decaturjim:

50 years of space exploration

From National Geographic:

The first attempts to reach Mars (1960) and Venus (1961) failed, yet triumph followed quickly. Of the nearly 200 solar, lunar, and interplanatery missions depicted on this map, most have been Earth’s closest neighbours. As rocketry, navigation, and imaging have become ever more capable and reliable, the planets and many of their moons have been examined in detail. 

(via astudyinspock)