The Space Race was a 20th-century competition between two Cold War rivals, the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States (US), for supremacy in spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the missile-based nuclear arms race between the two nations that occurred following World War II, enabled by captured German rocket technology and personnel. The technological superiority required for such supremacy was seen as necessary for national security, and symbolic of ideological superiority. The Space Race spawned pioneering efforts to launch artificial satellites, unmanned space probes of the Moon, Venus, and Mars, and human spaceflight in low Earth orbit and to the Moon. The competition began on August 2, 1955, when the Soviet Union responded to the US announcement four days earlier of intent to launch artificial satellites for the International Geophysical Year, by declaring they would also launch a satellite "in the near future". The Soviet Union beat the US to this, with the October 4, 1957 orbiting of Sputnik 1, and later beat the US to the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin, on April 12, 1961. The Space Race peaked with the July 20, 1969 US landing of the first humans on the Moon with Apollo 11. The USSR tried but failed manned lunar missions, and eventually cancelled them and concentrated on Earth orbital space stations. A period of détente followed with the April 1972 agreement on a co-operative Apollo–Soyuz Test Project, resulting in the July 1975 rendezvous in Earth orbit of a US astronaut crew with a Soviet cosmonaut crew.

On what date did the Space Race begin?

August 2, 1955

Sputnik 1 started orbiting on what date?

October 4, 1957

Who was the first person in space?

Yuri Gagarin

What was the date that the first human reached space?

April 12, 1961


The Space Race can trace its origins to Germany, beginning in the 1930s and continuing during World War II when Nazi Germany researched and built operational ballistic missiles. Starting in the early 1930s, during the last stages of the Weimar Republic, German aerospace engineers experimented with liquid-fueled rockets, with the goal that one day they would be capable of reaching high altitudes and traversing long distances. The head of the German Army's Ballistics and Munitions Branch, Lieutenant Colonel Karl Emil Becker, gathered a small team of engineers that included Walter Dornberger and Leo Zanssen, to figure out how to use rockets as long-range artillery in order to get around the Treaty of Versailles' ban on research and development of long-range cannons. Wernher von Braun, a young engineering prodigy, was recruited by Becker and Dornberger to join their secret army program at Kummersdorf-West in 1932. Von Braun had dreams about conquering outer space with rockets, and did not initially see the military value in missile technology.

Which war in history did the Space Race begin to take root?

World War II

A secretive army installation began in Kummersdorf-West in what year?


During the Second World War, General Dornberger was the military head of the army's rocket program, Zanssen became the commandant of the Peenemünde army rocket centre, and von Braun was the technical director of the ballistic missile program. They would lead the team that built the Aggregate-4 (A-4) rocket, which became the first vehicle to reach outer space during its test flight program in 1942 and 1943. By 1943, Germany began mass-producing the A-4 as the Vergeltungswaffe 2 ("Vengeance Weapon" 2, or more commonly, V2), a ballistic missile with a 320 kilometers (200 mi) range carrying a 1,130 kilograms (2,490 lb) warhead at 4,000 kilometers per hour (2,500 mph). Its supersonic speed meant there was no defense against it, and radar detection provided little warning. Germany used the weapon to bombard southern England and parts of Allied-liberated western Europe from 1944 until 1945. After the war, the V-2 became the basis of early American and Soviet rocket designs.

During WWII, who was in charge of the German army's rocket program?

General Dornberger

What was the first object to enter space?

Aggregate-4 (A-4) rocket

When did the Aggregate-4 (A-4) rocket reach space?

1942 and 1943


At war's end, American, British, and Soviet scientific intelligence teams competed to capture Germany's rocket engineers along with the German rockets themselves and the designs on which they were based. Each of the Allies captured a share of the available members of the German rocket team, but the United States benefited the most with Operation Paperclip, recruiting von Braun and most of his engineering team, who later helped develop the American missile and space exploration programs. The United States also acquired a large number of complete V2 rockets.

What military operation allowed the US to recruit the German engineer, Von Braun?

Operation Paperclip

The US had captured what type of missiles during Operation Paperclip?

V2 rockets


The German rocket center in Peenemünde was located in the eastern part of Germany, which became the Soviet zone of occupation. On Stalin's orders, the Soviet Union sent its best rocket engineers to this region to see what they could salvage for future weapons systems. The Soviet rocket engineers were led by Sergei Korolev. He had been involved in space clubs and early Soviet rocket design in the 1930s, but was arrested in 1938 during Joseph Stalin's Great Purge and imprisoned for six years in Siberia. After the war, he became the USSR's chief rocket and spacecraft engineer, essentially the Soviet counterpart to von Braun. His identity was kept a state secret throughout the Cold War, and he was identified publicly only as "the Chief Designer." In the West, his name was only officially revealed when he died in 1966.

The German rocket center was located in what city?

Peenemünde

Who was in charge of the Soviet rocket engineer team that went into Germany?

Sergei Korolev

What year was Sergei Korolev arrested?

Sergei Korolev died in what year?

After the war, Sergei Korolev was known under what title?

USSR's chief rocket and spacecraft engineer


After almost a year in the area around Peenemünde, Soviet officials moved most of the captured German rocket specialists to Gorodomlya Island on Lake Seliger, about 240 kilometers (150 mi) northwest of Moscow. They were not allowed to participate in Soviet missile design, but were used as problem-solving consultants to the Soviet engineers. They helped in the following areas: the creation of a Soviet version of the A-4; work on "organizational schemes"; research in improving the A-4 main engine; development of a 100-ton engine; assistance in the "layout" of plant production rooms; and preparation of rocket assembly using German components. With their help, particularly Helmut Groettrup's group, Korolev reverse-engineered the A-4 and built his own version of the rocket, the R-1, in 1948. Later, he developed his own distinct designs, though many of these designs were influenced by the Groettrup Group's G4-R10 design from 1949. The Germans were eventually repatriated in 1951–53.

What year was the R1 rocket born?


The American professor Robert H. Goddard had worked on developing solid-fuel rockets since 1914, and demonstrated a light battlefield rocket to the US Army Signal Corps only five days before the signing of the armistice that ended World War I. He also started developing liquid-fueled rockets in 1921; yet he had not been taken seriously by the public, and was not sponsored by the government as part of the post-WW II rocket development effort. Von Braun, himself inspired by Goddard's work, was bemused by this when debriefed by his American handlers, asking them, "Why didn't you just ask Dr. Goddard?"[citation needed]

What professor began working on solid-fuel rockets since 1914?

Robert H. Goddard

Liquid-fueled rockets were developed in what year?


Von Braun and his team were sent to the United States Army's White Sands Proving Ground, located in New Mexico, in 1945. They set about assembling the captured V2s and began a program of launching them and instructing American engineers in their operation. These tests led to the first rocket to take photos from outer space, and the first two-stage rocket, the WAC Corporal-V2 combination, in 1949. The German rocket team was moved from Fort Bliss to the Army's new Redstone Arsenal, located in Huntsville, Alabama, in 1950. From here, von Braun and his team would develop the Army's first operational medium-range ballistic missile, the Redstone rocket, that would, in slightly modified versions, launch both America's first satellite, and the first piloted Mercury space missions. It became the basis for both the Jupiter and Saturn family of rockets.

The  United States Army's White Sands Proving Ground is located where?

New Mexico

Von Braun and his associates were sent to  United States Army's White Sands Proving Ground in what year?

The first two-stage rocket was developed in what year?

The Army's new Redstone Arsenal is located in what city and state?

Huntsville, Alabama

What year was the German rocket team moved to Alabama?


In simple terms, the Cold War could be viewed as an expression of the ideological struggle between communism and capitalism. The United States faced a new uncertainty beginning in September 1949, when it lost its monopoly on the atomic bomb. American intelligence agencies discovered that the Soviet Union had exploded its first atomic bomb, with the consequence that the United States potentially could face a future nuclear war that, for the first time, might devastate its cities. Given this new danger, the United States participated in an arms race with the Soviet Union that included development of the hydrogen bomb, as well as intercontinental strategic bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of delivering nuclear weapons. A new fear of communism and its sympathizers swept the United States during the 1950s, which devolved into paranoid McCarthyism. With communism spreading in China, Korea, and Eastern Europe, Americans came to feel so threatened that popular and political culture condoned extensive "witch-hunts" to expose communist spies. Part of the American reaction to the Soviet atomic and hydrogen bomb tests included maintaining a large Air Force, under the control of the Strategic Air Command (SAC). SAC employed intercontinental strategic bombers, as well as medium-bombers based close to Soviet airspace (in western Europe and in Turkey) that were capable of delivering nuclear payloads.

What year did the US lose its monopoly to the atomic bomb?

What type of bomb was first developed during the Cold War?

the hydrogen bomb

ICBMs is an abbreviation for what?

intercontinental strategic bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles

The SAC is an abbreviation for what US force?

Strategic Air Command

During what decade, did a fear of communism oversweep the US?


For its part, the Soviet Union harbored fears of invasion. Having suffered at least 27 million casualties during World War II after being invaded by Nazi Germany in 1941, the Soviet Union was wary of its former ally, the United States, which until late 1949 was the sole possessor of atomic weapons. The United States had used these weapons operationally during World War II, and it could use them again against the Soviet Union, laying waste its cities and military centers. Since the Americans had a much larger air force than the Soviet Union, and the United States maintained advance air bases near Soviet territory, in 1947 Stalin ordered the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) in order to counter the perceived American threat.

How many casualties did the Soviet Union have during WWII?

27 million

The Soviet Union was first invaded by Nazi controlled Germany in what year?

Until what year, was the US the sole possessor of the atomic bomb?

In what year did Stalin order the development of ICBMs?

What type of military force did the US possess a much larger fleet than the Soviet Union?

air force


In 1953, Korolev was given the go-ahead to develop the R-7 Semyorka rocket, which represented a major advance from the German design. Although some of its components (notably boosters) still resembled the German G-4, the new rocket incorporated staged design, a completely new control system, and a new fuel. It was successfully tested on August 21, 1957 and became the world's first fully operational ICBM the following month. It would later be used to launch the first satellite into space, and derivatives would launch all piloted Soviet spacecraft.

