Manned (and Unmanned) Missions to Space by Russia, the US, and China (1961 – 2026)

Manned (and Unmanned) Missions to Space by Russia, the US, and China (1961 – 2026)
graph from Space Stats Online & Julia Wendling/Jennifer West; slow reveal by Jenna Laib

Type of Graph: stacked bar graph

Purpose

This slow reveal is designed to support analysis and discussion of both the data and the design choices. The questions in the slide deck invite learners to identify trends, estimate values, and compare values, consider the scale along the y-axis, and finally to compare and contrast two different data visualizations. What is the same? What is different? What information might be missing?

About This Graph

This visualization is not provided for reuse or redistribution. Readers and educators are encouraged to view the original visualization in its published context.

Data Visualization Sources:
Visualization #1
Space Stats Online. “Manned Launches.” Space Stats, Last Updated on 30 July 2026. Accessed at https://spacestatsonline.com/launches/manned/ 

Visualization #2
Wendling, Julia and Jennifer West. “Charted: Annual Space Launches by Country. (1957 – 2025)” Visual Capitalist, 2 June 2026. (Sponsored Post)
Accessed at  www.visualcapitalist.com/sp/hf09-charted-annual-space-launches-by-country-19572026/

Data Source: 

For Visualization #1: self; public launch-tracking sources, potentially Wikipedia and Jonathan McDowell’s Space Report / Launch Log

For Visualization #2: AEI Space Data Navivator https://spacedata.aei.org/space/

In The Classroom

There are many different mathematical connections that can be made to this data and data visualization.

Potential Math Content: bar graph, stacked bar graph, trends over time, scale along the y-axis, estimating values, comparing values

Potential Content Connections: space, space launches, space race, Cold War history, NASA, Soviet space program/Roscosmos, China’s space program (CNSA), geopolitics, commercial spaceflight, aerospace