Space Exploration

Space is the huge area above Earth's sky. It is full of stars, planets, and moons. People have always looked up and wondered about space. Now we send rockets and robots up to learn more. Brave people called astronauts travel into space. They help us find out how our universe works.

The First Trips to Space

The first satellite was called Sputnik. It was sent up in 1957. A few years later, a man named Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space. In 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon. He said it was a big step for all people. These trips showed us that space travel was possible.

A Mars rover takes a selfie on the dusty red planet.
A Mars rover takes a selfie on the dusty red planet. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems Derivative work including grading, distortion correction, minor local adjustments, crop and rendering from tiff-file: Julian Herzog / Wikimedia Commons)

Rockets and Robots

Rockets push spaceships up past Earth's sky. They need lots of fuel to fly so high. Robots called rovers drive on other planets. One famous rover is on Mars. It takes pictures and tests the dirt. Space telescopes also help us see far away stars and galaxies.

Fun Facts

  • There is no air or sound in space, so astronauts must wear special suits.
  • Footprints left on the moon will stay there for millions of years because there is no wind.
  • The International Space Station zooms around Earth about 16 times every day.

Did You Know?

Astronauts grow a little bit taller in space because their spines stretch out without gravity pulling on them!