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The Telescope
Space Exploration Timeline
Welcome to the Space Exploration Timeline! In this section of Beyond Earth, you will view the dates and details of mankind's greatest achievements in space exploration. These space milestones are organized by date and grouped by decade.
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- April 12, 1981 - First Space Shuttle Launch
The first manned mission of the Space Transportation System (STS-1), Columbia , is launched. this mission, as well as the next three, will be a test flight to try out the spacecraft's systems.
August 25, 1981 - Voyager 2 Arrives at Saturn
The Voyager 2 spacecraft arrives at Saturn and begins sending back images of the planet and its moons.
March 1, 1982 - First Venus Soil Samples
The Soviet Venera 13 lands on Venus and provides the first Venusian soil analysis.
May 13, 1982 - New Space Endurance Record
Soviet cosmonauts Anatoli N. Berezovoi and Valentin V. Lebedev are launched in Soyuz T-5 to rendezvous with Salyut 7 and become the first team to inhabit the space station. They return to Earth in Soyuz T-7, setting a new duration record of 211 days.
November 11, 1982 - First Operational Space Shuttle Mission
The Space Shuttle Columbia begins its fifth mission, the first operational Space Shuttle mission. Two satellites are deployed.
April 4, 1983 - Maiden Voyage of Challenger
America's second Space Shuttle, Challenger, embarks on its first mission into space. The mission includes America's first space walk in nine years.
June 19, 1983 - First American Woman in Space
Sally K. Ride becomes the first American woman to travel in space on Challenger mission STS-7.
February 3, 1984 - First Untethered Spacewalk
Astronaut Bruce McCandless takes the first untethered space walk using the new Manned maneuvering Unit (MMU).
August 30, 1984 - Maiden Voyage of Discovery
The third orbiter of the American Space Shuttle fleet, Discovery, lifts off for its maiden voyage into space.
October 3, 1985 - Maiden Voyage of Atlantis
Atlantis, the forth orbiter in America's Space Shuttle fleet, begins its first mission in space.
January 24, 1986 - Voyager 2 Encounters Uranus
The Voyager 2 spacecraft arrives at Uranus, giving us our first close-up views of the blue planet and its moons.
January 28, 1986 - Challenger Tragedy
The space shuttle Challenger explodes shortly after liftoff of mission STS-51L, resulting in the loss of the spacecraft and her crew.
February 20, 1986 - Mir Station Launched
The first phase of the Mir space station is successfully launched and placed into Earth orbit.
December, 1987 - New Space Endurance Record
Cosmonaut Yuri V. Romanenko returns from space station Mir after setting a new space endurance record of 326 days.
August 25, 1989 - Voyager 2 Arrives at Neptune
The Voyager 2 spacecraft arrives at Neptune, giving us our first close-up views of the blue planet and its moons.
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