1 THE SPACE AGE BEGAN MORE THAN 50 YEARS AGO On October 4 1957 the Soviet Union now Russia launched Sputnik 1 Sputnik was the first manmade satellite Though only the size of a beach ball the little satellite made a big impact It started a Space Age that has lasted more than 50 years Some scientists and historians argue the Space Age is over However others say recent innovations and projects show the era of space exploration is still alive and well 4 A photo of Earth taken by the Apollo 16 crew in 1972 At the beginning of the Space Age there was a Space Race The Soviet Union and the United States raced to be the first to launch people into space land an astronaut on the moon and explore space On May 25 1961 President 1,400 Number of Earth orbits the first spacecraft Sputnik 1 completed in 1958 The Space Age started in 1957 when Russia launched the satellite Sputnik On July 20 1969 Neil Armstrong became the first person to stand on the moon Space exploration still excites people in the United States and around the world
NASA’s facilities on Cape Canaveral in Florida John F Kennedy announced his goal of sending an American to the moon before 1970 The National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA would be in charge of the US space program Over the next eight years NASA scientists worked hard to develop technology that could safely land an astronaut on the moon On July 20 1969 Kennedy’s goal was achieved That day astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped off the ladder of Apollo 11’s lunar module and onto the surface on the moon Since 1969 NASA’s missions have launched satellites telescopes research vehicles and astronauts into space In 2011 NASA announced the end of its space shuttle program that transported THINK ABOUT IT How would you help make sure space exploration continues Would you give up your time to campaign Would you donate your own money astronauts into space and to the International Space Station But that did not mean Americans no longer could explore space Instead of racing against each other Russia the United States and other spacefaring countries now work together American astronauts travel to space in Russian spacecraft Private companies in the United States are also developing their own spacefaring vessels The exploration of space continues to excite scientists Americans and people around the globe 5
2 THE SPACE STATION REMAINS IMPORTANT The International Space Station ISS was launched in 1998 It has orbited Earth ever since The ISS circles Earth more than 15 times a day It follows the same loop never going anywhere new But many believe the ISS is important to future exploration The ISS is maintained by astronauts from many different countries including the United States Russia including the United States Russia and China The astronauts spend months at a time on the ISS While on board they perform tests and do maintenance The ISS is also used as a research lab for gravity and space experiments Astronauts research the effects that zero gravity has on living beings Zero gravity is a state of being weightless To understand these effects the ISS crew studies rats that live onboard crew studies rats that live onboard 6 Many hope the ISS has a long future
INSIDE THE ISS The ISS is approximately the size of a football field Huge solar panel wings provide power to the station The ISS has more living space than a typical six-bedroom house does Astronauts use a huge bay window to see approaching spacecraft the moon stars and Earth They can also see a sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes The ISS also shows what can happen to spacecraft long-term Zero gravity can cause dust to clog filters Bacteria behave differently when in space They grow in strange formations and weigh more than bacteria on Earth These small problems could become major ones on a future trip to Mars Mars is millions of miles away Crews could not turn around or get new supplies Solving these issues on the ISS may make reaching new and distant destinations possible In 2013 President Barack Obama extended the ISS’s orbit to at least 2024 It will continue to be important in space exploration Astronaut Susan J Helms looks out a window on the ISS 15 Number of countries that have been involved in the ISS The ISS orbits Earth more than 15 times each day Although it does not travel new places the experiments onboard the ISS are important to future exploration Rats live onboard permanently while humans visit for months at a time Research onboard the ISS could make long distance space missions possible 7
