Timeline of space exploration

Columns: Date | Mission achievements | Country/organization | Mission name
21 August 1957 | First intercontinental ballistic missile ( ICBM ) | USSR | R-7 Semyorka/SS-6 Sapwood | 4 October 1957 | First artificial satellite First signals from space | USSR | Sputnik 1 | 3 November 1957 | First mammal in orbit , the dog Laika | USSR | Sputnik 2 | 31 January 1958 | Confirmed existence of the Van Allen radiation belt | USA ( ABMA ) | Explorer 1 | 4 January 1959 | First rocket to reach Earth escape velocity ; attempt to impact the Moon 's surface ; missed by 5,995 kilometers ( 3,237 nmi ) First artificial object in heliocentric orbit First detection of solar wind | USSR | Luna 1 | 7 August 1959 | First photograph of Earth from orbit | USA ( NASA ) | Explorer 6 | 13 September 1959 | First impact into the Moon First delivery of national pennants to a celestial body | USSR | Luna 2 | 4 October 1959 | First photos of another world from space : the far side of the Moon | USSR | Luna 3

Example questions:
How many launches did the first missile make in 1956-1959 ? | When was the 1956-1959 launch date of the second to last mission ? | What country was responsible for the first Sputnik space exploration mission ? | How tall in feet was the craft involved in the last mission that took place in 1957 space exploration ?

Answers:
28 | 12 September 1959 | Soviet Union | 13 feet