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History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched
Sputnik I. The world’s first artificial satellite was about the size of a
basketball, weighed only 183 pounds, and took about 98 minutes to orbit the
Earth on its elliptical path. That launch ushered in new political, military,
technological, and scientific developments. While the Sputnik launch was a
single event, it marked the start of the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R space
race. Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space, said, “Space flight can’t be stopped. This isn’t the work of any one man laws of human development.” Alan Bean stated in Boy's Life that "Risk will always be a part of the dream of reaching farther into space. But the pioneer spirit also leads to moments such as the one when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the Moon, July 21, 1969 saying 'That's one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind'.". This website is dedicated to all the men and women who accepted the challenge to become a group of “firsts” and venture out into the unknown frontier called space.
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