References are numbered in [brackets], which are listed here. A number after the dot gives the page in the source.

Last updated: 2008 June 28.

start-1899	1900-1949	1950-1964	1965-1969	1970-1974	1975-1979	1980-1984	1985-1989	1990-1994	1995-1999
2000-end

1965 January 20 American Jet Propulsion Laboratory proposes modified Apollo flight to fly around Mars and return. [1] January 22 US launches TIROS 9 weather satellite. [1] January 27 First ground station-to-aircraft radio communication via satellite. [1] February 3 Orbiting Solar Observatory 2 launches into Earth orbit (552/636 km). [1] February 16 Pegasus 1 launched to detect micro-meteors. [1] February 17 US Ranger 8 launched, will transmit 7,137 lunar pictures. [1] February 20 Ranger 8 makes hard landing on the Moon, returns photos, other data. [1] February 22 USSR launches Kosmos 57 into earth orbit (Voskhod Test). [1] March 18 USSR launches Voshkod 2; Alexei Leonov makes first spacewalk (20 minutes). [1] [5] March 21 US Ranger 9 launched; takes 5,814 pictures before lunar impact. [1] [5] March 23 Gemini 3 launched, first US two-man space flight (Grissom and Young). [1] March 24 US Ranger 9 strikes Moon, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of crater Alphonsus. [1] April 1 Syncom 3, first geosynchronous communications satellite, passes from civilian to military control. [1] April 3 First atomic powered spacecraft (SNAP) launched. [1] April 6 Intelsat 1 ("Early Bird") launched; first commercial geosynchronous communications satellite. [1] April 16 Test flight of heavy Saturn S-1C-rocket. [1] April 23 Launch of first Soviet communications satellite. [1] May 1 USSR launches Luna 5; later impacts on Moon. [1] May 2 Early Bird satellite goes into commercial service. [1] May 9 Luna 5 launched (USSR) first attempt to soft land on Moon (fails). [1] June 3 Gemini 4 launched; second US two-man flight (McDivitt and White). [1] [5] June 8 USSR launches Luna 6; misses Moon. [1] June 10 A R Klemola discovers asteroid #2370 van Altena. [1] June 28 A R Klemola discovers asteroid #2179 Platzeck. [1] July 14 US Mariner IV, first Mars probe, passes at 6,100 miles (9,800 km). [1] July 15 US scientists display close-up photos of Mars from Mariner IV. [1] July 18 Zond 3 launched to fly by Moon, enters solar orbit. [1] July 29 Gemini 5 returns after 12 days 7 hours 11 minutes 53 seconds in space. [1] August 21 Gemini 5 launched into Earth orbit (two astronauts). [1] August 29 Astronauts Cooper and Conrad complete 120 Earth orbits in Gemini 5. [1] October 4 USSR launches Luna 7; crash lands on Moon. [1] November 12 Venera two launched by Soviet Union toward Venus. [1] November 16 The Soviet Union launches the Venera 3 space probe, which becomes the first spacecraft to reach the surface of another planet (Venus). [1] [5] November 26 France launches first satellite, 92 pounds (42 kg) A1-capsule (Asterix), becoming third nation in space. [1] December 3 USSR launches Luna 8; crashes on Moon. [1] December 4 Gemini 7 is launched with two astronauts (Borman and Lovell). [1] December 15 Gemini 6 launched; makes first rendezvous in space (with Gemini 7). [1] December 16 Gemini 6 returns to Earth. [1] Pioneer 6 launched into solar orbit. [1] December 17 David Levy begins his search for comets. [1] December 18 Borman and Lovell splash down in Atlantic; ends two-week Gemini VII mission. [1] 1966 January 31 USSR launches Luna 9 toward the Moon. [1] February 3 First operational weather satellite, ESSA-1, launched (US). [1] First soft landing on the Moon (Soviet Luna 9). [1] February 17 French satellite Diapason D-1A launched into Earth orbit. [1] February 22 Soviets launch Kosmos 110 with Veterok and Ugolek, first two-dog crew. [1] February 26 The launch of AS-201 marks the first flight of the Saturn IB rocket. [5] March 1 Venera 3 becomes first man-made object to impact on a planet (Venus). [1] March 16 Gemini 8 launched with Armstrong and Scott; aborted after 6.5 orbits. [1] March 31 USSR launches Luna 10, first lunar orbiter. [1] April 2 Soviet Union's Luna 10 becomes first spacecraft to orbit Moon. [1] April 3 Luna 10 orbits Moon. [1] April 8 OAO 1, the first orbiting astronomical observatory, is launched. [1] May 30 US launches Surveyor 1 to the Moon. [1] June 2 US Surveyor 1 lands in Oceanus Procellarum; first lunar