SPACE EXPLORATION

Introduction

Space exploration in the last two years has evolved overwhelmingly, primarily due to the evolution of private space agencies like SpaceX and Blue Origin. Not only that, but even the government agencies like NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) have made an enormous amount of progress on missions such as Artemis and did some collaborations like the one with CSA(Canadian Space Agency) and ESA(European Space Agency) for the unforgettable James Webb Telescope. Today let us take a peek into the history of space exploration. So sit back as I tell you the missile and rocket evolution...

The Beginning

It all started on 3 October 1942. The German V2 missile made by German aerospace engineer and space architect Wernher Von Braun and a team of scientists was successfully test-launched in Nazi Germany. It was an outstanding achievement, and no doubt, it actually had to be because it was the first-ever long-range guided ballistic missile. 

                                                                                                                 

Image Source - Google | Image by - Wikipedia |  Peenemünde Museum replica of V-2 

Though it was a great achievement, it was often understood as a ‘vengeance weapon’, and its first attack was in New York. But after the Cold War, America seized its hardware and built a rocket for use never thought of before. 

The first-ever image of the earth

On 24 October 1946, the Americans simply strapped a 55mm camera strip to the V2 and then simply sent it to an altitude of 65 miles. After the rocket crashed back, the camera did an excellent job. Even after the crash, the camera survived. This is what David H. DeVorkin has to say in his book ‘Science With A Vengeance’...

" 

A few hours after crashing, the camera was found at the impact site ‘in almost perfect condition’ although a lens had been lost.

 

"

This is what the scientists saw in it:

Image Source - Google | Image by - Wikipedia

Where this might look like a grainy and colourless image, it was an outstanding achievement as per the technology.

The Space Race

That image is what started the Space Race in 1955. The Soviets, when they heard about this American achievement, replied by creating their own satellite, which was also the first-ever satellite to reach orbit called the Sputnik-1. Sounds Russian, right?

Before moving forward, I want to do a little time travel. Let us go back to 3 March 1915. The Americans were realising that they were behind the other countries in aeroplane technology which the Wright Brothers had just invented. So they created a new okay turn on Bluetooth had just fought, the bitterness in their relations resulted in America thinking that they should not be behind Russia. So a new organisation was formed known as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Later, even NACA was incorporated by this new organisation. They worked hard to launch the first human into space. Still, this time too, Russia came first and on 12 April 1961, the Vostok-1 spacecraft was launched and took Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin with it making Gagarin the first person in space, and that is when he said the famous words...

" 

The earth is blue... 

"

And here I end this story of how humans first crossed the boundaries of our atmosphere.