SPACE EXPLORATION
SPACE EXPLORATION
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Space exploration has fascinated humans, and allowed them to learn about the stars, planets and the other objects found in space. Greater than five thousand spacecraft, with the mission of gathering information, have been sent into space since the year 1957. Some of these spacecraft have had humans on board, satellites and space probes. Originally, it was the Soviet Union, now known as Russia, along with the United States of America, that comprised the main countries exploring space. Today, many additional countries are also actively exploring now.
Astronauts go through a rigorous training program where they study both math and science in a classroom setting. Computer-controlled simulators are utilized to teach them how to control their spacecraft. These simulators allow the astronauts to face various conditions that they will likely encounter during an actual flight. It is also imperative that the astronauts improve their physical fitness. And, in order to experience and normalize the feeling of weightlessness, these astronauts also make specialized trips in airplanes.
Humans could not survive in outer space, of their own devices. The environment out there is different than it is on Earth; therefore, astronauts have to travel in space encompassed in tightly sealed compartments. It is necessary that they bring their own supply of oxygen. And once they are in space, they are able to do important tasks such as conducting scientific experiments, making repairs to their spacecraft, or perhaps repairs to other equipment in space. It is necessary that they wear heavy space suits to safely accommodate this work outside the spacecraft.
Looking back into the history of space travel and exploration, we learn that rockets were developed by scientists in the 1900's. They needed to be able to travel at a fast enough speed in order to escape the pull of force called gravity. Gravity is defined as a force on Earth which pulls objects toward its center.
The Soviet Union led the development of powerful rockets with the first artificial satellite launch on October 4, 1957. Its name was Sputnik One, and it orbited around the Earth. A dog was launched into orbit, also by the Soviet Union, on November 3, 1957. Yury Gagarin, a Russian cosmonaut, made his place in history on April 12, 1961, when he was the first human to circle the Earth in space, and Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space in the year 1963.
The United States was not far behind with their first U.S. Satellite being launched by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) on January 31, 1958. Alan B. Shepard, Jr. was the first American to enter space on May 5, 1961. And Neil Armstrong went into the history records with becoming the first human to actually walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.
More advances continued to be made with the first reusable spacecraft, which was called a space shuttle. In the year 1981, the United States was responsible for this grand movement. The main section of the space shuttle had wings and it was called the orbiter. Fuel tanks, rockets and oxygen tanks were attached to the orbiter. This type of engineering allowed the spacecraft to boost through the Earth's thickest portion of its atmosphere. Once the fuel was used up, those boosters would fall into the ocean where they were able to be recovered. When the mission ended, the orbiter came back to Earth and would land just like an airplane.
Space exploration has had a tremendous impact on advances in
science. The information learned through
visiting outer space and via satellites and orbiters continues to launch this
age of exploration forward. Additionally,
machines have been sent into space in order to investigate and learn about
objects that are located further away in the Solar System.
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