Space Exploration Timeline 1971 - 1980

1971 April 19, 1971 First Space Station The Salyut 1 space station is launched by the U.S.S.R. It remains in orbit until May 28, 1973. June 6, 1971 First Occupation of Space Station Soyuz 11 carried Cosmonauts G.T. Dobrovolsky, V.N. Volkov, and V.I. Patsayev to Salyut 1, the first manned occupancy of an orbital station. Tragically, on June 29, the Cosmonauts died upon Soyuz 11's reentry. July 30, 1971 First Lunar Rover Mission Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin drive the first moon rover while exploring the Moon's surface. The next year, Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt drives a similar rover. November 13, 1971 First Spacecraft to Orbit Another Planet American space probe Mariner 9 (launched May 30, 1971) is the first spacecraft to orbit another planet, Mars. Over the next year, it maps 100 percent of the Martian surface. 1972 December, 1972 First Black Hole Candidate Astronomers designate Cignus X-1 as the first probable black hole This binary star system emits strong bursts as X-rays as matter is crushed out of existence by the black hole. 1973 May 14, 1973 First U.S. Space Station The United States launches Skylab, the first U.S. space station. It will be occupied by three crews and be an important arena for a number of scientific experiments. May 25, 1973 First Skylab Crew The United States launches Skylab 2, carrying the first crew to visit Skylab. The crew repairs damage sustained by Skylab station during its launch. 1975 July 17, 1975 First International Space Rendezvous American Apollo (18) and Soviet Soyuz 19 dock in what is the first international spacecraft rendezvous. Known as the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, this important mission proved that U.S. and Russian crews could work together successfully in space. October, 1975 First Surface Images of Venus Soviet Venera 9 and 10 send the first pictures of the Venusian surface to Earth. 1976 July 20, 1976 First Surface Images of Mars The first pictures of the surface of Mars are sent back to Earth by Viking 1, the first U.S. spacecraft to successfully land a on another planet. September, 1976 Discovery of Water Frost on Mars Viking 2 lands on Mars on the Plain of Utopia, where it discovers water frost and sends back stunning images of the Martian surface. 1977 August-September, 1977 Launch of Historic Voyager Missions The Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft leave Earth to meet with Jupiter in 1979 and Saturn in 1980. 1978 December, 1978 U.S. Probes Arrive at Venus Two U.S. Pioneer spacecraft reach Venus. One drops four probes into the atmosphere, while the other maps the surface. 1979 March 5, 1979 Voyager 1 Arrives at Jupiter The U.S. Voyager 1 spacecraft, launched in 1977, arrives at Jupiter and begins sending back amazing images of the giant planet and its moons. July 9, 1979 Voyager 2 Arrives at Jupiter The U.S. Voyager 2 spacecraft, launched in 1977, arrives at Jupiter and begins sending back images of Jupiter and its moons. September 1, 1979 First Images of Saturn The U.S. space probe Pioneer 11 reaches Saturn, flying within 13,000 miles and taking the first close-up photographs of the planet. 1980 July 9, 1979 Voyager 1 Arrives at Saturn The Voyager 1 spacecraft arrives at Saturn and begins sending back extraordinary images of the ringed planet and its moons.

1600 - 1960 1961 - 1970 1971 - 1980 1981 - 1990 1991 - 2000 2001 - Present Credits & Sources