For a long time, humanity has dreamed of exploring the cosmos, and over 65 years ago, we realized that dream for the first time.
Sputnik 1 was the world’s first artificial object to orbit Earth. Launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the Soviet Union, it entered Earth’s low orbit on October 4, 1957. Sputnik completed 1,440 orbits in its low orbit until it burned up on January 4, 1958, upon reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. Essentially, Sputnik 1 helped humanity learn about the Earth’s atmospheric properties. (Image: Google)
On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin initiated a journey into space, becoming the first human to venture into the cosmos. He launched aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft, orbiting Earth once in a 108-minute flight before safely descending to Earth by parachute. (Image: Google)
On July 15, 1965, NASA’s Mariner 4 spacecraft transmitted the first images of Mars. The spacecraft operated beyond its eight-month mission duration, orbiting the Sun for about three years, shedding light on new findings about the solar wind and the planet Mars. (Image: Google)
On July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the Moon with the Apollo 11 mission. About 20 minutes after Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface, lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin joined him in exploration. Both spent around three hours conducting experiments and collecting samples. (Image: Google)
On December 15, 1970, the Soviet spacecraft Venera 7 successfully landed on the surface of Venus. Despite the spacecraft’s systems being scorched by extreme temperatures and high pressures on Venus’s surface within an hour, it gathered valuable data about our neighboring planet. (Image: Google)
The Hubble Space Telescope has been orbiting Earth for over 30 years since its launch on April 24, 1990. Over the decades, Hubble has conducted more than 1.5 million observations, creating a treasure trove of data that has led to the publication of over 18,000 research papers.
NASA’s Mars Pathfinder robotic spacecraft landed on the surface of Mars on July 4, 1997. During its descent to the Martian surface, it deployed airbags to cushion the landing. Upon arrival, it explored the Ares Vallis region of Mars, analyzing its atmosphere, climate, and geology. The spacecraft also provided evidence of past liquid water on the planet’s surface. (Image: Google)
The Cassini spacecraft, a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Italian Space Agency, completed its mission by deliberately plunging into Saturn on September 15, 2017, after 20 years in space. It gathered a wealth of data and images, including a close flyby of Saturn’s moon Mimas and observations of the planet’s rings. (Image: Google)
The International Space Station (ISS) marked a new era of global space exploration when it commenced operations in November 2000. Since then, it has served as a workspace for numerous astronauts and international space travelers. (Image: Google)
The James Webb Space Telescope has been operational for over a year now and has transformed our understanding of the universe. Positioned at Lagrange Point 2, approximately one million miles from Earth, it has provided us with unprecedented insights into the cosmos. In just about a week of observation, it revealed an image of the farthest and oldest galaxy ever observed, GLASS-z13, which is 13.5 billion years old. (Image: Google)