1961    Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space, in Vostok 3KA-2 (Vostok 1). thumb

1963    Project Mercury: The launch of the final Mercury mission, Mercury-Atlas 9 with astronaut L. Gordon Cooper on board. He becomes the first American to spend more than a day in space.

1965    In the Hammaguir launch facility in the Sahara Desert, France launches a Diamant-A rocket with its first satellite, ''Asterix-1'' on board, becoming the third country to enter outer space.

1974    After 84 days in space, the crew of the first American space station Skylab returns to Earth.

1978    Czech Vladimír Remek becomes the first non-Russian or non-American to go into space, when he is launched aboard Soyuz 28.

1988    Abdul Ahad Mohmand, the first Afghan in space, returns aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz TM-5 after 9 days on the Mir space station.

1995    Cosmonaut Valeriy Polyakov returns after setting a record for 438 days in space.

1998    Japan launches a probe to Mars, and thus joins the United States and Russia as a space exploring nation.