1981

January

 * 28: As commander of a joint US/Soviet mission, Anton Borkoff becomes the first man to walk on the planet Mars

August

 * 22: The World Space Commission (WSC) is formed through a merging of NASA with the Soviet and European space agencies. All future manned spaceflight is to be approved, managed, and funded through the combined resources of all spacefaring nations. Decisions concerning all lunar activities are to be handled under the authority of a sub-agency, the International Lunar Commission (ILC).