Space exploration has captured the imagination of humans for millennia. The strong hold on the human imagination explains why professional astronauts and laypeople consent, at great peril, to sit, in Tom Wolfe’s words, “atop an Atlas, Redstone, Titan or Saturn rocket at such tremendous Roman candles of velocity as to reach orbital altitudes.” The rapid advancement of technology in the latter half of the 20th century made it possible to send machines and people above Earth’s atmosphere and beyond.
Government space programs have increased knowledge, served as indicators of national prestige and power, enhanced national security and military strength, and provided significant benefits to the general public. Private industry has also become involved in space exploration, most notably in the use of satellites as telecommunication relays.
To explore outer space, scientists and engineers must work together as a team to gather and analyze data and plan future investigations. Astronauts conduct scientific experiments, maintain a satellite in orbit and monitor weather conditions from the ground. They also participate in extravehicular activities such as space walks and the boarding of spacecraft. They may even explore the surface of a planet or moon.
In addition to exploring the stars, the planets and their countless moons, space missions have sent probes into the outer solar system; robots wheeled across the surface of Mars for the first time; and the first large telescopes delivered jaw-dropping images of more distant parts of our universe than ever before. Space exploration continues today, with NASA pursuing a path toward the planet Mars and other nations planning to join the race.
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