Top 10 Best Space Accomplishments
In this article, we will look at some of humankind’s greatest accomplishments in the space field. We are arguably still early in the space era - but nonetheless, we have accomplished much in this short burst of time - from sending a person to space to building a fully reusable rocket. History has a ton of surprising facts that you should know.
Let’s dive into 10 of the best space accomplishments.
1. First Person on the Moon
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong made one huge leap for mankind as part of the Apollo 11 mission, becoming the first person to walk on the moon. Buzz Aldrin, the lunar module's pilot, joined his commander just under 20 minutes later.
They spent three hours on foot exploring the moon, conducting experiments, and collecting materials. Armstrong and Aldrin returned to Earth on July 24 after reuniting with colleague astronaut Michael Collins, who had also completed the journey.
2. First Person in Space
On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space when he orbited the Earth in Vostok I. The historic journey lasted only 108 minutes until Gagarin removed himself from the spaceship and parachuted down to Earth, but it permanently transformed the way people look up at the stars.
The Soviet Union conducted a test voyage using a prototype of the Vostok I, a dog, and a man-size dummy before flying Gagarin into space.
3. First Object in Space
Sputnik I was flown on October 4, 1957, and became the first human-made spacecraft to reach space. The metal spherical object orbited our planet 1,440 times in 21 days before breaking its signal, bringing in the Space Age for the entire world.
The Soviet project provided insight into the density of the Earth's atmosphere and what factors contributed to a satellite's success. Sputnik, I stayed in orbit until January 4, 1958, when it re-entered our atmosphere and burned up.
4. The Mission to Interstellar Space
Voyager 1 was launched in 1977 with its spacecraft twin, Voyager 2, and is still operational today. Though its original goal was to investigate Jupiter and Saturn (the probe found volcanoes on Jupiter's moon and significant knowledge about Saturn's rings), Voyager 1 has actually gone above and beyond in its investigation.
Not only did it take a snapshot of our whole solar system in 1990, but it also became the first human-made probe to penetrate into interstellar space.
5. First Mars Rover
Mars Pathfinder didn't reach its namesake until July 4, 1997, after leaving Earth on December 4, 1996. The rover investigated the Ares Vallis region of Mars and examined its atmosphere, temperature, and geology after becoming the first to ever reach another planet.
There were worries about landing safely on Mars, but a novel solution that encased the vehicle in airbags worked.
The expedition sent back proof that Mars formerly had water flowing and that the planet's surface heats the atmosphere. Sojourner aired its last broadcast in September, but it was already regarded as a huge success.
6. Hubble Space Telescope
On April 24, 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope, the most sophisticated orbital telescope ever built (for its time), was launched into space. Since then, it has captured stunning photos of the universe's furthest galaxies (as seen above in the famous Hubble Deep Field image), magnificent supernovae, and our planetary neighbors.
The Hubble Space Telescope altered our basic knowledge of the cosmos and helped reveal our position in it, and it will soon be joined by an outstanding cadre of new observatories such as the James Webb Space Telescope.
7. First Landing on Another Planet
The Soviet Venera missions brought the dangers of Venus to light. The first expedition to safely arrive on another planet, Venera 7, shed light on the dangerous planet just next door.
The spacecraft only lasted about an hour on the surface, but it returned mountains of data for researchers to digest. Decades later, the 13th Venera expedition captured the first-ever photos of Venus's surface.
8. The Building of the ISS
In the autumn of 1998, the first sections of the International Space Station (ISS) were launched from Earth, one from Russia and the other from the United States.
The two were joined in space and pieced together until the first crew landed on November 2, 2000. Astronauts from all around the globe are still working on a variety of studies onboard the ISS, including studying the effects of microgravity on the human body. They are the guinea pigs for continuing research.
9. First Reusable Rocket
The first reusable spacecraft to reach orbit was the Space Shuttle in 1981. They were partially reusable but a great first step to reaching a more sustainable future.
To this day, more and more efficient systems are being developed by a variety of space companies and governments.
10. First Space Tourist
Dennis Tito (the one on the left), a wealthy Californian businessman, became the first commercial tourist to go to space. Dennis flew from Kazakhstan to the International Space Station for an eight-day vacation, paying $20 million for the opportunity.
Last Words
In conclusion, there are a ton of accomplishments that happened in a short 60 years. We hope you enjoyed this article on the top 10 best space accomplishments that are worth remembering.
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