Who began developing the  R-7 Semyorka rocket?

Korolev

R-7 Semyorka rocket resembled closely to what other missile?

German G-4

When was the R-7 Semyorka rocket tested successfully?

August 21, 1957

The first satellite launched into space used what rocket?

R-7 Semyorka rocket


The United States had multiple rocket programs divided among the different branches of the American armed services, which meant that each force developed its own ICBM program. The Air Force initiated ICBM research in 1945 with the MX-774. However, its funding was cancelled and only three partially successful launches were conducted in 1947. In 1950, von Braun began testing the Air Force PGM-11 Redstone rocket family at Cape Canaveral. In 1951, the Air Force began a new ICBM program called MX-1593, and by 1955 this program was receiving top-priority funding. The MX-1593 program evolved to become the Atlas-A, with its maiden launch occurring June 11, 1957, becoming the first successful American ICBM. Its upgraded version, the Atlas-D rocket, would later serve as an operational nuclear ICBM and as the orbital launch vehicle for Project Mercury and the remote-controlled Agena Target Vehicle used in Project Gemini.

The US Air Force began research of ICBMs in what year?

What type of rocket was first researched by the Air Force?

The MX-774 was tested in what year?

The Air Force PGM-11 Redstone rocket family was tested where?

Cape Canaveral

The Atlas-A first launched on what date?

June 11, 1957


In 1955, with both the United States and the Soviet Union building ballistic missiles that could be utilized to launch objects into space, the "starting line" was drawn for the Space Race. In separate announcements, just four days apart, both nations publicly announced that they would launch artificial Earth satellites by 1957 or 1958. On July 29, 1955, James C. Hagerty, president Dwight D. Eisenhower's press secretary, announced that the United States intended to launch "small Earth circling satellites" between July 1, 1957, and December 31, 1958, as part of their contribution to the International Geophysical Year (IGY). Four days later, at the Sixth Congress of International Astronautical Federation in Copenhagen, scientist Leonid I. Sedov spoke to international reporters at the Soviet embassy, and announced his country's intention to launch a satellite as well, in the "near future". On August 30, 1955, Korolev managed to get the Soviet Academy of Sciences to create a commission whose purpose was to beat the Americans into Earth orbit: this was the de facto start date for the Space Race. The Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union began a policy of treating development of its space program as a classified state secret.

Who was president Dwight D. Eisenhower's press secretary?

James C. Hagerty

The starting date for the Space Race was which date?

August 30, 1955


Initially, President Eisenhower was worried that a satellite passing above a nation at over 100 kilometers (62 mi), might be construed as violating that nation's sovereign airspace. He was concerned that the Soviet Union would accuse the Americans of an illegal overflight, thereby scoring a propaganda victory at his expense. Eisenhower and his advisors believed that a nation's airspace sovereignty did not extend into outer space, acknowledged as the Kármán line, and he used the 1957–58 International Geophysical Year launches to establish this principle in international law. Eisenhower also feared that he might cause an international incident and be called a "warmonger" if he were to use military missiles as launchers. Therefore, he selected the untried Naval Research Laboratory's Vanguard rocket, which was a research-only booster. This meant that von Braun's team was not allowed to put a satellite into orbit with their Jupiter-C rocket, because of its intended use as a future military vehicle. On September 20, 1956, von Braun and his team did launch a Jupiter-C that was capable of putting a satellite into orbit, but the launch was used only as a suborbital test of nose cone reentry technology.

A Jupiter-C was launched by Von Braum on what date?

September 20, 1956


The Soviet success caused public controversy in the United States, and Eisenhower ordered the civilian rocket and satellite project, Vanguard, to move up its timetable and launch its satellite much sooner than originally planned. The December 6, 1957 Project Vanguard launch failure occurred at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, broadcast live in front of a US television audience. It was a monumental failure, exploding a few seconds after launch, and it became an international joke. The satellite appeared in newspapers under the names Flopnik, Stayputnik, Kaputnik, and Dudnik. In the United Nations, the Russian delegate offered the U.S. representative aid "under the Soviet program of technical assistance to backwards nations." Only in the wake of this very public failure did von Braun's Redstone team get the go-ahead to launch their Jupiter-C rocket as soon as they could. In Britain, the USA's Western Cold War ally, the reaction was mixed: some members of the population celebrated the fact that the Soviets had reached space first, while others feared the destructive potential that military uses of spacecraft might bring.

The civilian rocket and satellite project in the US was called what?

Vanguard

Project Vanguard launch failed on what date?

December 6, 195

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is located in what state?

Florida

in response to Project Vanguard's failed launch, what was the rocket the Soviet Union launched?

Jupiter-C rocket


On January 31, 1958, nearly four months after the launch of Sputnik 1, von Braun and the United States successfully launched its first satellite on a four-stage Juno I rocket derived from the US Army's Redstone missile, at Cape Canaveral. The satellite Explorer 1 was 30.8 pounds (14.0 kg) in mass. It carried a micrometeorite gauge and a Geiger-Müller tube. It passed in and out of the Earth-encompassing radiation belt with its 194-by-1,368-nautical-mile (360 by 2,534 km) orbit, therefore saturating the tube's capacity and proving what Dr. James Van Allen, a space scientist at the University of Iowa, had theorized. The belt, named the Van Allen radiation belt, is a doughnut-shaped zone of high-level radiation intensity around the Earth above the magnetic equator. Van Allen was also the man who designed and built the satellite instrumentation of Explorer 1. The satellite actually measured three phenomena: cosmic ray and radiation levels, the temperature in the spacecraft, and the frequency of collisions with micrometeorites. The satellite had no memory for data storage, therefore it had to transmit continuously. Two months later in March 1958, a second satellite was sent into orbit with augmented cosmic ray instruments.

The first US satellite to launch without failure was on what date?

January 31, 1958

The Explorer gathered what 3 measurements?

cosmic ray and radiation levels, the temperature in the spacecraft, and the frequency of collisions with micrometeorites


On April 2, 1958, President Eisenhower reacted to the Soviet space lead in launching the first satellite, by recommending to the US Congress that a civilian agency be established to direct nonmilitary space activities. Congress, led by Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson, responded by passing the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which Eisenhower signed into law on July 29, 1958. This law turned the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics into the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It also created a Civilian-Military Liaison Committee, chaired by the President, responsible for coordinating the nation's civilian and military space programs.

Who was the Senate's Majority Leader in 1958?

Lyndon B. Johnson

The National Aeronautics and Space Act was established in what year?

What was NASA called before it became NASA?

National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics

The first US satellite was launched on what date?

April 2, 1958


On October 21, 1959, Eisenhower approved the transfer of the Army's remaining space-related activities to NASA. On July 1, 1960, the Redstone Arsenal became NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, with von Braun as its first director. Development of the Saturn rocket family, which when mature, would finally give the US parity with the Soviets in terms of lifting capability, was thus transferred to NASA.

The Redstone Arsenal became the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center when?

July 1, 1960

Who was the first director in charge of the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center?

von Braun


In 1958, Korolev upgraded the R-7 to be able to launch a 400-kilogram (880 lb) payload to the Moon. Three secret 1958 attempts to launch Luna E-1-class impactor probes failed. The fourth attempt, Luna 1, launched successfully on January 2, 1959, but missed the Moon. The fifth attempt on June 18 also failed at launch. The 390-kilogram (860 lb) Luna 2 successfully impacted the Moon on September 14, 1959. The 278.5-kilogram (614 lb) Luna 3 successfully flew by the Moon and sent back pictures of its far side on October 6, 1959.

How many attempts to the Moon did Luna E-1-class probes fail before successfully launching?

The first probe to land on the Moon was in what year?

Which Luna probe successfully photographed the back side of the Moon?

Luna 3


The US reacted to the Luna program by embarking on the Ranger program in 1959, managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Block I Ranger 1 and Ranger 2 suffered Atlas-Agena launch failures in August and November 1961. The 727-pound (330 kg) Block II Ranger 3 launched successfully on January 26, 1962, but missed the Moon. The 730-pound (330 kg) Ranger 4 became the first US spacecraft to reach the Moon, but its solar panels and navigational system failed near the Moon and it impacted the far side without returning any scientific data. Ranger 5 ran out of power and missed the Moon by 725 kilometers (391 nmi) on October 21, 1962. The first successful Ranger mission was the 806-pound (366 kg) Block III Ranger 7 which impacted on July 31, 1964.

The Ranger program from 1959 was managed by what organization?

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The first spacecraft to make it to the Moon was what?

Ranger 4

The first Ranger mission that didn't fail was which one?

Block III Ranger 7

The Block III Ranger 7 mission successfully reached the moon on what date?

July 31, 1964

What program led to the establishment of the Ranger program?

Luna


By 1959, American observers believed that the Soviet Union would be the first to get a human into space, because of the time needed to prepare for Mercury's first launch. On April 12, 1961, the USSR surprised the world again by launching Yuri Gagarin into a single orbit around the Earth in a craft they called Vostok 1. They dubbed Gagarin the first cosmonaut, roughly translated from Russian and Greek as "sailor of the universe". Although he had the ability to take over manual control of his spacecraft in an emergency by opening an envelope he had in the cabin that contained a code that could be typed into the computer, it was flown in an automatic mode as a precaution; medical science at that time did not know what would happen to a human in the weightlessness of space. Vostok 1 orbited the Earth for 108 minutes and made its reentry over the Soviet Union, with Gagarin ejecting from the spacecraft at 7,000 meters (23,000 ft), and landing by parachute. The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (International Federation of Aeronautics) credited Gagarin with the world's first human space flight, although their qualifying rules for aeronautical records at the time required pilots to take off and land with their craft. For this reason, the Soviet Union omitted from their FAI submission the fact that Gagarin did not land with his capsule. When the FAI filing for Gherman Titov's second Vostok flight in August 1961 disclosed the ejection landing technique, the FAI committee decided to investigate, and concluded that the technological accomplishment of human spaceflight lay in the safe launch, orbiting, and return, rather than the manner of landing, and so revised their rules accordingly, keeping Gagarin's and Titov's records intact.

Which country succesfully launched the first person into space in 1961?

the USSR

The first ship to carry a human through space was called what?

