World Space Week celebrates science and technology and their contributions to the betterment of human life
In 1999, United Nations General Assembly declared October 4-10 to be World Space Week each year
October 4 marks the launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1
October 10, is the anniversary of signing of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activites of States in the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
Here are some of the most significant and memorable moments in space exploration history
Sputnik I was launched from the USSR's Baikonur Cosmodrome on October 4, 1957, and became the first artificial satellite to enter space
On April 12, 1961, cosmonaut Yury A. Gagarin became the first human in space aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft
Valentina Tereshkova, a 26-year- Soviet cosmonaut, made history, when she went on a three-day mission in the Vostok 6 spacecraft
On July 20, 1969, the Apollo11 spaceflight accomplished its goal of landing the first humans on the Moon. Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon
The Hubble Space Telescope was launched into orbit on April 25, 1990. It has shot breathtaking images of previously unseen celestial phenomena
Mars Pathfinder launched from Earth on December 4, 1996 and reached Mars on July 4, 1997 becoming the first rover to reach another planet
SpaceShipOne, designed and developed by Scaled Composites of Mojave, became the first private manned space vehicle in space on June 21, 2004