Space Exploration in a Nutshell
Space exploration has been a subject of interest to humans. Because people are intrigued by the unknown, everyone, from scientists to writers, has always wondered about what lies beyond this planet.
Britannica defined space exploration as “the investigation, by means of crewed and uncrewed spacecraft, of the reaches of the universe beyond Earth’s atmosphere and the information so gained to increase knowledge of the cosmos and benefit humanity.”
Thanks to technological breakthroughs, man’s thirst for outer space can now be sated. With the use of machines—and, in some cases, with the aid of animals—humans can now see and further study outer space.
During our modern era, experimental rockets were launched in the 1930s and 1940s, but their results left much to be desired. The launching of the Sputnik 1 satellite by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957, proved that missions on space were not exactly an impossible feat. The achievement, which has a significant place in the history of space exploration, prompted the Soviet Union to launch the Sputnik 2 satellite in less than a month later.
Wanting to have their own contribution in the space exploration timeline, the United States aimed to eclipse the Soviet Union’s success in space. They successfully launched the Explorer 1 satellite on January 31, 1958—an event that signaled the beginning of the “space race” between the two countries. Explorer 2 followed on March 2 of the same year. However, it failed to match the success of its predecessor.
After successful unmanned missions came the sending of humans into outer space. Russia was the first country to successfully accomplish this by sending Yuri Gagarin aboard the Vostok 1 on April 12, 1961. The ship orbited the Earth in an hour and forty-eight minutes. Not to be outdone, the United States had Alan Shepard achieve a complete suborbital flight a month later. Not all space missions had happy endings, however. All crew members of Apollo 1 perished on January 27, 1967, when their ship caught fire on the ground during a simulation launch.
With the help of technological advancements, manned space mission became safer and easier. On July 20, 1969, the United States was able to cement a solid reputation in space exploration with the successful and safe landing of Apollo 11’s crew on the moon. Neil Armstrong also scored a victory himself by being the first-ever man to walk on the moon.
The future of space exploration remains bright. With the focus shifting from the moon to Mars, possibilities are endless. In the world of space exploration, there’s nowhere to go but up.
What are some of your favorite events in space exploration history? List them down in the comment section below or through Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. Don’t forget to check out my book, Ol’ Shakey, as well.
References
Logsdon, John. 1999. “Space exploration.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, May 4. Last modified September 15, 2017. Accessed October 25, 2017. https://www.britannica.com/topic/space-exploration.
Online Star Register. 2009. “The History of Space Exploration.” Accessed October 25, 2017. https://osr.org/blog/astronomy/the-history-of-space-exploration/.
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