Vostok 1

How long did Yuri Gagarin orbit the earth in the spacecraft?

108 minutes


Gagarin became a national hero of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc, and a worldwide celebrity. Moscow and other cities in the USSR held mass demonstrations, the scale of which was second only to the World War II Victory Parade of 1945. April 12 was declared Cosmonautics Day in the USSR, and is celebrated today in Russia as one of the official "Commemorative Dates of Russia." In 2011, it was declared the International Day of Human Space Flight by the United Nations.

April 12, in the USSR, is what special day?

Cosmonautics Day

What year was established as the International Day of Human Space Flight by the United Nations?


The US Air Force had been developing a program to launch the first man in space, named Man in Space Soonest. This program studied several different types of one-man space vehicles, settling on a ballistic re-entry capsule launched on a derivative Atlas missile, and selecting a group of nine candidate pilots. After NASA's creation, the program was transferred over to the civilian agency and renamed Project Mercury on November 26, 1958. NASA selected a new group of astronaut (from the Greek for "star sailor") candidates from Navy, Air Force and Marine test pilots, and narrowed this down to a group of seven for the program. Capsule design and astronaut training began immediately, working toward preliminary suborbital flights on the Redstone missile, followed by orbital flights on the Atlas. Each flight series would first start unmanned, then carry a primate, then finally men.

Man in Space Soonest was a program by which organization?

US Air Force

Man in Space Soonest was reestablished as what in November 26, 1958?

Project Mercury


Three weeks later, on May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space, launched in a ballistic trajectory on Mercury-Redstone 3, in a spacecraft he named Freedom 7. Though he did not achieve orbit like Gagarin, he was the first person to exercise manual control over his spacecraft's attitude and retro-rocket firing. After his successful return, Shepard was celebrated as a national hero, honored with parades in Washington, New York and Los Angeles, and received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal from President John F. Kennedy.

The first American to travel into space was whom?

Alan Shepard

When did Alan Shepard first arrive in space?

May 5, 1961

The spaceship that carried Alan Shepard was named what?

Freedom 7

The first person to have control over driving their spacecraft was whom?

Alan Shepard

Which president awarded Alan Shepard the NASA Distinguished Service Medal?

John F. Kennedy


Gagarin's flight changed this; now Kennedy sensed the humiliation and fear on the part of the American public over the Soviet lead. He sent a memo dated April 20, 1961, to Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, asking him to look into the state of America's space program, and into programs that could offer NASA the opportunity to catch up. The two major options at the time seemed to be, either establishment of an Earth orbital space station, or a manned landing on the Moon. Johnson in turn consulted with von Braun, who answered Kennedy's questions based on his estimates of US and Soviet rocket lifting capability. Based on this, Johnson responded to Kennedy, concluding that much more was needed to reach a position of leadership, and recommending that the manned Moon landing was far enough in the future that the US had a fighting chance to achieve it first.

President Kennedy sent a letter on April 20, 1961 to who about the US's space program?

Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson


Kennedy ultimately decided to pursue what became the Apollo program, and on May 25 took the opportunity to ask for Congressional support in a Cold War speech titled "Special Message on Urgent National Needs". Full text

The speech by Kennedy, "Special Message on Urgent National Needs" was delivered on what date?

May 25


He justified the program in terms of its importance to national security, and its focus of the nation's energies on other scientific and social fields. He rallied popular support for the program in his "We choose to go to the Moon" speech, on September 12, 1962, before a large crowd at Rice University Stadium, in Houston, Texas, near the construction site of the new Manned Spacecraft Center facility. Full text

"We choose to go to the Moon" speech was given at what location in Texas?

Rice University Stadium


American Virgil "Gus" Grissom repeated Shepard's suborbital flight in Liberty Bell 7 on July 21, 1961. Almost a year after the Soviet Union put a human into orbit, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth, on February 20, 1962. His Mercury-Atlas 6 mission completed three orbits in the Friendship 7 spacecraft, and splashed down safely in the Atlantic Ocean, after a tense reentry, due to what falsely appeared from the telemetry data to be a loose heat-shield. As the first American in orbit, Glenn became a national hero, and received a ticker-tape parade in New York City, reminiscent of that given for Charles Lindbergh. On February 23, 1962, President Kennedy escorted him in a parade at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, where he awarded Glenn with the NASA service medal.

The first American to orbit around the planet was whom?

John Glenn

When did John Glenn orbit the Earth?

February 20, 1962

Where did John Glenn land on Earth after coming back from orbit?

Atlantic Ocean

John Glenn's spaceship was named what when he orbited the Earth?

Friendship 7


The United States launched three more Mercury flights after Glenn's: Aurora 7 on May 24, 1962 duplicated Glenn's three orbits; Sigma 7 on October 3, 1962, six orbits; and Faith 7 on May 15, 1963, 22 orbits (32.4 hours), the maximum capability of the spacecraft. NASA at first intended to launch one more mission, extending the spacecraft's endurance to three days, but since this would not beat the Soviet record, it was decided instead to concentrate on developing Project Gemini.

How many more Mercury missions were there after John Glenn's?


Gherman Titov became the first Soviet cosmonaut to exercise manual control of his Vostok 2 craft on August 6, 1961. The Soviet Union demonstrated 24-hour launch pad turnaround and the capability to launch two piloted spacecraft, Vostok 3 and Vostok 4, in essentially identical orbits, on August 11 and 12, 1962. The two spacecraft came within approximately 6.5 kilometers (4.0 mi) of one another, close enough for radio communication. Vostok 4 also set a record of nearly four days in space. Though the two craft's orbits were as nearly identical as possible given the accuracy of the launch rocket's guidance system, slight variations still existed which drew the two craft at first as close to each other as 6.5 kilometers (3.5 nautical miles), then as far apart as 2,850 kilometers (1,540 nautical miles). There were no maneuvering rockets on the Vostok to permit space rendezvous, required to keep two spacecraft a controlled distance apart.

What first person from the USSR controlled their own spacecraft?

Gherman Titov

Gherman Titov from the USSR drove his own spacecraft on what date?

August 6, 1961

Radio communication was possible between which two spacecrafts in August 11 and 12, 1962?

Vostok 3 and Vostok 4


The Soviet Union duplicated its dual-launch feat with Vostok 5 and Vostok 6 (June 16, 1963). This time they launched the first woman (also the first civilian), Valentina Tereshkova, into space on Vostok 6. Launching a woman was reportedly Korolev's idea, and it was accomplished purely for propaganda value. Tereshkova was one of a small corps of female cosmonauts who were amateur parachutists, but Tereshkova was the only one to fly. The USSR didn't again open its cosmonaut corps to women until 1980, two years after the United States opened its astronaut corps to women.

The first woman that went into space was whom?

Valentina Tereshkova

What spacecraft carried  Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space?

Vostok 6

The first woman to launch into space was on what date?

June 16, 1963

The first woman to go into space was from which country?

The USSR


The Soviets kept the details and true appearance of the Vostok capsule secret until the April 1965 Moscow Economic Exhibition, where it was first displayed without its aerodynamic nose cone concealing the spherical capsule. The "Vostok spaceship" had been first displayed at the July 1961 Tushino air show, mounted on its launch vehicle's third stage, with the nose cone in place. A tail section with eight fins was also added, in an apparent attempt to confuse western observers. This spurious tail section also appeared on official commemorative stamps and a documentary.

At what event was the Vostok spaceship first displayed to the public ?

July 1961 Tushino air show


On September 20, 1963, in a speech before the United Nations General Assembly, President Kennedy proposed that the United States and the Soviet Union join forces in their efforts to reach the Moon. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev initially rejected Kennedy's proposal.

When did US President John F. Kennedy, in a speech, propose to join forces to reach the moon with the USSR?

September 20, 1963


On October 2, 1997, it was reported that Khrushchev's son Sergei claimed Khrushchev was poised to accept Kennedy's proposal at the time of Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963. During the next few weeks he reportedly concluded that both nations might realize cost benefits and technological gains from a joint venture, and decided to accept Kennedy's offer based on a measure of rapport during their years as leaders of the world's two superpowers, but changed his mind and dropped the idea since he did not have the same trust for Kennedy's successor, Lyndon Johnson.

President Kennedy was killed when?

November 22, 1963

How did US President Kennedy die?

assassination


As President, Johnson steadfastly pursued the Gemini and Apollo programs, promoting them as Kennedy's legacy to the American public. One week after Kennedy's death, he issued an executive order renaming the Cape Canaveral and Apollo launch facilities after Kennedy.

What two locations in Florida were renamed after Kennedy by President Johnson?

Cape Canaveral and Apollo launch facilities

Which two space programs were heavily worked on by President Johnson?

Gemini and Apollo


Focused by the commitment to a Moon landing, in January 1962 the US announced Project Gemini, a two-man spacecraft that would support the later three-man Apollo by developing the key spaceflight technologies of space rendezvous and docking of two craft, flight durations of sufficient length to simulate going to the Moon and back, and extra-vehicular activity to accomplish useful work outside the spacecraft.

What year was the Gemini project confirmed?

How many people could the Gemini project carry?


The greater advances of the Soviet space program at the time allowed their space program to achieve other significant firsts, including the first EVA "spacewalk" and the first mission performed by a crew in shirt-sleeves. Gemini took a year longer than planned to accomplish its first flight, allowing the Soviets to achieve another first, launching Voskhod 1 on October 12, 1964, the first spacecraft with a three-cosmonaut crew. The USSR touted another technological achievement during this mission: it was the first space flight during which cosmonauts performed in a shirt-sleeve-environment. However, flying without spacesuits was not due to safety improvements in the Soviet spacecraft's environmental systems; rather this innovation was accomplished because the craft's limited cabin space did not allow for spacesuits. Flying without spacesuits exposed the cosmonauts to significant risk in the event of potentially fatal cabin depressurization. This feat would not be repeated until the US Apollo Command Module flew in 1968; this later mission was designed from the outset to safely transport three astronauts in a shirt-sleeve environment while in space.

On what date was the first successful three man astronaut crew?

October 12, 1964

The first flight in a spacecraft that allowed no suits to be worn inside was was?

