Man and Space Travel

Man has been fascinated with space travel for ages but it wasn't until the early 19^th century that the dream came to fruition.

Robert Goddard launched the first liquid-fuel rocket in 1926. It was a 10-foot ship called Nell, and rose only 41 feet from the ground. Nell served as a template for future rockets to the moon. The Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland is named in his honor.

Sputnik 1 was the first man-made satellite in space, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. Since then, more than 4000 satellites have been launched into space.

Luna 3 was the first spacecraft to orbit in the moon in 1959, launched by the Soviet Union.

Vostok 1 carried the first person into space, Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut, who orbited the Earth one time. His journey took one hour and 48 minutes.

Friendship 7 carried the first American, John Glenn Jr., to orbit Earth in 1962. He orbited Earth three times and said the view was tremendous.

Voskhod 2 carried the first person to walk in space, Soviet cosmonaut Alexi Leanov, in 1965. He was tied to Voskhod 2 by a tether and floated in space for 10 minutes.

Apollo 8 was the first manned ship to orbit the moon in 1968. Crew members included Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders.

Apollo 11 carried Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, in 1969. Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin followed. Apollo 11 never landed on the moon. Eagle, a separate lunar module, took Armstrong & Aldrin to the surface of the moon.

The Columbia Space Shuttle was the first spacecraft to be sent on a second mission in 1981. As the Space Shuttle returns to Earth, it enters Earth's atmosphere at an amazing 16,000 miles per hour.

The International Space Station (ISS) orbits the Earth where it produces, houses, and fixes broken satellites.

NASA is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a part of the United States government that oversees space travel. NASA was formed in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Some household appliances, such as water filters, smoke detectors, alarms, cordless vacuum cleaners, and cordless drills were developed by NASA for use in space.

Extravehicular Mobility Units, or EMUs, are spacesuits, which provide oxygen and keep body temperatures of astronauts steady. Astronauts wear EMUs when they go outside of their spacecraft and are connected by cables. First, they put their pants on over their water-cooled underwear. Next, astronauts climb into the tops while the suit is hanging up. A computer in the EMU tells the astronauts if anything is not working. The helmets are equipped with microphones and earphones as well as a radio in their backpacks to help them communicate.