A
Very Brief History of Space Exploration
Because
humans have always been curious about the sky above them, there is
no adequate starting point for this short list, nor any proper number
of events that should be included. So we start where we start, and
apologize to all those who made significant contributions but are
left out.
BC
Aristotle lived from 384 to 322 B.C. and developed much of the thinking
about astronomy in his time, including the idea that the Earth
was the center of the universe.
Well, human understanding had to start somewhere.
1543
Nicolas Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, publishes a book proposing
the revolutionary idea that the Sun,
and not the Earth, is the center of
the solar system.
Around 1600
The first telescopes are made. The device may have been invented by
Dutch scientist Hans Lippershey, though we don't know for sure.
1609
German astronomer Johannes Kepler publishes his laws of planetary
motion, which states that planets do in fact orbit
in an elliptical motion around the Sun.
1632
Galileo Galilei, a pioneer in the use of the recently invented telescope,
publishes his theoretical work describing the physics of Copernicus'
idea. Galileo is condemned by the church for the work.
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milan's universe
Galileo
The
strange facts in a famous story
So, you think Galileo invented the telescope and proved
that the Earth goes around the Sun?
1687
Isaac Newton publishes Principia, which shows how gravity holds
the universe together, completing a revolution in scientific thought
begun by Copernicus.
1903
Konstantin Tsolikovsky publishes the idea of using liquid propellants
to fuel space travel.
1957
Russia puts into orbit the first satellite, Sputnik, and the first
animal, Laika the dog. (A U.S. satellite launch failed.)
1961
Yuri Gagarin of the USSR is the first human in space, followed by
Alan Shepard of the United States. President Kennedy sets the goal
of landing on the Moon.
1963
Valentina Tereshkova of the USSR is the first woman in space.
1964
Mariner 4 is launched toward Mars.
1969
Humans land on the Moon aboard Apollo 11 on July 20. Neil Armstrong
and Buzz Aldrin collect lunar samples and return them to Earth.
1971
The USSR sends up Salyut 1, the first orbital space station.
1976
Viking 1 and 2 orbit Mars, then land on the Red Planet.
1981
The U.S. Space Shuttle makes its inaugural flight.
1986
The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes less than two minutes into its
flight, killing all seven crew members and setting back NASA programs
for several years. The Russian Mir space station in launched.
1990
The Hubble Space Telescope is put
into orbit from the Space Shuttle Atlantis.
1998
Russia and U.S. cooperate in the assembly of the first two modules
of the International Space Station.
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