Voskhod 1

The US Apollo Command Module flew without spacesuits in what year?


Between October 14–16, 1964, Leonid Brezhnev and a small cadre of high-ranking Communist Party officials, deposed Khrushchev as Soviet government leader a day after Voskhod 1 landed, in what was called the "Wednesday conspiracy". The new political leaders, along with Korolev, ended the technologically troublesome Voskhod program, cancelling Voskhod 3 and 4, which were in the planning stages, and started concentrating on the race to the Moon. Voskhod 2 would end up being Korolev's final achievement before his death on January 14, 1966, as it would become the last of the many space firsts that demonstrated the USSR's domination in spacecraft technology during the early 1960s. According to historian Asif Siddiqi, Korolev's accomplishments marked "the absolute zenith of the Soviet space program, one never, ever attained since." There would be a two-year pause in Soviet piloted space flights while Voskhod's replacement, the Soyuz spacecraft, was designed and developed.

Korolev died on what date?

January 14, 1966


On March 18, 1965, about a week before the first American piloted Project Gemini space flight, the USSR accelerated the competition, by launching the two-cosmonaut Voskhod 2 mission with Pavel Belyayev and Alexey Leonov. Voskhod 2's design modifications included the addition of an inflatable airlock to allow for extravehicular activity (EVA), also known as a spacewalk, while keeping the cabin pressurized so that the capsule's electronics wouldn't overheat. Leonov performed the first-ever EVA as part of the mission. A fatality was narrowly avoided when Leonov's spacesuit expanded in the vacuum of space, preventing him from re-entering the airlock. In order to overcome this, he had to partially depressurize his spacesuit to a potentially dangerous level. He succeeded in safely re-entering the ship, but he and Belyayev faced further challenges when the spacecraft's atmospheric controls flooded the cabin with 45% pure oxygen, which had to be lowered to acceptable levels before re-entry. The reentry involved two more challenges: an improperly timed retrorocket firing caused the Voskhod 2 to land 386 kilometers (240 mi) off its designated target area, the town of Perm; and the instrument compartment's failure to detach from the descent apparatus caused the spacecraft to become unstable during reentry.

The Voskhod 2 carrying two humans was launched on what date?

March 18, 1965

Who was the first person to take a spacewalk?

Alexey Leonov

Which of two Voskhod 2's occupants was almost killed?

Alexey Leonov


Most of the novice pilots on the early missions would command the later missions. In this way, Project Gemini built up spaceflight experience for the pool of astronauts who would be chosen to fly the Apollo lunar missions.

Project Gemini helped recruit experienced people for which upcoming lunar missions?

Apollo


The circumlunar program (Zond), created by Vladimir Chelomey's design bureau OKB-52, was to fly two cosmonauts in a stripped-down Soyuz 7K-L1, launched by Chelomey's Proton UR-500 rocket. The Zond sacrificed habitable cabin volume for equipment, by omitting the Soyuz orbital module. Chelomey gained favor with Khruschev by employing members of his family.

Who created the circumlunar program called Zond?

Vladimir Chelomey

Which type of craft were two astronauts to fly in during Zond?

Soyuz 7K-L1


Korolev's lunar landing program was designated N1/L3, for its N1 superbooster and a more advanced Soyuz 7K-L3 spacecraft, also known as the lunar orbital module ("Lunniy Orbitalny Korabl", LOK), with a crew of two. A separate lunar lander ("Lunniy Korabl", LK), would carry a single cosmonaut to the lunar surface.

The "Lunniy Korabl" or "LK" would carry how many people?


The US and USSR began discussions on the peaceful uses of space as early as 1958, presenting issues for debate to the United Nations, which created a Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in 1959.

The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space was established in what year?

The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space was created by what organization in 1959?

United Nations


On May 10, 1962, Vice President Johnson addressed the Second National Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Space revealing that the United States and the USSR both supported a resolution passed by the Political Committee of the UN General Assembly on December 1962, which not only urged member nations to "extend the rules of international law to outer space," but to also cooperate in its exploration. Following the passing of this resolution, Kennedy commenced his communications proposing a cooperative American/Soviet space program.

A problem was resolved by whom when both the US and the USSR supported a cooperative space program?

Political Committee of the UN General Assembly

The cooperative space program was passed on what date?

December 1962


The UN ultimately created a Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, which was signed by the United States, USSR, and the United Kingdom on January 27, 1967 and went into force the following October 10.

The Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space was signed by three countries on what date?

January 27, 1967


In 1967, both nations faced serious challenges that brought their programs to temporary halts. Both had been rushing at full-speed toward the first piloted flights of Apollo and Soyuz, without paying due diligence to growing design and manufacturing problems. The results proved fatal to both pioneering crews.

Both crews were killed on which spacecraft missions in 1967?

Apollo and Soyuz


On January 27, 1967, the same day the US and USSR signed the Outer Space Treaty, the crew of the first manned Apollo mission, Command Pilot Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Senior Pilot Edward H. White, and Pilot Roger Chaffee, were killed in a fire that swept through their spacecraft cabin during a ground test, less than a month before the planned February 21 launch. An investigative board determined the fire was probably caused by an electrical spark, and quickly grew out of control, fed by the spacecraft's pure oxygen atmosphere. Crew escape was made impossible by inability to open the plug door hatch cover against the greater-than-atmospheric internal pressure. The board also found design and construction flaws in the spacecraft, and procedural failings, including failure to appreciate the hazard of the pure-oxygen atmosphere, as well as inadequate safety procedures. All these flaws had to be corrected over the next twenty-two months until the first piloted flight could be made. Mercury and Gemini veteran Grissom had been a favored choice of Deke Slayton, NASA's Director of Flight Crew Operations, to make the first piloted landing.

The Outer Space Treaty was signed by the US and the USSR on what date?

January 27, 1967

What was the cause of the fire that killed everyone on the first Apollo mission before launch?

electrical spark

Who were the three people who died on the first Apollo mission before launch?

Command Pilot Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Senior Pilot Edward H. White, and Pilot Roger Chaffee


Meanwhile, the Soviet Union was having its own problems with Soyuz development. Engineers reported 200 design faults to party leaders, but their concerns "were overruled by political pressures for a series of space feats to mark the anniversary of Lenin's birthday."[citation needed] On April 24, 1967, the single pilot of Soyuz 1, Vladimir Komarov, became the first in-flight spaceflight fatality. The mission was planned to be a three-day test, to include the first Soviet docking with an unpiloted Soyuz 2, but the mission was plagued with problems. Early on, Komarov's craft lacked sufficient electrical power because only one of two solar panels had deployed. Then the automatic attitude control system began malfunctioning and eventually failed completely, resulting in the craft spinning wildly. Komarov was able to stop the spin with the manual system, which was only partially effective. The flight controllers aborted his mission after only one day. During the emergency re-entry, a fault in the landing parachute system caused the primary chute to fail, and the reserve chute became tangled with the drogue chute; Komarov was killed on impact. Fixing the spacecraft faults caused an eighteen-month delay before piloted Soyuz flights could resume.

Who was the person credited with the first in-flight space death?

Vladimir Komarov

When did Vladimir Komarov die on impact from his spacecraft crash?

April 24, 1967


The United States recovered from the Apollo 1 fire, fixing the fatal flaws in an improved version of the Block II command module. The US proceeded with unpiloted test launches of the Saturn V launch vehicle (Apollo 4 and Apollo 6) and the Lunar Module (Apollo 5) during the latter half of 1967 and early 1968. Apollo 1's mission to check out the Apollo Command/Service Module in Earth orbit was accomplished by Grissom's backup crew commanded by Walter Schirra on Apollo 7, launched on October 11, 1968. The eleven-day mission was a total success, as the spacecraft performed a virtually flawless mission, paving the way for the United States to continue with its lunar mission schedule.

Apollo 7 launched from Earth on what date?

October 11, 1968

Who was in charge of the Apollo 7 mission on board?

Walter Schirra


The Soviet Union also fixed the parachute and control problems with Soyuz, and the next piloted mission Soyuz 3 was launched on October 26, 1968. The goal was to complete Komarov's rendezvous and docking mission with the un-piloted Soyuz 2. Ground controllers brought the two craft to within 200 meters (660 ft) of each other, then cosmonaut Georgy Beregovoy took control. He got within 40 meters (130 ft) of his target, but was unable to dock before expending 90 percent of his maneuvering fuel, due to a piloting error that put his spacecraft into the wrong orientation and forced Soyuz 2 to automatically turn away from his approaching craft. The first docking of Soviet spacecraft was finally realised in January 1969 by the Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 missions. It was the first-ever docking of two manned spacecraft, and the first transfer of crew from one space vehicle to another.

The Soyuz 3 began its mission to space on what date?

October 26, 1968

When was the first successful docking of a two man space crew?

January 1969

Which two space missions were the first to successfully dock each other?

Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5


The Soviet Zond spacecraft was not yet ready for piloted circumlunar missions in 1968, after five unsuccessful and partially successful automated test launches: Cosmos 146 on March 10, 1967; Cosmos 154 on April 8, 1967; Zond 1967A September 27, 1967; Zond 1967B on November 22, 1967. Zond 4 was launched on March 2, 1968, and successfully made a circumlunar flight. After its successful flight around the Moon, Zond 4 encountered problems with its Earth reentry on March 9, and was ordered destroyed by an explosive charge 15,000 meters (49,000 ft) over the Gulf of Guinea. The Soviet official announcement said that Zond 4 was an automated test flight which ended with its intentional destruction, due to its recovery trajectory positioning it over the Atlantic Ocean instead of over the USSR.

Where was the Zond 4 over when it was destroyed by an explosion?

Gulf of Guinea


During the summer of 1968, the Apollo program hit another snag: the first pilot-rated Lunar Module (LM) was not ready for orbital tests in time for a December 1968 launch. NASA planners overcame this challenge by changing the mission flight order, delaying the first LM flight until March 1969, and sending Apollo 8 into lunar orbit without the LM in December. This mission was in part motivated by intelligence rumors the Soviet Union might be ready for a piloted Zond flight during late 1968. In September 1968, Zond 5 made a circumlunar flight with tortoises on board and returned to Earth, accomplishing the first successful water landing of the Soviet space program in the Indian Ocean. It also scared NASA planners, as it took them several days to figure out that it was only an automated flight, not piloted, because voice recordings were transmitted from the craft en route to the Moon. On November 10, 1968 another automated test flight, Zond 6 was launched, but this time encountered difficulties in its Earth reentry, and depressurized and deployed its parachute too early, causing it to crash-land only 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) from where it had been launched six days earlier. It turned out there was no chance of a piloted Soviet circumlunar flight during 1968, due to the unreliability of the Zonds.

