Mankind has always wondered what those things were in the sky. Thousands of years ago, we did not have the technology to visit the stars and planets. Now, we can go into space and we might even be able to live there someday.

Space exploration first started in the 1950’s. Scientists thought that sending astronauts into space would give them physical and mental problems. So before the space program sent the first humans into space, the Russians sent up the first satellite, Sputnik 1 in 1957. They proved with Sputnik 1 there were no problems. Then, Russia sent into space the first living thing, Laika, the dog. In 1961, Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, became the first human to go into space as well as the first to orbit the Earth.

The first astronauts were picked from military pilots. Now that our technology has advanced, astronauts are required to have more training. Beyond being a pilot, astronauts that are now being recruited are also scientists, engineers, medical doctors, and educators. The first two counties to have astronauts were Russia and the United States.

During long flights, astronauts complained that their food was unappetizing. Since then, the space food has become more appealing. When John Glen became the first person to eat food while in space, he was limited in his choices. He could pick his meals from freeze-dried powder, bite size cubes or semi liquid meals contained in tubes.

Eight years after Yuri’s flight, the race to the moon began. The two countries in this race were Russia and the USA. The United States won the race when Neil Armstrong and his crew landed on the moon in 1969. Apollo 11 was not just in a race; it proved that mankind could visit places out of our world.