History Of Space Exploration :: Space Exploration Essays

In our history many great things have happened. We have been inventing and exploring things since day one. Many of these things that we discovered or invented we thought would never be possible in earth's life time. But they exists now, today, they are used by almost every human being and there are many more incredible and unmanageable things to come and aid us in every day life. One of the most interesting things to me would fall under exploration and inventing. You are about to venture in to the history of space and learn how man and mans objects have gotten there. The exploration in space dates back over 40 years ago, January, 31 of 1958 to be exact. On this date Explorer 1, which was the first U.S. satellite to be fired in space and its unknown, to orbit earth. It lifted off from Cape Canaveral using a modified Jupiter-C rocket called ABMA-JPL. It carried a scientific experiment of James A. Van Allen, and discovered the Earth's radiation belt. Along with defeat and triumph also come disappointment and failure. In March 5 of 1958 Explorer 2 was launched by another Jupiter-C rocket and failed to reach orbit. October 1, 1958 NASA was founded, taking over existing National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics and only ten days later U.S. - IGY space probe was launched to a incredible height of 70,700 miles. On March 3 of 1959 Pioneer 4, an U.S.-IGY space probe is launched by a Juno II rocket, and achieves an earth-moon trajectory, passing within 37,000 miles of the moon. It then fell into a solar orbit, becoming the first U.S. sun orbiter. About a year later Tiros 1 was fired into earth's orbit and became the first successful weather satellite for the United States. Then on August 18 of the same year, 1960, Discoverer XIV was launched and became the first U.S. camera-equipped Corona spy satellite. On July 14, 1965, They U.S. Mariner 4 returned the first close-range images of Mars. The above paragraph explains some of the earliest satellites, spy satellites, and probes that were sent into space to explore the unknown and the "Impossible". May 5 of 1961 Mercury Freedom 7 carried Alan B. Shepard, Jr., who was the first U.S. astronaut in space, in a suborbital flight. This United States' first manned space flight project was successfully accomplished in a 4 2/3 year period of dynamic activity. During this time they saw more than 2,000,000 people from many major government agencies and much of the aerospace industry and combined their skills, initiative, and experience into a national effort. Also during this 4 and 2/3 period six other manned space flights