The first successful water landing in the Indian Ocean by the Soviets was was when?

What animal was carried aboard the  Zond 5?

tortoises

The first Lunar Module was delayed to what date?

March 1969


On December 21, 1968, Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders became the first humans to ride the Saturn V rocket into space on Apollo 8. They also became the first to leave low-Earth orbit and go to another celestial body, and entered lunar orbit on December 24. They made ten orbits in twenty hours, and transmitted one of the most watched TV broadcasts in history, with their Christmas Eve program from lunar orbit, that concluded with a reading from the biblical Book of Genesis. Two and a half hours after the broadcast, they fired their engine to perform the first trans-Earth injection to leave lunar orbit and return to the Earth. Apollo 8 safely landed in the Pacific ocean on December 27, in NASA's first dawn splashdown and recovery.

Which three people were the first to ride the Saturn V rocket into space?

Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders

What date did Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders leave Earth on the Apollo 8 mission?

December 21, 1968

During what holiday, was the Apollo 8 mission broadcast from orbit?

Christmas Eve

Which ocean did the Apolo 8 mission land in?

Pacific


The American Lunar Module was finally ready for a successful piloted test flight in low Earth orbit on Apollo 9 in March 1969. The next mission, Apollo 10, conducted a "dress rehearsal" for the first landing in May 1969, flying the LM in lunar orbit as close as 47,400 feet (14.4 km) above the surface, the point where the powered descent to the surface would begin. With the LM proven to work well, the next step was to attempt the actual landing.

How close to the ground was the Lunar Module in May 1969 during its landing test?

47,400 feet

The Lunar Module completed its first low Earth orbit on what date?

March 1969


Unknown to the Americans, the Soviet Moon program was in deep trouble. After two successive launch failures of the N1 rocket in 1969, Soviet plans for a piloted landing suffered delay. The launch pad explosion of the N-1 on July 3, 1969 was a significant setback. The rocket hit the pad after an engine shutdown, destroying itself and the launch facility. Without the N-1 rocket, the USSR could not send a large enough payload to the Moon to land a human and return him safely.

The Soviet, N1 Rocket exploded and was destroyed on what date?

July 3, 1969


Apollo 11 was prepared with the goal of a July landing in the Sea of Tranquility. The crew, selected in January 1969, consisted of commander (CDR) Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot (CMP) Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot (LMP) Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin. They trained for the mission until just before the actual launch day. On July 16, 1969, at exactly 9:32 am EDT, the Saturn V rocket, AS-506, lifted off from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 in Florida.

Apollo 11 mission was to land where on the Moon?

Sea of Tranquility

When did the Apollo 11 mission launch?

July 16, 1969

What state did the Saturn V rocket launch from?

Florida

When was the crew chosen to participate on the Apollo 11 mission?

January 1969


The trip to the Moon took just over three days. After achieving orbit, Armstrong and Aldrin transferred into the Lunar Module, named Eagle, and after a landing gear inspection by Collins remaining in the Command/Service Module Columbia, began their descent. After overcoming several computer overload alarms caused by an antenna switch left in the wrong position, and a slight downrange error, Armstrong took over manual flight control at about 180 meters (590 ft), and guided the Lunar Module to a safe landing spot at 20:18:04 UTC, July 20, 1969 (3:17:04 pm CDT). The first humans on the Moon would wait another six hours before they ventured out of their craft. At 02:56 UTC, July 21 (9:56 pm CDT July 20), Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the Moon.

How long did the trip to the Moon last for the crew of the Apollo 11?

three days

The Lunar Module of the Apollo 11 was named after what animal?

Eagle

Who was the first human to take a step on the Moon?

Armstrong

At what time on Earth did Armstrong first step onto the Moon?

9:56 pm CDT July 20


The first step was witnessed by at least one-fifth of the population of Earth, or about 723 million people. His first words when he stepped off the LM's landing footpad were, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." Aldrin joined him on the surface almost 20 minutes later. Altogether, they spent just under two and one-quarter hours outside their craft. The next day, they performed the first launch from another celestial body, and rendezvoused back with Columbia.

How many people saw the first step onto the Moon?

723 million

When did they launch from the Moon to reattach to the Columbia?

The next day


Apollo 11 left lunar orbit and returned to Earth, landing safely in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969. When the spacecraft splashed down, 2,982 days had passed since Kennedy's commitment to landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth before the end of the decade; the mission was completed with 161 days to spare. With the safe completion of the Apollo 11 mission, the Americans won the race to the Moon.

When did the Apollo 11 mission land back on Earth?

July 24, 1969

Where did the Apollo 11 mission land back on Earth?

Pacific Ocean


The first landing was followed by another, precision landing on Apollo 12 in November 1969. NASA had achieved its first landing goal with enough Apollo spacecraft and Saturn V launchers left for eight follow-on lunar landings through Apollo 20, conducting extended-endurance missions and transporting the landing crews in Lunar Roving Vehicles on the last five. They also planned an Apollo Applications Program to develop a longer-duration Earth orbital workshop (later named Skylab) to be constructed in orbit from a spent S-IVB upper stage, using several launches of the smaller Saturn IB launch vehicle. But planners soon decided this could be done more efficiently by using the two live stages of a Saturn V to launch the workshop pre-fabricated from an S-IVB (which was also the Saturn V third stage), which immediately removed Apollo 20. Belt-tightening budget cuts soon led NASA to cut Apollo 18 and 19 as well, but keep three extended/Lunar Rover missions. Apollo 13 encountered an in-flight spacecraft failure and had to abort its lunar landing in April 1970, returning its crew safely but temporarily grounding the program again. It resumed with four successful landings on Apollo 14 (February 1971), Apollo 15 (July 1971), Apollo 16 (April 1972), and Apollo 17 (December 1972).

When was the second landing on the Moon successful?

November 1969

When did the Apollo 14 mission land successfully?

February 1971

Apollo 15 landed on the Moon on what date?

July 1971

On what date was the Apollo 16 successful on landing on the Moon?

April 1972

Apollo 17 landed on the Moon on which date?

December 1972


Meanwhile, the USSR continued briefly trying to perfect their N1 rocket, finally canceling it in 1976, after two more launch failures in 1971 and 1972.

Which year did the USSR cancel the N1 rocket program after two failures that didn't launch?


Having lost the race to the Moon, the USSR decided to concentrate on orbital space stations. During 1969 and 1970, they launched six more Soyuz flights after Soyuz 3, then launched the first space station, the Salyut 1 laboratory designed by Kerim Kerimov, on April 19, 1971. Three days later, the Soyuz 10 crew attempted to dock with it, but failed to achieve a secure enough connection to safely enter the station. The Soyuz 11 crew of Vladislav Volkov, Georgi Dobrovolski and Viktor Patsayev successfully docked on June 7, and completed a record 22-day stay. The crew became the second in-flight space fatality during their reentry on June 30. They were asphyxiated when their spacecraft's cabin lost all pressure, shortly after undocking. The disaster was blamed on a faulty cabin pressure valve, that allowed all the air to vent into space. The crew was not wearing pressure suits and had no chance of survival once the leak occurred.

The USSR launched their first space station on what date?

April 19, 1971

Who made up the crew of the Soyuz 11?

Vladislav Volkov, Georgi Dobrovolski and Viktor Patsayev


Salyut 1's orbit was increased to prevent premature reentry, but further piloted flights were delayed while the Soyuz was redesigned to fix the new safety problem. The station re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on October 11, after 175 days in orbit. The USSR attempted to launch a second Salyut-class station designated Durable Orbital Station-2 (DOS-2) on July 29, 1972, but a rocket failure caused it to fail to achieve orbit. After the DOS-2 failure, the USSR attempted to launch four more Salyut-class stations through 1975, with another failure due to an explosion of the final rocket stage, which punctured the station with shrapnel so that it wouldn't hold pressure. While all of the Salyuts were presented to the public as non-military scientific laboratories, some of them were actually covers for the military Almaz reconnaissance stations.

The station, Salyut 1, came back to Earth on which date?

October 11

How long did the station, Salyut 1, stay in orbit?

175 days

Why did The Durable Orbital Station-2 not reach orbit?

rocket failure


The United States launched the orbital workstation Skylab 1 on May 14, 1973. It weighed 169,950 pounds (77,090 kg), was 58 feet (18 m) long by 21.7 feet (6.6 m) in diameter, with a habitable volume of 10,000 cubic feet (280 m3). Skylab was damaged during the ascent to orbit, losing one of its solar panels and a meteoroid thermal shield. Subsequent manned missions repaired the station, and the final mission's crew, Skylab 4, set the Space Race endurance record with 84 days in orbit when the mission ended on February 8, 1974. Skylab stayed in orbit another five years before reentering the Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean and Western Australia on July 11, 1979.

The Skylab 1 was launched on which date?

May 14, 1973

How much did the Skylab 1 weigh?

169,950 pounds

When did the Skylab 1 finally come back to Earth?

July 11, 1979


In May 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev negotiated an easing of relations known as detente, creating a temporary "thaw" in the Cold War. In the spirit of good sportsmanship, the time seemed right for cooperation rather than competition, and the notion of a continuing "race" began to subside.

Which two world leaders had negotiations that relieved the Cold War?

Richard M. Nixon and Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev

When did President Nixon and Brezhnev of the USSR end the Cold War?

May 1972


The two nations planned a joint mission to dock the last US Apollo craft with a Soyuz, known as the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP). To prepare, the US designed a docking module for the Apollo that was compatible with the Soviet docking system, which allowed any of their craft to dock with any other (e.g. Soyuz/Soyuz as well as Soyuz/Salyut). The module was also necessary as an airlock to allow the men to visit each other's craft, which had incompatible cabin atmospheres. The USSR used the Soyuz 16 mission in December 1974 to prepare for ASTP.

