Soviet Space Pioneers
The Soviet space program--inspired by earlier Russian visionaries who wrote of multi-stage rockets and Earth-orbiting satellites long before those ever existed--soared in the late 1950s and early 1960s, along with the nation's pride in its achievements.
1957: FIRST SATELLITE IN SPACE
The small satellite Sputnik 1--the word means "fellow traveler" in Russian--was the first human-made object to enter space. It orbited Earth for three months in 1957 before burning up as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere.
1961: FIRST MAN IN SPACE Yuri Gagarin
On April 12, 1961, Soviet fighter-pilot-turned-cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space. Flying in a simple spacecraft, the Vostok 1, Gagarin orbited the planet once, during an 108-minute flight. "I see Earth!" he said from space. "It is so beautiful."
1963: FIRST WOMAN IN SPACE Valentina Tereshkova
In 1963, Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space, aboard Vostok 6. The next woman wouldn't reach orbit until 1982.