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Space Exploration Milestones
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Parker Solar Probe closest approach to the Sun
January 17, 2020 - NASA's Parker Solar Probe made its fourth close pass to the Sun, becoming the closest human-made object to the star.
First rover on Mars, Sojourner
July 4, 1997 - Sojourner, the first rover, landed on Mars as part of the Mars Pathfinder mission and analyzed Martian rocks and soil.
Discovery of gravitational waves
February 11, 2016 - The LIGO Scientific Collaboration announced the first detection of gravitational waves, confirming a major prediction of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity.
Mars Curiosity Rover landing
August 6, 2012 - NASA's Curiosity Rover landed on Mars, using a novel sky crane maneuver to touch down and begin its mission to explore Gale Crater.
Viking 1 Mars landing
July 20, 1976 - Viking 1 was the first successful landing on Mars, providing detailed photos of the Martian surface.
Launch of the first space station, Salyut 1
April 19, 1971 - Salyut 1 was launched by the Soviet Union as the world's first space station, marking a new era in human spaceflight.
Kepler Space Telescope discovers Earth-size exoplanets
March 6, 2009 - The Kepler Space Telescope launched to discover Earth-size exoplanets in or near the habitable zones of distant stars.
Voyager 1 enters interstellar space
August 25, 2012 - NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft crosses the heliopause and enters interstellar space, the first human-made object to do so.
New Horizons Pluto flyby
July 14, 2015 - NASA's New Horizons spacecraft performed a close flyby of Pluto, collecting detailed images and data of its surface and moons.
Challenger disaster
January 28, 1986 - The Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to a reassessment of the Space Shuttle program.
First image of a black hole
April 10, 2019 - The Event Horizon Telescope project released the first-ever image of a black hole, located in the galaxy M87.
Artemis I Moon mission
Date TBD (planned) - Artemis I is planned to be an uncrewed mission around the Moon, part of NASA's Artemis program to return humans to the lunar surface.
First human to walk on the Moon
July 20, 1969 - Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission.
Construction of the International Space Station begins
November 20, 1998 - The first module of the International Space Station (ISS) was launched, marking the beginning of its construction.
Apollo 11 Moon landing
July 20, 1969 - Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to land on the Moon with mission Apollo 11.
First crewed SpaceX mission
May 30, 2020 - SpaceX's Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission launched with astronauts on board, marking the first crewed launch from U.S. soil since the Space Shuttle program ended.
Rosetta's Philae performs the first successful landing on a comet
November 12, 2014 - Philae, the lander of the Rosetta mission, achieved the first successful touchdown on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
First reusable rocket landing
December 21, 2015 - SpaceX's Falcon 9 successfully landed back on Earth after a mission to space, marking the first successful landing of a reusable orbital rocket.
Launch of the first artificial satellite
October 4, 1957 - Sputnik 1 was launched by the Soviet Union, initiating the age of space exploration.
China's Chang'e 4 makes the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon
January 3, 2019 - The Chang'e 4 mission achieved the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon, with the Yutu-2 rover to explore the lunar surface.
SpaceX Falcon 1 becomes the first privately developed liquid-fuel rocket to reach orbit
September 28, 2008 - Falcon 1, developed by SpaceX, successfully reached orbit, becoming the first privately developed liquid-fuel rocket to do so.
First human in space
April 12, 1961 - Yuri Gagarin orbited Earth aboard Vostok 1 and became the first human in space.
First soft landing on the Moon
February 3, 1966 - Luna 9, a Soviet spacecraft, achieved the first soft landing on the Moon and transmitted photographic data back to Earth.
Hubble Space Telescope launch
April 24, 1990 - The Hubble Space Telescope was launched aboard Space Shuttle Discovery, revolutionizing astronomy and space science with its clear images of the universe.
James Webb Space Telescope launch
December 25, 2021 - The James Webb Space Telescope was launched as the largest, most powerful space telescope designed to explore the universe's early stages.
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