In 1971, on April 19, the Soviet Union launched the first space station -- an orbiting laboratory named Salyut 1. On June 30 that year, the crew was killed when the spacecraft bringing them to Earth became depressurized during re-entry.

The first US space station, Skylab 1, was launched into orbit 271 miles above Earth on May 14, 1973. On July 17, two years later, came the much-publicized Apollo-Soyuz rendezvous, a highlight of the first international manned space mission.

July 20, 1976, Viking 1 landed on Mars and transmitted the first pictures from its surface. On March 5, 1979, Voyager 1 made its closest approach to Jupiter, relaying images of the planet and its moons. April 12, 1981 saw the inaugural launch of the US space shuttle Columbia -- the first reusable manned spacecraft. August 25 that same year, Voyager 2 flew by Saturn, sending detailed photographs.