confirmed observation of an exoplanet

1992

First polar orbit around the Sun

08 Feb 1992

First polar orbit around the Sun

1991

First Asteroid Flyby by NASA's Galileo

29 Oct 1991

First Asteroid Flyby by NASA's Galileo

1990

First gravity-assist manoeuvre using Earth

02 Jul 1990

First telescope designed to be repaired in space

24 Apr 1990

First telescope designed to be repaired in space

First photograph of the whole Solar System

14 Feb 1990

First photograph of the whole Solar System

1989

First Orbital Cosmic Microwave Observatory

25 Aug 1989

First Orbital Cosmic Microwave Observatory

First Spacecraft to Flyby Neptune

25 Aug 1989

First Spacecraft to Flyby Neptune

First Astrometric Satellite by ESA

08 Aug 1989

First Astrometric Satellite by ESA

1988

First Suspected Detection of an Exoplanet

15 Jul 1988

First Suspected Detection of an Exoplanet

1986

First Close Up Observations of a Comet

13 Mar 1986

First Close Up Observations of a Comet

First Consistently Inhabited Long-Term Research Space Station

19 Feb 1986

First Consistently Inhabited Long-Term Research Space Station

First Spacecraft to Flyby Uranus

24 Jan 1986

First Spacecraft to Flyby Uranus

1985

First Spacecraft to Flyby a Comet

11 Sep 1985

First Spacecraft to Flyby a Comet

First Balloon Deployed on Another Planet

11 Jun 1985

First Balloon Deployed on Another Planet

1984

First Spacewalk by a Woman

25 Jul 1984

First Spacewalk by a Woman

First Untethered Spacewalk by Bruce McCandless II

07 Feb 1984

First Untethered Spacewalk by Bruce McCandless II

1983

First Spacecraft Beyond Neptune's Orbit

13 Jun 1983

First Spacecraft Beyond Neptune's Orbit

Launch of First Infrared Orbital Observatory

25 Jan 1983

Launch of First Infrared Orbital Observatory

1982

First Mixed Gender Crew on Space Station

19 Aug 1982

First Mixed Gender Crew on Space Station

First Plants Grown in Space

1982

Deep Survey of Earth's Magnetic Tail

10 Jun 1982

Deep Survey of Earth's Magnetic Tail