“Journeying Beyond: Ten Remarkable Insights into Space Travel and Exploration and its Impact on Astronomy, Technology and Humanity”
Exploring space involves venturing beyond Earth’s atmosphere, offering invaluable insights into the cosmos and providing significant benefits to humanity. Termed astronomy and space technology, this endeavor is primarily conducted by astronomers employing telescopes. Below, we present the top ten remarkable facts about space exploration.
10. Humans have traveled into space for over 50 years now
On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin, a 27-year-old Russian astronaut, embarked on the inaugural human space journey aboard Vostok 1. Gagarin successfully orbited the planet before safely parachuting back to Earth, completing the mission in just one hour and forty-eight minutes.
Yuri’s Night, celebrated worldwide on April 12, commemorates this historic event, marking the dawn of human space exploration. Gagarin became a cultural icon in the Soviet Union following his flight, and his legacy endures in Russian space museums with artifacts, busts, and statues honoring his achievements.
Gagarin’s remains rest in the Kremlin in Moscow, while a portion of the Vostok spacecraft is displayed at the RKK Energiya museum.
His flight marked a pivotal moment in the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, which began with the Soviet launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, in October 1957.
Before Gagarin’s mission, the Soviets conducted a test flight using the Vostok spacecraft prototype, sending a life-size dummy named Ivan Ivanovich and a dog named Zvezdochka into space.
Following this successful test, the vessel was deemed capable of carrying a human, showcasing a significant milestone in space travel history.
09. The first “space tourist” traveled to the International Space Station in 2001
Space tourism, a fascinating aspect of space exploration, involves humans traveling to space for leisure. It includes various types such as orbital, suborbital, and lunar tourism. Dennis Tito, a California millionaire and former NASA engineer, made history as the world’s first paying space tourist.
In 2001, Tito spent eight days aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the ISS EP-1 crew, launched by the Russian Federal Space Agency using the Soyuz TM-32 spacecraft. Tito, who orbited the Earth 128 times, had a lifelong passion for space, having studied astronautics and aeronautics and worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Remarkably, he financed his trip with $20 million of his own money. Beyond his ISS adventure, Tito envisioned privately funded missions to Mars, highlighting existing travel technology while emphasizing the need to address the physical and psychological challenges of long-duration space travel. His endeavors mark a significant shift in space exploration, with private individuals contributing to humanity’s expansion beyond Earth.
08. The first person reached on the moon on July 20, 1969
The historic Apollo 11 mission saw American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to land on the moon and safely return to Earth. Commanded by Armstrong, they ventured outside their spacecraft and explored the lunar surface, marking a monumental achievement in space travel.
On July 20, 1969, Armstrong and Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle at 20:17 UTC. Armstrong descended first, spending six hours and 39 minutes outside the spacecraft before being joined by Aldrin, who spent 19 minutes less on the lunar surface. Together, they spent approximately two and a quarter hours conducting experiments, collecting lunar samples weighing about 47.5 pounds, and planting the American flag
The journey covered around 402,336 kilometers, equivalent to circling the Earth’s equator ten times. Launched by a Saturn V rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Armstrong’s historic first step on the lunar surface was broadcast worldwide on live television.
Their landing site, the Sea of Tranquility, offered a vast expanse for exploration. While there, they conducted various experiments, gathered soil and rock samples, and took core samples from the lunar crust, leaving an indelible mark on the history of space exploration.
07. Sputnik stunned the world
The launch of Sputnik 60 years ago marked the dawn of the space age and a significant triumph for the Soviet Union, showcasing its military and technological prowess. This first artificial satellite, launched in October 1957, stunned the world and heralded a new era of space exploration.
Sputnik, roughly the size of a beach ball, completed an orbit around Earth in just ninety-eight minutes. Its launch caught other nations off guard, with the United States not launching its first satellite until January 1958. Details of Sputnik’s development and launch were shrouded in secrecy by the Soviet space program, only revealed decades later.
Operating for three weeks before its batteries died, Sputnik silently circled Earth for two more months before reentering the atmosphere. Measuring 23 inches in diameter, it featured a polished metal sphere with four external radio antennas for broadcasting radio pulses.
The Russian name “Sputnik” translates to “companion” or “traveling companion” in the context of astronomy. It orbited at around 18,000 mph, completing an orbit every 96.2 minutes. Radio operators tracked Sputnik’s transmissions on frequencies of 20.005 and 40.002 MHz. With a mass of 184 lb, Sputnik left an enduring legacy in the annals of space exploration.
06. Many monkeys have sent into space
Before humans ventured into space, numerous brave animals played a crucial role in paving the way for human spaceflight. Among them, the first monkey, Albert, embarked on a historic journey aboard a V2 rocket launched from New Mexico on June 11, 1948.
Tragically, Albert succumbed to suffocation after reaching an altitude of 39 miles due to a technical malfunction. His successor, Albert II, met a similar fate, perishing upon impact during landing on June 14, 1949, due to a parachute malfunction.
