2006 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter enters Mars orbit
2003 China sends Yang Liwei into orbit, the third country to have successfully sent a person into space
1998 STS 89 (Endeavour 12) launches into orbit
1997 STS 87 (Columbia 24) launches into orbit
1997 STS 86 (Atlantis 20) launches into orbit
1997 STS 85, Discovery 23, launches into orbit
1997 STS 94 (Columbia 23) launches into orbit
1997 Galileo, Ganymede Observations, Orbit 9
1997 Galileo, 2nd Callisto Flyby, Orbit 9
1997 Galileo, 4th Ganymede Flyby (Orbit 8)
1997 Ashes of Timothy Leary and Gene Roddenberry launched into orbit
1997 Galileo, 3rd Ganymede Flyby (Orbit 7)
1997 Comet Hale-Bopp crosses Mars' orbit
1996 Soyuz TM-24, launched into orbit
1996 STS 77 (Endeavour 11), launches into orbit
1996 STS 76 (Atlantis 16), launches into orbit
1996 STS 75 (Columbia 19), launches into orbit
1996 Soyuz TM-23, launched into orbit
1995 STS 74 (Atlantis 15), launches into orbit
1995 STS 73 (Columbia 18), launches into orbit
1995 STS 69 (Endeavour 9), launches into orbit
1995 Soyuz TM-22, launched into orbit
1995 STS 63 (Discovery 19), launches into orbit
1994 Space shuttle STS-68 (Endeavour 7), launches into orbit
1994 Space shuttle STS 64 (Discovery 20), launches into orbit
1994 STS-59 (Endeavour) launches into orbit
1994 Space shuttle STS-62 (Columbia 16), launches into orbit
1994 STS-60 (Discovery) launches into orbit
1994 Russian manned space craft TM-18, launches into orbit
1993 STS-58 (Columbia) launches into orbit
1993 STS-51 (Discovery) launches into orbit
1993 Russian manned space craft TM-17, launches into orbit
1993 STS-57 (Endeavour) launches into orbit
1993 STS-55 (Columbia) launches into orbit
1993 STS-56 (Discovery) launches into orbit
1993 STS-54 (Endeavour) launches into orbit
1992 Russian manned space craft TM-14, launches into orbit
1991 U.S. 70th manned space mission STS 39 (Discovery 12) launches into orbit
1990 U.S. 69th manned space mission STS 35 (Columbia 11) launches into orbit
1990 U.S. 68th manned space mission STS 38 (Atlantis 7) launches into orbit
1990 U.S. 67th manned space mission STS 41 (Discovery 11) launches into orbit
1990 Hubble space telescope is placed into orbit by shuttle Discovery
1990 U.S. 66th manned space mission STS 31 (Discovery 10) launches into orbit
1990 U.S. 65th manned space mission STS 36 (Atlantis 6) launches into orbit
1990 64th U.S. manned space mission STS 32 (Columbia 10) launches into orbit
1989 U.S. 63rd manned space mission STS 33 (Discovery 9) launches into orbit
1989 U.S. 62nd manned space mission STS 34 (Atlantis 5) launches into orbit
1989 U.S.S.R.'s Phobos II enters Martian orbit
1988 U.S.S.R. launches Phobos II for Martian orbit
1987 NASA launches Fltsatcom-6, it failed to reach orbit
1986 NASA launches Goes-G, it failed to achieve orbit
1986 U.S.S.R. launches Mir space station into Earth orbit
1985 Kosmos 1700 communications satellite placed in geostationary orbit
1985 Shuttle Columbia carries Spacelab into orbit
1984 Astronauts aboard "Discovery" pluck a 2nd satellite from orbit
1984 Anna Fisher becomes 1st "mom" to go into orbit
1984 3 cosmonauts return after a record 237 days in orbit
1984 Landsat 5 and ham satellite Oscar 11 launched into polar orbit
1983 1st time a satellite is retrieved from orbit, by Space Shuttle
1983 Infrared telescope satellite launched into polar orbit
