Today marks the 50th anniversary of human space flight, kicked off by Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in 1961. It was an instant historic event, one that escalated the space race between the U.S.A. and the Soviet Union, motivating the two nations to set ambitious goals in their space programs and inspiring whole generations of people—a legacy that lives to this day. Since that mission, civilization has passed many milestones in the final frontier, from the first man on the moon to the first person to go to space as a tourist.
Along the way, technology has always been there. During the moonshots, the Apollo astronauts would appear on TV live from their spacecraft, first in black-and-white and later evolving to full-color broadcasts. More recently, space travelers have brought social networks to the orbital experience. The International Space Station is even a place you can check into on Foursquare.
It's not surprising that many astronauts have been tech enthusiasts as well. Owen Garriott, who spent a great deal of time in space in the '70s and '80s, also happened to be an amateur ham radio operator and brought his hobby with him to space. And many visitors to the ISS have been bringing their iPods with them for the better part of a decade.
Once private corporations like Virgin Galactic begin ferrying passengers to suborbit (possibly as early as next year), expect many other firsts to get crossed off the list as more and more people start making the jump to escape velocity—and taking their gadgets with them. What will be the first game console in space? The first tablet? Who will be the first person to upload photos to Color from orbit?
Here's a look back at some of the most notable pieces of technology to follow humans during their first 50 years of reaching for the stars.