Despite these early setbacks, subsequent monkeys like Albert III, IV, and V were launched into space, though none survived. However, Able and Miss Baker became the first monkeys to survive spaceflight, reaching an altitude of 360 miles aboard a Jupiter rocket.
These tales of animal astronauts, risking their lives in the name of exploration, offer profound insights into the challenges of space travel and rightfully hold a place among the most captivating facts about space exploration.
05. The first pup to orbit the earth was a stray
Just a month after the launch of the Russian satellite Sputnik 1, the Soviets made another historic stride by sending the first dog, Laika, into orbit around Earth in November 1957. Laika, a stray mutt found on the streets of Moscow, bravely embarked on this mission aboard the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2, becoming the first animal to venture beyond the planet’s orbit.
Tragically, just a few hours into the mission, Laika suffered from overheating and perished in space. Despite the technological limitations of the time, Laika’s mission was a crucial precursor to understanding the effects of space travel on living organisms and preparing for human spaceflight.
The circumstances of Laika’s death, attributed to a central R-7 sustainer failure to separate from the payload, remained shrouded in secrecy until 2002. Initial reports claimed she perished due to oxygen depletion, while later revelations suggested she was euthanized. Regardless, Laika’s sacrifice remains a poignant reminder of the risks and sacrifices involved in space exploration.
Today, Laika is commemorated on Moscow’s Monument to the Conquerors of Space, immortalizing her contribution to humanity’s quest to explore the cosmos.
04. The ashes of Pluto’s discoverer orbit the dwarf planet
Once hailed as the ninth planet from the sun, Pluto has undergone a significant reclassification, now recognized as the most massive known dwarf planet in our solar system and a prominent member of the Kuiper Belt. This redefinition in 2006 sparked widespread debate and controversy within both the scientific community and among the general public.
In 2017, a scientific group proposed a new definition for planets, suggesting they include “round objects in space smaller than stars,” potentially increasing the count from 8 to 100 in our solar system. The discovery of Pluto was a landmark achievement made by American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh in 1930, a legacy that endured until his passing on January 17, 1997.
Honoring Tombaugh’s wishes, his ashes were recently sent into space aboard NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft. This historic journey marked the first time human remains were sent beyond our solar system. Securely housed in a small container on the spacecraft’s upper deck, Tombaugh’s ashes embarked on a poignant journey, orbiting the very planet he had discovered. An inscription commemorates Tombaugh’s groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of the cosmos.
03. Unusual Insurance
In the early days of space exploration, astronauts faced a challenge: they couldn’t secure life insurance for their risky missions. To support their families in case of tragedy, these brave pioneers would autograph their pictures, ensuring officials would provide for their loved ones if needed. Fortunately, heroes like Neil Armstrong never required such measures.
The success of missions like SpaceX’s has sparked renewed enthusiasm for space exploration. Global aerospace companies have long offered insurance coverage for space initiatives, dating back to the era of the first commercial satellites. These policies provide financial support to cover the risks associated with launching vehicles and conducting space activities.
Space insurance typically includes coverage for third-party liabilities arising from launch activities and the valuation of property sent into space. While government and military satellites are often self-insured, commercially owned satellites require insurance to satisfy the requirements of their financial backers.
02. Astronaut food
Astronauts eat food similar to what they have on Earth but with a 40% reduction in sodium, stored in air-tight packaging to avoid crumbs that could cause issues in zero-gravity. They prioritize a balanced diet over a specific pre-flight regimen, taking Vitamin D supplements due to limited sun exposure and fresh produce availability. Calcium and Vitamin D are crucial to counter bone weakening in space caused by reduced gravity.
Space Ice Cream is a unique treat developed for astronauts, requiring no refrigeration and melting in the mouth like the real thing. In the early days of space exploration, astronauts ate food from toothpaste-like tubes, with the first meal in space being apple sauce squeezed from a tube by an American astronaut. These captivating facts shed light on the unconventional dining experiences in space.
01. The cost of space travel
Space Shuttle missions were known for their high costs and relatively low returns. Traditionally, space travel, being government-led, has always been expensive. However, the rise of private companies like SpaceX is changing the game, driving down costs.
The Space Shuttle program incurred high expenses, partly due to the non-reusable external tanks required for each launch, dating back to the 1970s and ’80s. Despite various modifications over the years, costs remained high.
Today, space tourism offers a range of prices, from $250,000 for a trip just beyond the Karman line to tens of millions for more ambitious journeys. Prospective travelers undergo rigorous assessments before embarking on their adventure.
SpaceX aims to send tourists into space, with plans for a 2018 vacation for two. In contrast, the Apollo 11 mission, which first landed a man on the moon, cost an estimated $25.4 billion in today’s money, highlighting the significant strides made in cost reduction in space travel.
