Some space missions have shown how far humanity can go in its progress, while other “sorties” into outer space have left a bitter aftertaste of the collapse of hopes. Crew members and designers involved in space exploration have made outstanding progress in exploring our universe. The memory of the heroes and their exploits will be passed on from generation to generation. Let's recall the ten most significant space missions.
1
Sputnik-1 (1957)
The official name for this spacecraft is PS-1. On October 4, 1957, it became the first artificial object launched into outer space. Sputnik-1 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and was launched into Earth orbit. The device was a sphere made of aluminum alloy, which in 21 days of a monitored stay in space circled our planet 1440 times before the signal was lost.
This event is difficult to overestimate, since the launch of the first satellite marked the beginning of the space age. The mission of the Soviet space designers shed light on the density of the earth's atmosphere and set the tone for further progress. Sputnik-1 remained in orbit for 3 months until it burned down in January 1958, returning to our atmosphere.
2
East-1 (1961)
Since childhood, we know that the first person to go on a space flight was our compatriot Yuri Gagarin! This great event happened on April 12, 1961, when the Vostok-1 spacecraft circled around the Earth. It is noteworthy that the journey, which turned the tide of history, lasted only 108 minutes. After the flight ring closed, Gagarin left the spacecraft, making the planned parachute jump into the expanses of his native planet. The first manned flight into space made mankind forever change its view of the stars.
It is noteworthy that before sending Yuri Gagarin into space, Soviet designers sent a prototype of the Vostok-1 spacecraft, as well as the Sputnik-5 spacecraft, which contained the famous Belka and Strelka, two purebred dogs that became the first living creatures to fly in space .
3
Apollo 11 (1969)
The successful completion of the mission on the Apollo 11 spacecraft was not only an important step for the United States, which until then had been losing the space race to the Soviet Union, but also a giant leap for the entire study of extraterrestrial open spaces. Launched on July 20, 1969 from Cape Kennedy (now called Cape Canaveral), the Apollo 11 spacecraft flew to the moon with three crew members. The first person to take the “small step for man, but a giant leap for humanity” was Neil Armstrong, who was later joined by Edwin Aldrin, who was piloting the lunar module.
Astronauts spent about three hours on the lunar surface, during which they examined the soil, conducted several experiments and took samples for analysis. After reuniting with third crew member Michael Collins, Aldrin and Armstrong returned to Earth, becoming national heroes in the United States. It is noteworthy that later the world community repeatedly expressed doubts about the reliability of the flight, but it was not possible to prove the alleged fraud.
4
Apollo 13 (1970)
Apollo 13 was the first spacecraft sent to the moon, on which the accident occurred. It was launched on April 11, 1970 without any incidents, but after only 56 hours of flight the situation changed dramatically. After the live broadcast from the ship, in which his crew communicated in the person of James Lovell, John Swigert and Fred Hayes with the "earthlings," an explosion occurred, which made it clear that the crew would not explore one of the areas of the Moon, as originally planned.
The failure of the oxygen tanks provided food for thought to both the crew and the management personnel on the ground. On the go, multiple operations were invented to correct the situation. Astronauts managed to survive in conditions of lack of energy, water, heat and excess carbon monoxide, returning to Earth intact. For three crew members, April 17, 1970 was the second birthday.
By the way, on thebiggest.ru there is a very interesting article about the largest planetary moons. Space lovers are highly recommended to watch it.
5
STS-51L
The 25th mission of the US program, called the Space Shuttle, launched on January 28, 1986. It ended in tragedy just 73 seconds after the spacecraft took off. The STS-51L was the tenth flight to be made on the Challenger shuttle, but the failure of the rocket accelerator led to the destruction of the shuttle and the death of all seven crew members.
The launch of the reusable spacecraft was scheduled for January 22, but the take-off date was repeatedly delayed due to bad weather. The purpose of the flight was to observe Halley's comet. The crew also had to track the work of the satellites, and Krista McAuliffe, a teacher by profession, took on the mission to conduct the first lesson from outer space, for children on earth.
