Space exploration

The idea of sending an object to space was conceived in the minds of many science fiction authors hundreds of years before it was actually feasible. Some of these works even included various descriptions of exactly how that would be done. During the 20th century, with the development of adequate propulsion technologies, stronger and lighter materials and other technological and scientific breakthroughs, the idea of outer-earth missions was no longer a dream, but a viable practice.

One can distinguish the sub-orbital flight and the orbital flight. Achieving orbit is a prerequisite for going anywhere else, such as to the Moon or Mars.

The first successful space launch was of the Soviet unmanned Sputnik I mission on October 4, 1957. The first orbital flight made by a human being was Vostok 1, carrying Yuri Gagarin on April 12 1961.

See also:

• Space Race
• Human spaceflight
  • Vostok program
  • Mercury program
  • Voskhod program
  • Gemini program
  • Soyuz program
  • Apollo program
  • Skylab
  • Space Shuttle program
  • Shenzhou spacecraft
  • Crew Exploration Vehicle
• Unmanned space missions
  • Mariner program
  • Surveyor program
• Astronaut
• Space station
• Space tourism
• Space colonization
• Space disasters
• Exploration of Mars

Referenced By