• October 4, 1957-Soviet Union launches Sputnik • April 18, 1961-a Soviet cosmonaut is the first person to orbit Earth • February 20, 1962-John Glenn le the first American to orbit Earth • July 20, 1969-Neil Armstrong walks on the Moon S Which conclusion do these events directly support? ОА. The United States was the first to orbit Earth. The United States space program eventually surpassed the Soviet Union's program. The Soviet Union and the United States both militarized space Sputnik had little domestic influence on the United States D.