1982 U.S.S.R. Salyut 7 space station put into orbit
1981 Satellites China 10 and 11 launched into Earth orbit by B-1 rocket
1981 European Space Agency's Ariane carries 2 satellites into orbit
1980 Rohini 1, 1st Indian satellite, launches into orbit
1978 Pioneer Venus 1 goes into orbit around Venus
1978 U.S. Seasat 1, 1st oceanographic satellite, launched into polar orbit
1978 International Ultraviolet Explorer placed in Earth orbit
1977 International Sun-Earth Explorers 1 and 2 launched into Earth orbit
1977 Soviet space station Salyut 6 launched into Earth orbit
1977 High Energy Astronomy Observatory 1 launched into Earth orbit
1976 Soyuz 22 carries 2 cosmonauts into Earth orbit for 8 days
1976 U.S. Viking 2 goes into Martian orbit after 11-month flight from Earth
1976 Viking 2 goes into orbit around Mars
1976 U.S. Viking 1 goes into Martian orbit after 10-month flight from Earth
1976 US-German Helios B solar probe launched into solar orbit
1975 Venera 9, 1st craft to orbit planet Venus launched
1975 Viking 1 launched to orbit around Mars, soft landing
1975 Apollo and Soyuz linked in orbit for 2 days, separate
1975 Soyuz 18A launch aborted short of orbit; cosmonauts return safely
1974 Soyuz 16 launched into Earth orbit for 6 days
1973 Soyuz 13 launched into Earth orbit for 8 days
1973 Skylab 4 launched into Earth orbit
1973 Soyuz 12 carries 2 cosmonauts into Earth orbit (2 days)
1973 NASA launches Radio Astronomy Explorer 49 into lunar orbit
1973 Canadian ANIK A2 becomes 1st commercial satellite in orbit
1972 U.S.S.R. launches Prognoz 2 into earth orbit (549/200,000 km)
1972 Luna 20 (Russia) launched to orbit and soft landing on Moon
1971 Mariner 9, 1st to orbit another planet (Mars)
1971 England becomes 6th nation to have a satellite (Prospero) in orbit
1971 U.S. launches 1st satellite into lunar orbit from manned spacecraft
1971 U.S. Mariner 9 1st satellite to orbit Mars launched
1971 U.S.S.R. Salyut 1 launched; 1st manned lab in orbit
1970 Zond 8 Launch (Moon Orbit and Return)
1970 Soyuz 9 launched into Earth orbit for 18 days
1970 Japan becomes 4th nation to put a satellite, Osumi, in orbit
1969 Apollo 11 goes into Moon orbit
1969 Apollo 10 (Stafford/Cernan/Young) launched toward lunar orbit
1969 Orbiting Solar Observatory 5 launched into earth orbit
1968 Borman, Lovell and Anders become 1st men to orbit Moon
1968 Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2 launched into Earth orbit
1968 Yuri Gagarin, 1st man to orbit Earth, and Seryogin, in plane crash at 34
1968 U.S.S.R. launches space probe Zond 4; fails to leave Earth orbit
1968 Explorer 36 (GEOS-B) launched into earth orbit (1080/1570 km)
1967 U.S. launches Pioneer 8 into solar orbit
1967 U.S.'s Lunar Orbiter 5 launched; enters lunar orbit Aug 5
1967 U.S. launches Explorer 35 for lunar orbit (800/7400 km)
1967 U.S.S.R. launches Kosmos 166 for observation of Sun from Earth orbit
1967 ATS II launched but fails to reach orbit
1967 Kosmos 140 (Soyuz Test) launches into Earth orbit
1966 U.S.S.R. launches Luna 12 for orbit around Moon
1966 Nestor Paiva, actor (3 Stooges in Orbit), dies of cancer at 61
1966 U.S.S.R. launches Luna 11 for orbit around Moon
1966 Pioneer 7 launched into solar orbit
1966 Soviet Union's Luna 10 becomes 1st spacecraft to orbit Moon
1966 French satellite Diapason D-1A launch into Earth orbit