ASTP stands for what?

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project

Which Soyuz mission in December 1974 was to be used for the ASTP?


The joint mission began when Soyuz 19 was first launched on July 15, 1975 at 12:20 UTC, and the Apollo craft was launched with the docking module six and a half hours later. The two craft rendezvoused and docked on July 17 at 16:19 UTC. The three astronauts conducted joint experiments with the two cosmonauts, and the crew shook hands, exchanged gifts, and visited each other's craft.

Soyuz 19 took off from Earth on what date?

July 15, 1975


In the 1970s, the United States began developing a new generation of reusable orbital spacecraft known as the Space Shuttle, and launched a range of unmanned probes. The USSR continued to develop space station technology with the Salyut program and Mir ('Peace' or 'World', depending on the context) space station, supported by Soyuz spacecraft. They developed their own large space shuttle under the Buran program. However, the USSR dissolved in 1991 and the remains of its space program were distributed to various Eastern European countries. The United States and Russia would work together in space with the Shuttle–Mir Program, and again with the International Space Station.

What year did the USSR disband?


The Russian R-7 rocket family, which launched the first Sputnik at the beginning of the space race, is still in use today. It services the International Space Station (ISS) as the launcher for both the Soyuz and Progress spacecraft. It also ferries both Russian and American crews to and from the station.

Which Russian rocket carries passengers to and from the International Space Station?

R-7 rocket


American concerns that they had fallen behind the Soviet Union in the race to space led quickly to a push by legislators and educators for greater emphasis on mathematics and the physical sciences in American schools. The United States' National Defense Education Act of 1958 increased funding for these goals from childhood education through the post-graduate level.

The United States' National Defense Education Act was established in what year?


A web browser (commonly referred to as a browser) is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI/URL) and may be a web page, image, video or other piece of content. Hyperlinks present in resources enable users easily to navigate their browsers to related resources.

What do people typically call a web browser?

browser

What platform is a browser used on?

World Wide Web

What does URL mean?

Uniform Resource Identifier

What allows a person to direct their browser to a resource?

Hyperlinks

What is the definition of the World Wide Web?

I'm not sure.

What helps identify the WWW?

I'm not sure.

What are examples of the WWW?

I'm not sure.

What does content present in applications help users do?

I'm not sure.

What is something that identifies how a video plays in a software application?

I'm not sure.


Although browsers are primarily intended to use the World Wide Web, they can also be used to access information provided by web servers in private networks or files in file systems.

The primary function of a browser is to use what?

the World Wide Web

In addition to accessing the Internet, browsers can also access info that is put there by web servers in what?

private networks

A browser can also access files where?

file systems

What can information access when used?

I'm not sure.

What are private networks primarily intended to use?

I'm not sure.

Where are browsers located?

I'm not sure.

Where is a browser so you are able to find it later?

I'm not sure.

The primary function of file systems is to use what?

I'm not sure.


The first web browser was invented in 1990 by Sir Tim Berners-Lee. Berners-Lee is the director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which oversees the Web's continued development, and is also the founder of the World Wide Web Foundation. His browser was called WorldWideWeb and later renamed Nexus.

When was the first browser created?

Who invented the first browser?

Sir Tim Berners-Lee

What was Berners-Lee a director of?

the World Wide Web Consortium

What organization did Berners-Lee create?

World Wide Web Foundation

When did Sir Tim Berners Le invent the WWW?

I'm not sure.

What was the W3C later renamed?

I'm not sure.

What does WordWideweb oversee?

I'm not sure.

What group did Nexus start?

I'm not sure.

What did Nexus invent in 1990?

I'm not sure.


In 1993, browser software was further innovated by Marc Andreessen with the release of Mosaic, "the world's first popular browser", which made the World Wide Web system easy to use and more accessible to the average person. Andreesen's browser sparked the internet boom of the 1990s. The introduction of Mosaic in 1993 – one of the first graphical web browsers – led to an explosion in web use. Andreessen, the leader of the Mosaic team at National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), soon started his own company, named Netscape, and released the Mosaic-influenced Netscape Navigator in 1994, which quickly became the world's most popular browser, accounting for 90% of all web use at its peak (see usage share of web browsers).

Who released Mosaic?

Marc Andreessen

When was Mosaic released?

When Andreessen left the company he worked for, what new company did he start?

Netscape

What browser did Andreessen release in 1994?

Netscape Navigator

What did the World Wide Web help release in the 1990's?

I'm not sure.

What did the release of Mosaic in 1994 by NCSA lead to?

I'm not sure.

What company was started by Mosaic?

I'm not sure.

When was the NCSA Navigator released by Mosaic?

I'm not sure.

What percentage of web use did Mosaic have at its peak in 1993?

I'm not sure.


Microsoft responded with its Internet Explorer in 1995, also heavily influenced by Mosaic, initiating the industry's first browser war. Bundled with Windows, Internet Explorer gained dominance in the web browser market; Internet Explorer usage share peaked at over 95% by 2002.

Who released the Internet Explorer browser?

Microsoft

When did Microsoft release Internet Explorer?

The release of Internet Explorer started the first what?

browser war

What was bundled with Internet Explorer?

Windows

When did Microsoft release Mosaic?

I'm not sure.

What did Microsoft releasing Mosaic cause?

I'm not sure.

What was Mosaic bundled with?

I'm not sure.

What did Mosaic gain after it was released by Microsoft?

I'm not sure.

By what percentage was Mosaic being used in 1995?

I'm not sure.


Opera debuted in 1996; it has never achieved widespread use, having less than 2% browser usage share as of February 2012 according to Net Applications. Its Opera-mini version has an additive share, in April 2011 amounting to 1.1% of overall browser use, but focused on the fast-growing mobile phone web browser market, being preinstalled on over 40 million phones. It is also available on several other embedded systems, including Nintendo's Wii video game console.

Opera was introduced in what year?

What accounted for 1.1% of browser use in April 2011?

Opera-mini version

Opera focused on which quickly growing market?

mobile phone web browser

Opera is also available on which video game console?

Nintendo's Wii

What program debuted in February 2012?

I'm not sure.

When was the Nintendo Wii introduced?

I'm not sure.

What market did Nintendo focus on to expand its use?

I'm not sure.

How has usage of the Nintendo Wii been shown over time?

I'm not sure.

How many game consoles has Nintendo sold?

I'm not sure.


In 1998, Netscape launched what was to become the Mozilla Foundation in an attempt to produce a competitive browser using the open source software model. That browser would eventually evolve into Firefox, which developed a respectable following while still in the beta stage of development; shortly after the release of Firefox 1.0 in late 2004, Firefox (all versions) accounted for 7% of browser use. As of August 2011, Firefox has a 28% usage share.

What did Netscape launch in 1998?

Mozilla Foundation

Netscape wanted to have a competitive browser using what?

open source software model

What was the resulting browser for the Mozilla Foundation?

Firefox

When was Firefox released?

late 2004

What did Firefox launch in 1998?

I'm not sure.

How much usage share did Netscape have in 1998?

I'm not sure.

At what point did open source software gain popularity?

I'm not sure.

What software model was released in 1998?

I'm not sure.

What percentage of the open source model did Netscape have shortly after release?

I'm not sure.


Apple's Safari had its first beta release in January 2003; as of April 2011, it had a dominant share of Apple-based web browsing, accounting for just over 7% of the entire browser market.

When was the first beta release for Safari?

January 2003

Who created Safari?

Apple

When was Apple founded?

I'm not sure.

When did web browsers become active?

I'm not sure.

When did the browser market become dominant in software?

I'm not sure.

How much software was released by Safari in January 2003?

I'm not sure.

When did the entire browser market begin beta release of software?

I'm not sure.


The most recent major entrant to the browser market is Chrome, first released in September 2008. Chrome's take-up has increased significantly year by year, by doubling its usage share from 8% to 16% by August 2011. This increase seems largely to be at the expense of Internet Explorer, whose share has tended to decrease from month to month. In December 2011, Chrome overtook Internet Explorer 8 as the most widely used web browser but still had lower usage than all versions of Internet Explorer combined. Chrome's user-base continued to grow and in May 2012, Chrome's usage passed the usage of all versions of Internet Explorer combined. By April 2014, Chrome's usage had hit 45%.

Which browser is the newest to enter the field?

Chrome

When was Chrome released?

September 2008

As Chrome usage increases, which browser usage has continued to decrease?

Internet Explorer

When did Chrome become more used than all versions of Internet Explorer?

May 2012

In what year was Internet Explorer released?

I'm not sure.

By how much did IE double its usage share?

I'm not sure.

When did Internet Explorer 8 overtake Chrome as the more popular browser?

I'm not sure.

What was IE's increase in usage percentage in August 2011?

I'm not sure.

When did the usage of IE surpass all versions of Chrome combined?

I'm not sure.


Internet Explorer, on the other hand, was bundled free with the Windows operating system (and was also downloadable free), and therefore it was funded partly by the sales of Windows to computer manufacturers and direct to users. Internet Explorer also used to be available for the Mac. It is likely that releasing IE for the Mac was part of Microsoft's overall strategy to fight threats to its quasi-monopoly platform dominance - threats such as web standards and Java - by making some web developers, or at least their managers, assume that there was "no need" to develop for anything other than Internet Explorer. In this respect, IE may have contributed to Windows and Microsoft applications sales in another way, through "lock-in" to Microsoft's browser.

What was bundled for free with the Windows OS?

Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer was partially funded in what two ways?

sales of Windows to computer manufacturers and direct to users

What other OS could use Internet Explorer?

Mac

What program was bundled free with Java?

I'm not sure.

What helped to partly fund Java?

I'm not sure.

For what OS was Java formerly available for?

I'm not sure.

Why was Java available for the Mac?

I'm not sure.

In what other way did Java contribute to Windows and Microsoft application sales?

I'm not sure.


In January 2009, the European Commission announced it would investigate the bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows operating systems from Microsoft, saying "Microsoft's tying of Internet Explorer to the Windows operating system harms competition between web browsers, undermines product innovation and ultimately reduces consumer choice." Microsoft Corp v Commission

Who investigated the bundling of the IE browser with Windows OS?

the European Commission

When did the European Commission say they would investigate the bundling?

