Spaceflight and space exploration are no longer what many knew them to be; thanks to improved technology, most people now understand that space exploration helps us know more about how our planet relates to outer space. Well, some memorable happenings in space exploration history laid the foundation for how far we’ve explored space today. This article is dedicated to five of those iconic moments.

Animals paving the way for others

You’ve probably learned in elementary science that before humans went into space, animals went there first. Well, that’s the truth; animals were launched into space first– but these creatures went and made history.

A female rhesus monkey (Able) and a female squirrel monkey (Baker) were sent into space by the US on a Jupiter mission. On the 28th of May, 1959, these two creatures became the first to return from space alive.

First human blasting off to space

Of course, the whole essence of sending animals on space missions was to see how liveable it was out there. After animals came back safely from space, humans started to prepare for their explorations. Who went first?

Yuri Gagarin from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, was sent into space by the USSR in a Vostok spacecraft on April 12, 1961. He traveled at a speed of 17,000 miles per hour, orbiting the Earth once in 108 minutes.

First woman in space: Another space exploration accomplishment

After the first man went into space, other astronauts, like American Alan Shepard, also undertook the voyage. One such exploration which was memorable was the space exploration of the first woman.

A former textile worker, Valentina Tereshkova, was the first woman to be sent into space by the Soviet Union. While Yuri Gagarin orbited the Earth once, she did it 49 times in 3 days. However, her landing injury reminded scientists of potential dangers.

The famously giant ‘leap for mankind’

Although different space explorations followed Yuri Gargarin’s pioneering exploration, no astronaut set foot on the Moon for many years. Eventually, in 1969, the U.S. won the race to the Moon when two astronauts went to explore the Moon.

Neil Armstrong and Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin spent two hours on the Moon collecting rock samples and setting up observation equipment. On this mission, Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the Moon; he famously described his first step as ‘a giant leap for mankind.’

A revolutionary device that astronomy can’t forget

Sputnik 1 became the first satellite to be launched by a man on October 4, 1957. The launch of this satellite by the USSR was a major achievement in space stations and vehicles. Well, decades later, a more sophisticated space device was developed.

The Hubble Space Telescope was placed into orbit on April 25, 1990, by crew members of the Discovery space shuttle. The photos taken from this large reflecting telescope played a major role in astronauts’ understanding of space.