Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier in a Bell XS-1 airplane over Rogers Dry Lake, California.

Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier in a Bell XS-1 airplane over Rogers Dry Lake, California.
On 07 October 1959, Luna 3 captured the moon on film, then developed it robotically and faxed photos to Earth.
Its successful launch signaled a public escalation of the U.S.-U.S.S.R Cold War.