soft-landing. [1] June 3 Gemini 9 launched; 7th US two-man flight (Stafford and Cernan). [1] June 25 Kosmos 122, first Soviet weather satellite, launched. [1] July 5 Saturn I rocket launched at Cape Kennedy. [1] July 10 Orbiter 1 launched to Moon. [1] July 17 Pioneer 7 launched. [1] July 18 Gemini 10 launched. [1] July 21 Gemini X returns to Earth. [1] August 10 First lunar orbiter launched by US. [1] Daylight meteor seen from Utah to Canada. Only known case of a meteor entering the Earth's atmosphere and leaving it again. [1] August 14 First US lunar orbiter begins orbiting the Moon. [1] August 17 Pioneer 7 launched into solar orbit. [1] August 23 Lunar Orbiter 1 takes first photograph of Earth from Moon. [1] August 24 USSR launches Luna 11 for orbit around Moon. [1] September 12 Gemini XI launched for 71-hour flight. [1] September 15 Gemini XI returns to Earth. [1] September 20 US Surveyor B launched toward Moon; crashes September 23. [1] October 22 USSR launches Luna 12 for orbit around Moon. [1] October 26 First Pacific communications satellite launched, Intelsat 2. [1] November 7 Lunar Orbiter 2 launched by US. [1] November 11 Gemini 12 launched on 4-day flight. [1] November 15 Gemini XII returns to Earth. [1] November 17 Leonids meteor shower peaks (150,000+ per hour). [1] December 8 US and USSR sign treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons in outer space. [1] December 15 Audouin Dollfus discovers 10th satellite of Saturn, Janus. [1] December 18 Richard L. Walker discovers Saturn's moon Epimetheus. [5] December 21 USSR launches Luna 13; soft-lands in Oceanus Procellarum. [1] December 24 Luna 13 lands on Moon. [1] 1967 January 27 Apollo 1 fire kills astronauts Virgil I Grissom, Lieutenant-Colonel USAF Edward Higgins White II, and Roger B Chaffee. [1] Treaty banning military use of nuclear weapons in space is signed. [1] February 4 US launches Lunar Orbiter 3. [1] February 8 French Diadème D-1C satellite is launched into Earth orbit. [1] February 15 French Diadème 1-D satellite launches into Earth orbit. [1] February 17 Kosmos 140 (Soyuz test) launches into Earth orbit. [1] April 5 ATS II launched but fails to reach orbit. [1] April 17 Surveyor 3 launched; soft lands on Moon, April 20. [1] April 19 US Surveyor III lands on Moon. [1] April 20 US Surveyor 3 lands on Moon. [1] April 23 Soyuz 1 launched. [1] April 24 Vladimir M Komarov, cosmonaut (Voshkod I), is first to die in space, aboard Soyuz 1 at age 40. [1] April 26 San Marco 2 satellite launch (first Equatorial launch). [1] May 4 Lunar Orbiter 4 launched by US; begins orbiting Moon May 7. [1] May 19 USSR ratifies treaty with England and US banning nuclear weapons in space. [1] June 12 USSR launches Venera 4 for parachute landing on Venus. [1] June 14 Launch of Mariner V for Venus fly-by. [1] USSR launches Kosmos 166 for observation of Sun from Earth orbit. [1] July 14 Surveyor 4 launched to Moon; explodes just before landing. [1] July 19 US launches Explorer 35 for lunar orbit (800/7400 km). [1] August 2 US's Lunar Orbiter 5 launched; enters lunar orbit August 5. [1] September 8 Surveyor 5 launched; makes soft landing on Moon September 10. [1] September 9 First successful test flight of a Saturn V. [1] September 11 US Surveyor 5 makes first chemical analysis of lunar material. [1] September 30 USSR's Kosmos 186 and 188 complete the first automatic docking. [1] October 18 Soviet Venera 4 becomes the first probe to send data back from Venus. [1] October 19 Mariner 5 makes fly-by of Venus. [1] November 5 ATS-3 launched by US to take first pictures of full Earth disk. [1] November 6 US launches Surveyor 6; makes soft landing on Moon November 9. [1] November 9 NASA launches the unmanned Apollo 4 test spacecraft from Cape Kennedy. [1] [5] November 17 Surveyor 6 becomes first man-made object to lift off the Moon. [1] December 12 US launches Pioneer 8 into solar orbit. [1] 1968 January 6 Surveyor 7 (last of series) launched by US for soft-landing on Moon. [1] January 9 Surveyor 7 space probe soft lands on the Moon. [1] January 10 US Surveyor 7 lands near lunar crater Tycho. [1] January 11 Explorer 36 (GEOS-B) launched into earth orbit (1080/1570 km). [1] January 17 Soyuz 4 and 5 complete first docking of two manned spacecraft. [1] January 22 Apollo 5 launched to Moon; unmanned lunar module tests