Humans have made great strides in space travel and space exploration in a relatively short period of time since such feats were first accomplished. Here we explore five of the most important and memorable moments in space history.
4 October 1957 - The world's first artificial satellite
The Sputnik 1 satellite was launched by the USSR on October 4, 1957. It was the first man-made object to leave Earth's atmosphere. It weighed 83.5kg and was described as a "remarkable achievement" at the time.
12 April 1961 - The first man in space
The USSR sent Yuri Gagarin into space on a Vostok spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It circled the Earth in 108 minutes at a speed of over 17,000 miles per hour. The achievement was reported at the time as a blow to Americans, who hoped to be the first to eject a human from Earth's atmosphere. Less than a month later, on May 5, 1961, the United States launched American citizen Alan Shepard into space.
The Lunar Landing
The Apollo 11 spaceflight, which achieved its goal of landing the first humans on the moon on July 20, 1969, was arguably one of the most defining events in space exploration of the 20th century. The spacecraft's flight, landing and return to Earth was watched on television by hundreds of millions of people around the world. As Britannica's biography of Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong reports: On July 16, 1969, Armstrong was launched to the moon in the Apollo 11 vehicle with Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. and Michael Collins. Four days later at 4:17 p.m. At 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (EDT), Armstrong's hand-guided lunar lander Eagle touched down on a plain near the southwestern edge of the Sea of Tranquillitatis (Mare Tranquillitatis). July 20, 1969 at 10:56 p.m. (In the excitement of the moment, Armstrong skipped the "a" in the statement he had prepared.) Armstrong and Aldrin left the module for more than two hours, using scientific instruments , collecting surface data. samples and took many photos.
Launch of the Hubble Space Telescope
On April 25, 1990, crew members of the Space Shuttle Discovery launched the Hubble Space Telescope, named after Edwin Powell Hubble. The Large Reflecting Telescope was the most advanced optical observatory ever to orbit the earth, and the photos it collected ultimately revolutionized the field of astronomy.
Flight of the First Private Spacecraft
On June 21, 2004, SpaceShipOne, designed and developed by an aerospace development company called Scaled Composites of Mojave, California, founded in 1982 by American aircraft designer Burt Rutan (author of the British article SpaceShipOne), was launched as the first privately manned spacecraft to fly beyond the confines of space. The vehicle was piloted by South African-born American test pilot Mike Melvill, who became the first commercial astronaut pilot thanks to his successful flight over the edge of space.
16 June 1963 - The first woman in space
Valentina Tereshkova, a former textile worker, was the first woman sent into space by the Soviet Union. She made 49 orbits around the Earth in three days in space and was reportedly injured on landing.
19 April 1971 - The first space station is launched
Russia launched Salyut, the first space station. The first crew to dock at the orbiting outpost are later killed on their re-entry when air leaks from their Soyuz capsule.
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Grace Randolph
Humans have made great strides in space travel and space exploration in a relatively short period of time since such feats were first accomplished. Here we explore five of the most important and memorable moments in space history.
4 October 1957 - The world's first artificial satellite
The Sputnik 1 satellite was launched by the USSR on October 4, 1957. It was the first man-made object to leave Earth's atmosphere. It weighed 83.5kg and was described as a "remarkable achievement" at the time.
12 April 1961 - The first man in space
The USSR sent Yuri Gagarin into space on a Vostok spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It circled the Earth in 108 minutes at a speed of over 17,000 miles per hour. The achievement was reported at the time as a blow to Americans, who hoped to be the first to eject a human from Earth's atmosphere. Less than a month later, on May 5, 1961, the United States launched American citizen Alan Shepard into space.
The Lunar Landing
The Apollo 11 spaceflight, which achieved its goal of landing the first humans on the moon on July 20, 1969, was arguably one of the most defining events in space exploration of the 20th century. The spacecraft's flight, landing and return to Earth was watched on television by hundreds of millions of people around the world. As Britannica's biography of Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong reports: On July 16, 1969, Armstrong was launched to the moon in the Apollo 11 vehicle with Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. and Michael Collins. Four days later at 4:17 p.m. At 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (EDT), Armstrong's hand-guided lunar lander Eagle touched down on a plain near the southwestern edge of the Sea of Tranquillitatis (Mare Tranquillitatis). July 20, 1969 at 10:56 p.m. (In the excitement of the moment, Armstrong skipped the "a" in the statement he had prepared.) Armstrong and Aldrin left the module for more than two hours, using scientific instruments , collecting surface data. samples and took many photos.
Launch of the Hubble Space Telescope
On April 25, 1990, crew members of the Space Shuttle Discovery launched the Hubble Space Telescope, named after Edwin Powell Hubble. The Large Reflecting Telescope was the most advanced optical observatory ever to orbit the earth, and the photos it collected ultimately revolutionized the field of astronomy.
Flight of the First Private Spacecraft
On June 21, 2004, SpaceShipOne, designed and developed by an aerospace development company called Scaled Composites of Mojave, California, founded in 1982 by American aircraft designer Burt Rutan (author of the British article SpaceShipOne), was launched as the first privately manned spacecraft to fly beyond the confines of space. The vehicle was piloted by South African-born American test pilot Mike Melvill, who became the first commercial astronaut pilot thanks to his successful flight over the edge of space.
16 June 1963 - The first woman in space
Valentina Tereshkova, a former textile worker, was the first woman sent into space by the Soviet Union. She made 49 orbits around the Earth in three days in space and was reportedly injured on landing.
19 April 1971 - The first space station is launched
Russia launched Salyut, the first space station. The first crew to dock at the orbiting outpost are later killed on their re-entry when air leaks from their Soyuz capsule.
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