How have people explored space?

For thousands of years people only watched the sky. In 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, and the Space Age began. In 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the first person to go into space, and in 1963 Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman. Mae Jemison became the first Black woman in space in 1992.

The most famous mission was Apollo 11. In July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon while Michael Collins stayed in orbit. Between 1969 and 1972, twelve astronauts walked on the Moon. Rockets must travel fast enough to escape Earth's gravity.

Today people live and work on the International Space Station (ISS), a laboratory built by many countries. It orbits about 400 kilometres above Earth, circling the planet roughly every 90 minutes, and has been occupied continuously since 2000. Astronauts study how bodies cope without gravity and run science experiments.

Most exploration is done by robots, because they do not need food, air or a return trip. Probes have visited every planet in the solar system. Rovers called Curiosity and Perseverance have been driving around Mars, searching for signs of past water. The twin Voyager spacecraft, launched in 1977, are now far outside the planets. Space telescopes, such as Hubble and James Webb, see stars and galaxies without the haze of our atmosphere.

Space technology has also brought benefits on Earth: weather forecasts, satellite navigation, communication and many materials we use. New missions aim to return people to the Moon and one day reach Mars.