1965 Pioneer 6 launched into solar orbit
1965 Gemini 5 launched into Earth orbit (2 astronauts)
1965 Zond 3 launched to fly by Moon, enters solar orbit
1965 U.S.S.R. launches Kosmos 57 into earth orbit (Voskhod Test)
1965 Orbiting Solar Observatory 2 launches into Earth orbit (552/636 km)
1964 Centaur 3 launch vehicle fails to make Earth orbit
1964 Unmanned Apollo 2 Saturn test launched into Earth orbit
1964 Unmanned Apollo 1 Saturn launcher test attains Earth orbit
1963 Explorer 17 attains Earth orbit (254/914 km)
1963 Soviet Luna (4) reaches Earth orbit but fails to reach Moon
1962 Wally Schirra in Sigma 7 launched into Earth orbit
1962 Oscar 2 (ham radio satellite) launched into Earth orbit
1962 M. Scott Carpenter aboard Aurora 7 launched into Earth orbit
1962 John Glenn is 1st American to orbit Earth in Friendship 7
1961 Mercury-Atlas 5 carries a chimp (Enos) to orbit
1961 Unmanned Mercury-Atlas 4 launched into Earth orbit
1961 Explorer (12) fails to reach Earth orbit
1961 Explorer (12) fails to reach Earth orbit
1961 NASA launches Explorer 11 into Earth orbit to study gamma rays
1961 Yuri Gagarin becomes 1st person to orbit Earth in Vostok 1
1961 Explorer 10 launched into elongated Earth orbit (177/181,000 km)
1961 Sputnik 10 carries a dog into Earth orbit; later recovered
1961 Sputnik 9 carries Chernushka, a dog, into orbit
1961 Explorer 10 fails to reach Earth orbit
1961 1st all-solid-propellant rocket put in orbit, Wallops Island, Va
1961 Sputnik 7 launches into Earth orbit; probable Venus probe failure
1960 Courier 1B Launched; 1st active repeater satellite in orbit
1960 Sputnik 5 carries 2 dogs, 3 mice into orbit (later recovered alive)
1960 Discoverer 13 launched into orbit; returned 1st object from space
1960 Sputnik 4 launched into Earth orbit; later recovery failed
1960 Transit 1B, 1st navigational satellite, placed in Earth orbit
1960 Explorer (8) fails to reach Earth orbit
1960 Pioneer 5 launched into solar orbit between Earth and Venus
1959 Vanguard 3 launched into Earth orbit
1959 Transit 1A, 1st navigational satellite launched; failed to orbit
1959 Satellite Discoverer 6 launched into polar orbit
1959 Milt satellite Discoverer 5 launched (into polar orbit)
1959 85th Preakness: William Harmatz aboard Royal Orbit wins in 1:57
1959 USAF launches Discoverer II into polar orbit
1959 Vanguard SLV-5 launched for Earth orbit (failed)
1959 1st U.S. probe to enter solar orbit, Pioneer 4, launched
1959 Launch of Discoverer 1 (WTR)-1st polar orbit
1959 U.S.S.R. launches Mechta (Luna 1) for 1st lunar fly-by, 1st solar orbit
1958 Vanguard SLV-2 launched for Earth orbit (failed)
1958 Vanguard SLV-1 launched for Earth orbit (failed)
1958 Vanguard TV-5 launched for Earth orbit (failed)
1958 Navy launches Vanguard 1 into orbit (2nd U.S.), measures Earth shape
1958 Explorer 2 fails to reach Earth orbit
1958 Vanguard TV-3 back-up launches into Earth orbit; reaches 6 km
1957 U.S.S.R. launches Sputnik 2 with a dog (Laika), 1st animal in orbit
1948 US State Department announces work on placing objects into Earth orbit
1945 Arthur C. Clark proposes relay satellites in geosynchronous orbit
1914 George W. Hill, U.S. astronomer (moon orbit), dies at 76
1859 1st sighting of Vulcan, a planet thought to orbit inside Mercury
1838 George W. Hill, U.S. astronomer, Moon orbit
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