made. [1] February 24 First pulsar discovered (CP 1919 by Jocelyn Burnell at Cambridge). [1] March 2 USSR launches space probe Zond 4; it fails to leave Earth orbit. [1] March 4 Orbiting Geophysical Observatory 5 launched. [1] March 5 US launches Solar Explorer 2 to study the Sun. [1] April 4 Apollo 6 launched atop Saturn V; unmanned. [1] May 17 European Space Research Organization launches first satellite. [1] July 18 C Torres discovers asteroid #2654 Ristenpart. [1] July 25 H Wroblewski discovers asteroid #1993 Guacolda. [1] September 15 Launch of Zond 5, the first lunar flyaround with Earth reentry. Probable test flight for a manned fly-around (scooped by Apollo 8). [1] September 17 Zond 5 completes circumnavigation of the Moon. [1] October 11 Apollo 7 (Schirra, Eisele and Cunningham) make 163 orbits in 260 hours. [1] October 14 First live telecast from a manned US spacecraft (Apollo 7). [1] October 22 Apollo 7 returns to Earth. [1] October 26 Soyuz 3 launched. [1] November 10 Launch of Zond 6, second unmanned circumlunar and return flight. [1] December 7 Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2 launched into Earth orbit. [1] December 21 Apollo 8 (Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders) is launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the first manned Moon voyage. [1] [5] December 23 First documented US case of space motion sickness. [1] Borman, Lovell and Anders become first men to orbit Moon. [1] December 24 Apollo 8 astronauts' Christmas reading (Book of Genesis) while orbiting Moon. [1] December 27 Apollo 8 returns to Earth. [1] 1969 January 5 USSR Venera 5 launched for first successful planet landing (Venus). [1] January 10 USSR's Venera 6 launched for parachute landing on Venus. [1] January 14 Soyuz 4 launched; rendezvous with Soyuz 5 two days later. [1] January 15 Soyuz 5 launched by Soviet Union. [1] January 16 Soviet Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 perform first transfer of crew in space. [1] January 18 Soyuz 5 returns to Earth. [1] January 20 University of Arizona reports first optical identification of pulsar (in Crab Nebula). [1] January 22 Orbiting Solar Observatory 5 launched into earth orbit. [1] January 30 US/Canada ISIS 1 launched to study ionosphere. [1] February 8 Meteorite weighing over one ton falls in Chihuahua, México. [1] February 25 Mariner 6 launched for fly-by of Mars. [1] March 3 Apollo 9 launched into 151 Earth orbits (10 days). [1] March 13 Apollo 9 returns to Earth. [1] March 26 Soviet weather satellite Meteor 1 launched. [1] March 27 Launch of Mariner 7, flies 2,190 miles above southern Mars. [1] May 10 Apollo 10 transmits first color pictures of Earth from space. [1] May 16 Soviet spaceprobe Venera 5 lands on Venus, returns data on atmosphere. [1] [5] May 17 Russian probe Venera 6 lands on Venus. [1] May 18 Apollo 10 (Stafford/Cernan/Young) launched toward lunar orbit. [1] May 22 Stafford and Cernan pilot Apollo 10 LEM 9.4 miles (15km) above lunar surface. [1] May 26 Apollo 10 astronauts returned to Earth. [1] June 13 T Smirnova discovers asteroid #2111 Tselina. [1] July 13 Russia launches unmanned Luna 15 to Moon. [1] July 16 Apollo 11, carrying first men to land on the Moon, launched. [1] July 19 Apollo 11 goes into Moon orbit. [1] July 20 Apollo 11 lands on the Moon. [5] July 21 Neil Armstrong steps on the Moon at 2:56:15 AM (GMT). [1] Russia's Luna 15 impacts moon after 52 lunar orbits. [1] July 22 USSR launches Sputnik 50 and Molniya 1-12 communications satellite. [1] July 24 Apollo 11 splashes down safely in the Pacific Ocean. [1] [5] July 27 Pioneer 10 launched. [1] July 29 Mariner 6 begins transmitting far-encounter photos of Mars. [1] July 31 Mariner 6 flies past Mars. [1] August 5 Mariner 7 flies past Mars. [1] October 11 Soyuz 6 launched. [1] October 12 Soyuz 7 is launched. [1] October 13 Soyuz 8 is launched. [1] October 16 Soyuz 6 returns to Earth. [1] October 17 Soyuz 7 returns to Earth. [1] October 18 Soyuz 8 returns to Earth. [1] November 14 Apollo 12 launched for second manned Moon landing. [1] November 19 Apollo 12's Conrad and Bean become third and fourth humans on the Moon. [1] November 24 Apollo 12 returns to Earth. [1] December 17 USAF closes Project Blue Book, concluding no evidence of extraterrestrial spaceships behind thousands of UFO sightings. [1]