Misi-misi ke planet-planet lain

Soviet merupakan negara pertama yang menghantar prob-prob planet, ke planet Zuhrah dan Marikh pada tahun 1960. Kapal angkasa pertama yang berjaya terbang melalui Zuhrah adalah Mariner 2, yang dihantar oleh A.S. pada 14 Disember 1962. Ia memberi keputusan yang mengejutkan berkenaan suhu permukaan yang tinggi dan ketumpatan udara di Zuhrah. Oleh kerana ia tidak memiliki kamera, penemuannya tidak mendapat perhatian orang ramai sepertimana imej-imej daripada prob angkasa, yang mana jauh melangkaui keupayaan teleskop ahli kaji bintang yang berpangkalan di bumi.

The first craft to land on Venus was the USSR's Venera 7, launched in 1971. Venera 9 then transmitted the first pictures from the surface of another planet. These were only two in the long Venera series; several other previous Venera spacecraft performed flyby and attempted landing missions. Seven other Venera landers followed.

Mariner 10, which flew by Venus on its way to Mercury, was launched in 1974 by the US. It became the first, and so far the only, spacecraft to fly by Mercury.

Mariner 4, launched in 1965 by the U.S., was the first to fly by Mars; it transmitted images that were completely unexpected. Although the first spacecraft on Mars was Mars 3, launched in 1971 by the USSR, it did not return pictures. The first such pictures were transmitted by the US Viking landers of 1976.

The U.S also sent Pioneer 10 on a successful fly by of Jupiter in 1973. This was a precursor to the first flyby of Saturn in 1979 with Pioneer 11, and the first and only flybys of Uranus and Neptune with Voyager 2.

Launches and docking

The first space rendezvous was between Gemini 6 and Gemini 7, both U.S. craft, on December 15 1965. Their successor, Gemini 8, performed the first space docking on March 16 1968. The first automatic space docking was performed by the USSR's Cosmos-186 and Cosmos-188 on October 30 1967.

The first launch from the sea was Scout B, on April 26 1967, by the U.S. The first space station was Salyut 1, on June 7 1971, by the USSR.