It wasn't until the 16th century that the Polish mathematician and
astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus presented the Heliocentric model of the Solar System,
where the Earth and the other planets orbited around the Sun.
First man-made object
to pass near the Moon, first man-made object in Heliocentric orbit, Luna 1 1959:
First probe to impact the Moon, Luna 2 1959: First images of the moon's far side, Luna 3 1960: First animals to safely return from Earth orbit, the dogs Belka and Strelka on Sputnik 5.