Gagarin
They beat us. A Soviet man orbited the Earth today and I don't know how to feel about it except wrong-footed and shaken and strangely moved.
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Mission Log: Space Race
The U-2 Affair
Francis Gary Powers was shot down over the Soviet Union yesterday in a U-2 spy plane. I don't know why I'm writing about this in a space notebook, but it feels connected.
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Luna 2 Hits the Moon
The Soviet Union crashed a spacecraft into the Moon yesterday. Luna 2. The first human-made object to reach another world.
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The Seven
NASA introduced the Mercury astronauts yesterday and I had to read the names three times before I believed it.
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Luna 1 Escapes Earth
The Soviets launched Luna 1 yesterday. It missed the Moon by 3,700 miles — then kept going, escaping Earth gravity. The first spacecraft in solar orbit.
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NASA Is Open for Business
As of yesterday, the United States has a proper civilian space agency. NASA opened its doors, and with it, Project Mercury was announced.
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Explorer 1 — We’re In
Last night the United States finally joined the space age. After Vanguard blew up on the pad in December, I had genuinely started to worry.
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Laika
They sent a dog. A living dog, orbiting the Earth right now. And everyone knows she's not coming back.
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The Beep That Changed Everything
Last night I stayed up past midnight listening to a radio broadcast I still can't quite believe was real.
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