January 2009

The Commission felt that bundling the browser with Windows computers harmed what?

competition between web browsers

The Commission felt that the bundling undermined what?

product innovation

What would Microsoft investigate in January 2009?

I'm not sure.

In what year was Microsoft investigating the European Commission?

I'm not sure.

What did the Commission undermine according to Microsoft?

I'm not sure.

What was reduced by the Commission according to Microsoft?

I'm not sure.

What action is harmed by the Commision according to Microsoft?

I'm not sure.


Safari and Mobile Safari were likewise always included with OS X and iOS respectively, so, similarly, they were originally funded by sales of Apple computers and mobile devices, and formed part of the overall Apple experience to customers.

What browser was automatically included with OS X?

Safari

What are mobile devices included with?

I'm not sure.

What were sales of Apple computers funded by?

I'm not sure.

What was Apple originally funded by?

I'm not sure.

What did Apple customers provide to Apple?

I'm not sure.

What do the OS X and i OS provide?

I'm not sure.


Today, most commercial web browsers are paid by search engine companies to make their engine default, or to include them as another option. For example, Google pays Mozilla, the maker of Firefox, to make Google Search the default search engine in Firefox. Mozilla makes enough money from this deal that it does not need to charge users for Firefox. In addition, Google Search is also (as one would expect) the default search engine in Google Chrome. Users searching for websites or items on the Internet would be led to Google's search results page, increasing ad revenue and which funds development at Google and of Google Chrome.

Which company pays Firefox to make their search engine the default on their browser?

Google

What other browser has Google as the default search engine?

Chrome

The increased revenue funds what, in addition to Google?

Google Chrome

Why do web browsers pay search engine companies?

I'm not sure.

Why does Mozilla pay Google?

I'm not sure.

What lets Google not charge users for using Chrome?

I'm not sure.

What increases ad revenue for Firefox?

I'm not sure.

What funds development at Mozilla?

I'm not sure.


The primary purpose of a web browser is to bring information resources to the user ("retrieval" or "fetching"), allowing them to view the information ("display", "rendering"), and then access other information ("navigation", "following links").

What is the main use of a browser?

to bring information resources to the user

What is the primary purpose of a computer having access?

I'm not sure.

How does display rendering function?

I'm not sure.

How does an OS access other information?

I'm not sure.

What lets an OS see information?

I'm not sure.

What lets an OS find other information?

I'm not sure.


This process begins when the user inputs a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), for example http://en.wikipedia.org/, into the browser. The prefix of the URL, the Uniform Resource Identifier or URI, determines how the URL will be interpreted. The most commonly used kind of URI starts with http: and identifies a resource to be retrieved over the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). Many browsers also support a variety of other prefixes, such as https: for HTTPS, ftp: for the File Transfer Protocol, and file: for local files. Prefixes that the web browser cannot directly handle are often handed off to another application entirely. For example, mailto: URIs are usually passed to the user's default e-mail application, and news: URIs are passed to the user's default newsgroup reader.

What does URL stand for?

Uniform Resource Locator

What is the determining factor in how a URL will be interpreted?

The prefix of the URL

What does http stand for?

Hypertext Transfer Protocol

What does ftp stand for?

File Transfer Protocol

A news: prefix is given to the user's what?

default newsgroup reader

What does the prefix of the default newsgroup reader determine?

I'm not sure.

What does the most common form of local file start with?

I'm not sure.

What does a common browser identify?

I'm not sure.

What happens to newsgroup readers the web browser can't handle directly?

I'm not sure.

Where are ftp's passed on to?

I'm not sure.


In the case of http, https, file, and others, once the resource has been retrieved the web browser will display it. HTML and associated content (image files, formatting information such as CSS, etc.) is passed to the browser's layout engine to be transformed from markup to an interactive document, a process known as "rendering". Aside from HTML, web browsers can generally display any kind of content that can be part of a web page. Most browsers can display images, audio, video, and XML files, and often have plug-ins to support Flash applications and Java applets. Upon encountering a file of an unsupported type or a file that is set up to be downloaded rather than displayed, the browser prompts the user to save the file to disk.

What is it called when content is changed from markup to an interactive document?

rendering

Browsers typically have plug-ins to support what?

Flash applications and Java applets

Browsers have you save to disk so they can support what?

I'm not sure.

What is it called when resources are changed from being unsupported to being downloaded?

I'm not sure.

What files can be displayed when a file is unsupported?

I'm not sure.

What unsupported content can resources display that is part of a webpage?

I'm not sure.

What process happens to plug-ins saved to disk?

I'm not sure.


Information resources may contain hyperlinks to other information resources. Each link contains the URI of a resource to go to. When a link is clicked, the browser navigates to the resource indicated by the link's target URI, and the process of bringing content to the user begins again.

What can resources have to connect to other resources?

hyperlinks

How does a user read URI?

I'm not sure.

Why does a computer create hyperlinks?

I'm not sure.

What happens when a hyperlink is created?

I'm not sure.

What makes a computer take longer to find information?

I'm not sure.

What happens when a user can't find information?

I'm not sure.


Available web browsers range in features from minimal, text-based user interfaces with bare-bones support for HTML to rich user interfaces supporting a wide variety of file formats and protocols. Browsers which include additional components to support e-mail, Usenet news, and Internet Relay Chat (IRC), are sometimes referred to as "Internet suites" rather than merely "web browsers".

Features on a browser can range from minimal with little support to what?

rich user interfaces

When a browser includes a lot of extras, it can be referred to as what?

Internet suites

What does IRC stand for?

Internet Relay Chat

What are some features that IRC has?

I'm not sure.

What are IRC's sometimes referred to as?

I'm not sure.

What are some features of HTML?

I'm not sure.

What are some extra features included in IRC?

I'm not sure.

What does e-mail also support?

I'm not sure.


All major web browsers allow the user to open multiple information resources at the same time, either in different browser windows or in different tabs of the same window. Major browsers also include pop-up blockers to prevent unwanted windows from "popping up" without the user's consent.

What does not allow windows to pop up without consent?

pop-up blockers

What do all pop-up blockers allow in a window?

I'm not sure.

What can be open without the user's consent in a window?

I'm not sure.

Where do unwanted windows open in a browser?

I'm not sure.

Where do browsers allow pop-ups to open?

I'm not sure.

What do information resources allow to pop-up in a window?

I'm not sure.


A browser extension is a computer program that extends the functionality of a web browser. Every major web browser supports the development of browser extensions.

A computer program that continues the functionality of a browser is called what?

browser extension

What extends development of computer functionality?

I'm not sure.

Why does a computer create a browser extension?

I'm not sure.

What does making a computer program support?

I'm not sure.

What does every computer program support?

I'm not sure.

What happens when a computer program is created?

I'm not sure.


Most web browsers can display a list of web pages that the user has bookmarked so that the user can quickly return to them. Bookmarks are also called "Favorites" in Internet Explorer. In addition, all major web browsers have some form of built-in web feed aggregator. In Firefox, web feeds are formatted as "live bookmarks" and behave like a folder of bookmarks corresponding to recent entries in the feed. In Opera, a more traditional feed reader is included which stores and displays the contents of the feed.

A list of websites a user can click to get back to easy have been what by the user?

bookmarked

What are "bookmarks" called in Internet Explorer?

Favorites

The top browsers have a built-in what?

feed aggregator

Firefox does web feeds as what?

live bookmarks

The Opera feed reader is more what?

traditional

What are live bookmarks called in Opera?

I'm not sure.

What is built in to all bookmarks?

I'm not sure.

How do bookmarks behave in IE?

I'm not sure.

How are feed aggregators formatted as in Opera?

I'm not sure.

What kind of web pages are included in IE?

I'm not sure.


Most browsers support HTTP Secure and offer quick and easy ways to delete the web cache, download history, form and search history, cookies, and browsing history. For a comparison of the current security vulnerabilities of browsers, see comparison of web browsers.

HTTP Secure is supported by what?

Most browsers

Cache, download history, cookies, browsing and what else can be quickly deleted in browsers?

form and search history

A comparison of browser must be seen to know what?

current security vulnerabilities

What do most cookies support?

I'm not sure.

What does comparing browsing history show about your computer?

I'm not sure.

What does comparison of web browsers offer you to do quickly?

I'm not sure.

How do you know if your web cache is secure?

I'm not sure.

What do most web browser comparisons support?

I'm not sure.


Early web browsers supported only a very simple version of HTML. The rapid development of proprietary web browsers led to the development of non-standard dialects of HTML, leading to problems with interoperability. Modern web browsers support a combination of standards-based and de facto HTML and XHTML, which should be rendered in the same way by all browsers.

Quick development of what kind of browsers led to non-standard HTML dialects?

proprietary web browsers

Non-standard dialects led to what?

problems with interoperability

Modern browser support standards-based and defacto what?

HTML and XHTML

HTML and XHTML should be what by all browsers?

rendered in the same way

What did early XHTML support?

I'm not sure.

What did the rapid development of modern web browsers lead to?

I'm not sure.

What problems arose after the development of modern web browsers?

I'm not sure.

How should non-standard dialects be treated by all browsers?

I'm not sure.

What are two things that a simple HTML version supports?

I'm not sure.


Web browsers consist of a user interface, layout engine, rendering engine, JavaScript interpreter, UI backend, networking component and data persistence component. These components achieve different functionalities of a web browser and together provide all capabilities of a web browser.

A user interface, UI backend, layout engine and other things are part of what?

Web browsers

The layout engine, rendering engine, user interface and other things are components that offer different what of web browsers?

functionalities

What are two things that make up a UI backend?

I'm not sure.

What does a JavaScript interpreter achieve in a layout engine?

I'm not sure.

What do a rendering engine and a user interface create when only used with each other?

I'm not sure.

What parts of a layout engine make up a data persistence component?

I'm not sure.

What does a user interface achieve when part of a UI backend?

I'm not sure.


