Space Timeline

1. Marcus Clark Ian Killius Drew Faintich Space Timeline

2. Nicolaus Copernicus • Nicolaus Copernicus was born on February 19, 1473 in Poland. Nicolaus went to Krakow University and studied mathematics and optics. Through the influence of his uncle, Copernicus was appointed as a canon in the Cathedral of Frauenburg where he spent a sheltered an academic life for the rest of his days. His interest in astronomy gradually grew until it became one of his primary interest. He made his celestial observations from a turret situated on the protective wall around the cathedral, observations were made “by the naked eye," so to speak, as a hundred more years were to pass before the invention of the telescope. Up until Copernicus, the thinkers of the western world believed in the Ptolemaic theory that the universe was a closed space bounded by a spherical envelope beyond which there was nothing. Copernicus was said to be the founder of modern astronomy. Copernicus died on May 24, 1543 at the age of 70.

3. Tycho Brahe • Tycho Brahe was a famous astronomer who significantly improved the methods of charting the stars and made them more accuracy. He proved that comets are not objects within the atmosphere and he showed irregularities in the moon’s orbit. He died in 1601.

4. Johannes Kepler • Johannes Kepler was a famous German born in 1571. He is famous for being the mind behind Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion which correctly explain the motions of planets. His first law claims that planets move in ellipses with the sun at one foci. Kepler is considered the founder of celestial mechanics.

5. Galileo Galilei • Galileo Galilei was born in Florence in 1520. He is best known for “inventing” the telescope, but in reality, he only improved the design. He also discovered three of Jupiter’s largest moons. He went against the Churches teachings and claimed that the sun was the center of the solar system. Because of this, he was exiled, but he never stopped studying the heavens.

6. Sputnik • Sputnik was the first artificalsatelite launched into space in the history of mankind. It was launched on October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, and on November 3, they launched Sputnik II, which carried a dog named Laika into space.

7. Mercury Program • Project Mercury was the first manned space program. It began on October 7, 1958. Its main goals were stated as: 1) To orbit a manned spacecraft around Earth, 2) To investigate man’s ability to function in space and, 3) To recover both man and spacecraft safely. I consisted of six manned flights from 1961 to 1963.

8. Gemini Program • The Gemini Program, spanning from 1965 to 1966, was used as a step in between the Mercury Program and the actual landing of a man on the moon. The Gemini Program had clearly stated goals much like the Mercury Program. The purpose was to learn how to “fly” a spacecraft by: 1) Maneuvering it in orbit and by 2) Rendezvousing and docking with other vehicles.

9. Apollo Program • The Apollo Program is perhaps the most famous of all the space programs ever conducted. The Apollo Program’s ultimate goal was to put a man on the moon. On the 20th of June, 1969, this dream was realized, and Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin walked on the moon.

10. Shuttle Missions • A space shuttle was made to take astronauts and cargo to and from Earth orbit. The first space shuttle flight took place in 1981. NASA plans to quit flying the shuttle in 2010. Since 1981, There has been more than 120 space shuttle missions.

11. Hubble • Edwin Hubble, for whom the Hubble Space Telescope is named, was one of the leading astronomers of the twentieth century. The Hubble Space Telescope was carried into orbit in April 1990 by the space shuttle Discovery. It is one of the largest and most versatile telescopes. The Hubble Telescope helped to refine estimates on the age of the universe.

12. Mars Rovers • NASA launched the two Mars rovers in search of answers about the history of water on Mars. After the airbag-protected landing craft settled onto the surface and opened, the rovers rolled out to take panoramic images. These images give scientists the information they need to select promising geological targets that tell part of the story of water in Mars' past.

13. Thankyou, para tomar parte en nuestro calendario impresionante de espacio. • 为了参与我们的可怕的空间活动时间表谢谢。 • Il Thankyou per partecipare nella nostra linea cronologica impressionante spaziale. • Thankyou sich beteiligend für an unserer überwältigenden Platztimeline. • Слова благодарности для того, чтобы участвовать в нашем удивительном космическом графике времени. • 私たちのすごいスペース対照年表に参加することのためのThankyou． • Thankyou for participating in our awesome space timeline.