6
Voyager 1
This automatic interplanetary station was launched in 1977 together with the twin brother Voyager 2, and still faithfully serves humanity, fulfilling its mission to study the solar system. Initially, Voyager 1 went to outer space to study Saturn and Jupiter. Optical means of the station were able to detect volcanoes on the satellite of Jupiter, and also gave scientists a lot of information about the rings of Saturn.
It is difficult to overestimate the results of the Voyager-1 spacecraft; it not only took detailed pictures of the solar system in 1990, but also crossed it, falling into interstellar space in 2012, which made it the first artificial intersystem "probe".
7
Mars pathfinder
The name "Mars Pathfinder" was given to NASA's space program to study the surface of Mars. The flight to the red planet started on December 4, 1996 and took 7 months, until in June 1997 the station, together with the Sojourner marssohd, reached Mars, becoming the first artificial object to land on another planet. The rover proceeded to the Ares valley, where he engaged in the analysis of the atmosphere, climate and geology. The designers took into account many aspects associated with the landing of the station, equipping it with many airbags that softened the landing.
The research results proved the assumption that there was running water on Mars earlier, and the atmosphere was heated by the surface of the planet. Sojourner transmitted the latest data in September, but by that time the mission was already considered successful, and fully met the expectations of the designers and NASA management.
8
International Space Station
The first components of the ISS, one from Russia, and the second from the USA, went into space in the fall of 1998. They were docked directly in outer space and ready for operation on November 2, 2000, taking on board a crew arriving from Earth. The International Space Station receives astronauts from all over the world, where they carry out research activities, conducting various experiments, including studying the effect of microgravity on the human body. It is noteworthy that in this test, the astronauts act as guinea pigs, being experimental.
For more than 20 years of the ISS operation, it has been repeatedly subjected to both mechanical and diplomatic adjustments, which helps the station to stay “afloat”. Despite a considerable age by technological standards, in 2018 a decision was made to extend its presence in space until 2030.
9
Kepler
On March 7, 2009, the Kepler orbiting telescope launched from Cape Canaveral. The task was to conduct a study of the structure and diversity of planetary systems. The mission of the first apparatus came to an end in 2013, and already in 2014, the improved K2 twin was launched. Initially, it was assumed that the second generation orbital telescope would last until 2018, but already in 2016 it became clear that it would not have enough fuel to return to orbit. During its operation, Kepler discovered 1284 planets, of which only nine were in the habitable zone. Interestingly, despite the actual completion of the Kepler’s work at the end of October 2018, it was turned off only in mid-November and was timed to coincide with the death date of the German astronomer Johannes Kepler, in whose honor the telescope was named.
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10
Cassini - Huygens
After spending as much as 20 years in outer space, the Cassini spacecraft and the Huygens lander completed their mission on September 15, 2017. The station was created jointly by NASA, the Italian Space Agency and the European Space Agency to collect information about Jupiter during the flight. A spacecraft flew between the rings of Saturn, studying its satellites for a full seasonal cycle. The mission was completed after entering the atmosphere of Saturn. Management decided to close the project in order to protect the biological composition of the environment. Among the many discoveries made by the Cassini-Huygens automatic interplanetary station, it is worth noting the fixed lakes and seas on Titan. One of the "reservoirs" in size exceeded the size of the Caspian Sea.
Finally
It is very difficult to single out the most significant missions from the whole variety. Each launch of the spacecraft is the work of thousands of minds, both today and the contribution of people who lived before us. This could include many more events, such as Soviet missions to study Venus, the work of the NASA Galileo apparatus, do not forget the hard worker Hubble, as well as New Horizons, which gave us beautiful pictures of Pluto.
Our site thebiggest.ru promotes the popularization of science for the benefit of all the inhabitants of the Earth. It is better to develop science than to kill animals, cut down forests and pollute nature. Science should work for the benefit of the whole world, and our native planet. It is important to remember that all the achievements in space have come about thanks to ordinary people who are passionate about high ideas!