The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS, simplified Chinese: 北斗卫星导航系统; traditional Chinese: 北斗衛星導航系統; pinyin: Běidǒu wèixīng dǎoháng xìtǒng) is a Chinese satellite navigation system. It consists of two separate satellite constellations – a limited test system that has been operating since 2000, and a full-scale global navigation system that is currently under construction.

What is the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System?

a Chinese satellite navigation system

How many satellite constellations does the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System have?

two separate satellite constellations

What are the two satellite constellations?

a limited test system that has been operating since 2000, and a full-scale global navigation system

How long has the limited test system been operating?

since 2000

How is the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System written in traditional Chinese?

北斗衛星導航系統

What is the Limited Navigation Satellite System?

I'm not sure.

The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System consists of 3 separate what?

I'm not sure.

What type of system has been operating since 2010?

I'm not sure.

Which system is no longer under construction?

I'm not sure.


The first BeiDou system, officially called the BeiDou Satellite Navigation Experimental System (simplified Chinese: 北斗卫星导航试验系统; traditional Chinese: 北斗衛星導航試驗系統; pinyin: Běidǒu wèixīng dǎoháng shìyàn xìtǒng) and also known as BeiDou-1, consists of three satellites and offers limited coverage and applications. It has been offering navigation services, mainly for customers in China and neighboring regions, since 2000.

What was the first BeiDou system called?

the BeiDou Satellite Navigation Experimental System

Who does the BeiDou-1 operate for?

mainly for customers in China and neighboring regions

What is another name for the BeiDou Satellite Navigation Experimental System?

How many satellites does the BeiDou-1 have?

three

How long has the BeiDou-1 been operating?

since 2000

Which system has been offering services to customers in China since 1997?

I'm not sure.

What system is also known as BeiDou-2?

I'm not sure.

BeiDou-1 consists of 7 satellites and offers what?

I'm not sure.

What system offers services to customers in and around Peru?

I'm not sure.


The second generation of the system, officially called the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) and also known as COMPASS or BeiDou-2, will be a global satellite navigation system consisting of 35 satellites, and is under construction as of January 2015[update]. It became operational in China in December 2011, with 10 satellites in use, and began offering services to customers in the Asia-Pacific region in December 2012. It is planned to begin serving global customers upon its completion in 2020.

What is the name of the second generation of BDS?

BeiDou Navigation Satellite System

What is another name for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System?

COMPASS or BeiDou-2

How many satellites will the BeiDou-2 have?

When did the BeiDou-2 begin construction?

January 2015

When did the BeiDou-2 begin operating?

December 2011

Which system is under construction until May 2017?

I'm not sure.

Which system is also known as COMPANION or BeiDou-23?

I'm not sure.

Which system has been operating in China since December 2012?

I'm not sure.

BeiDou-1 has how many satellites in use?

I'm not sure.

BeiDou-2 began offering services to customers in South America in what year?

I'm not sure.


In-mid 2015, China started the build-up of the third generation BeiDou system (BDS-3) in the global coverage constellation. The first BDS-3 satellite was launched 30 September 2015. As of March 2016, 4 BDS-3 in-orbit validation satellites have been launched.

When did China begin constructing the third BeiDou system?

mid 2015

What is the third BeiDou system called?

When was the first BDS-3 satellite launched?

30 September 2015

How many BDS-3 satellites have been launched?

Which system did China start building in March of 2017?

I'm not sure.

Which satellite was first launched on September 27th, 2015?

I'm not sure.

As of which month during 2016 were there 17 BDS-3 satellites in orbit?

I'm not sure.

When did Africa begin constructing the third BeiDou system?

I'm not sure.

How many BDS-20 satellites have been launched?

I'm not sure.


According to China daily. Fifteen years after the satellite system was launched, it is now generating $31.5 billion for major companies such as China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, AutoNavi Holdings Ltd, and China North Industries Group Corp.

How long ago was the BeiDou Satellite System first launched?

Fifteen years

How much revenue for companies is generated by the BDS system?

$31.5 billion

What are some companies that profit from the BDS system?

China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, AutoNavi Holdings Ltd, and China North Industries Group Corp.

How long ago was the BlueDynamite Satellite System first launched?

I'm not sure.

How much revenue for companies is generated by the ABC system?

I'm not sure.

What are some companies that experience losses from the BDS system?

I'm not sure.

17 years after it's launch, how much does the satellite system generate in profit?

I'm not sure.


The official English name of the system is BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. It is named after the Big Dipper constellation, which is known in Chinese as Běidǒu. The name literally means "Northern Dipper", the name given by ancient Chinese astronomers to the seven brightest stars of the Ursa Major constellation. Historically, this set of stars was used in navigation to locate the North Star Polaris. As such, the name BeiDou also serves as a metaphor for the purpose of the satellite navigation system.

What is the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System named after?

the Big Dipper constellation

What is the Big Dipper constellation known as in Chinese?

Běidǒu

What does Běidǒu translate as?

Northern Dipper

Who named the constellation Běidǒu?

ancient Chinese astronomers

What was the Běidǒu constellation used for?

to locate the North Star Polaris

Which Satellite System is named after the Little Dipper?

I'm not sure.

What is the Big Dipper constellation known as in Japanese?

I'm not sure.

What does Yuèliàng translate as?

I'm not sure.

What was the Little Dipper constellation used for?

I'm not sure.

Ancient anthropologists named the constellation what?

I'm not sure.


The original idea of a Chinese satellite navigation system was conceived by Chen Fangyun and his colleagues in the 1980s. According to the China National Space Administration, the development of the system would be carried out in three steps:

Who first came up with the idea for a Chinese satellite navigation system?

Chen Fangyun and his colleagues

When did Chen Fangyun come up with the idea for a satellite navigation system?

in the 1980s

The China National Space Administration said the satellite navigation system would be developed in how many steps?

three

Who first came up with the idea for a Japanese satellite navigation system?

I'm not sure.

When did Chen Fangyun come up with the idea for an ocean navigation system?

I'm not sure.

The American National Space Administration said the satellite navigation system would be developed in how many steps?

I'm not sure.

What idea did Chen Fangyun come up with in 1924?

I'm not sure.

Who said the system would be developed in four total steps?

I'm not sure.


The first satellite, BeiDou-1A, was launched on 30 October 2000, followed by BeiDou-1B on 20 December 2000. The third satellite, BeiDou-1C (a backup satellite), was put into orbit on 25 May 2003. The successful launch of BeiDou-1C also meant the establishment of the BeiDou-1 navigation system.

What was the name of the first satellite launched for the system?

When was BeiDou-1A launched?

20 December 2000

What was the name of the third satellite launched for the system?

What was the purpose of launching the BeiDou-1C satellite?

a backup satellite

When was the BeiDou-1C satellite launched?

25 May 2003

What was the name of the eighth satellite launched for the system?

I'm not sure.

When was BeiDou-1D launched?

I'm not sure.

What was the name of the third submarine launched for the system?

I'm not sure.

When was the BeiDou-1C rocket launched?

I'm not sure.

The unsuccessful launch of BeiDou-1E happened when?

I'm not sure.


On 2 November 2006, China announced that from 2008 BeiDou would offer an open service with an accuracy of 10 meters, timing of 0.2 microseconds, and speed of 0.2 meters/second.[citation needed]

When did China announce service plans for the BeiDou system?

2 November 2006

What was the accuracy range that China promised to offer in 2008 with the BeiDou system?

10 meters

What was the timing and speed that China promised to offer in 2008 with the BeiDou system?

timing of 0.2 microseconds, and speed of 0.2 meters/second

China would offer a closed service with an accuracy of what?

I'm not sure.

Japan announced what on November 2nd, 2006?

I'm not sure.

Japan promised a timing speed of what with its open service?

I'm not sure.

Japan promised a speed of what with its open service?

I'm not sure.

China announced what on November 22nd, 2006?

I'm not sure.


In February 2007, the fourth and last satellite of the BeiDou-1 system, BeiDou-1D (sometimes called BeiDou-2A, serving as a backup satellite), was sent up into space. It was reported that the satellite had suffered from a control system malfunction but was then fully restored.

When was the fourth satellite for the BeiDou-1 system launched?

February 2007

What is the name of the fourth BeiDou-1 satellite?

What is the BeiDou-1D satellite sometimes called?

What is the purpose of the BeiDou-1D satellite?

serving as a backup satellite

What happened to the BeiDou-1D satellite that needed to be repaired?

a control system malfunction

In which month of 2007 was the fifth satellite for the BeiDou-1 system launched?

I'm not sure.

What is the official name of the fifth BeiDou-2 satellite?

I'm not sure.

Which satellite serves as a front-end satellite?

I'm not sure.

Which satellite is sometimes called BeiDou-2C?

I'm not sure.

According to reports, the satellite had issues with what system and was never fully restored?

I'm not sure.


In April 2007, the first satellite of BeiDou-2, namely Compass-M1 (to validate frequencies for the BeiDou-2 constellation) was successfully put into its working orbit. The second BeiDou-2 constellation satellite Compass-G2 was launched on 15 April 2009. On 15 January 2010, the official website of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System went online, and the system's third satellite (Compass-G1) was carried into its orbit by a Long March 3C rocket on 17 January 2010. On 2 June 2010, the fourth satellite was launched successfully into orbit. The fifth orbiter was launched into space from Xichang Satellite Launch Center by an LM-3I carrier rocket on 1 August 2010. Three months later, on 1 November 2010, the sixth satellite was sent into orbit by LM-3C. Another satellite, the Beidou-2/Compass IGSO-5 (fifth inclined geosynchonous orbit) satellite, was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center by a Long March-3A on 1 December 2011 (UTC).

When was the first satellite for the BeiDou-2 system launched?

April 2007

What is the the first satellite for the BeiDou-2 system called?

When was the second satellite for the BeiDou-2 system launched?

15 April 2009

When was the third satellite for the BeiDou-2 system launched?

17 January 2010

BeiDou-X was put into orbit during which month of 2007?

I'm not sure.

BeiDou-z was put into orbit during which month of 2007?

I'm not sure.

BeiDou-Y33 was put into orbit during which month of 2007?

I'm not sure.

BeiJang-X was put into orbit during which month of 2007?

I'm not sure.

SweiDou-X was put into orbit during which month of 2007?

I'm not sure.