Beyond the Moon: A Timeline of the Space Program

The United States and the Soviet Union launch the first international manned space station—the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.

1976

The United States launches Viking 1 and Viking 2. These were probes that landed on Mars and sent back photos and data.

1981

The United States launches the space shuttle Columbia. The space shuttle is the first reusable manned spacecraft. 1983 Sally Ride is the first U.S. woman to travel into space.

1986

The U.S. space shuttle Challenger explodes in an accident shortly after takeoff. All seven crewmembers are killed. 1990 The Hubble Space Telescope is launched into orbit. The telescope continues to orbit the Earth today.

1995

The Russian cosmonaut Valery Polyakov completes a record 438 consecutive days in space. He lived aboard the Mir space station.

1996

The Mars Pathfinder is launched. It transmits thousands of never-before-seen images and bits of information back to Earth. 1997 Former Astronaut John Glenn returns to space. At 77, he is the oldest person to travel in space.