10 Incredible Space Exploration Facts That Will Leave You Awestruck

Space exploration has been a fascination for humans for centuries. The idea of traveling beyond our planet and discovering the mysteries of the universe has captivated our imagination. In this article, we’ll explore ten fun facts about space exploration that you may not have known.

1. The first living creatures sent into space were fruit flies. In 1947, the United States sent a container of fruit flies into space to study the effects of radiation.
2. The longest spacewalk lasted for over eight hours. In 2001, Russian cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Lonchakov spent over eight hours outside the International Space Station performing maintenance tasks.
3. The first person to orbit the Earth was Yuri Gagarin. The Russian cosmonaut made history in 1961 when he completed a 108-minute orbit of the Earth.
4. The first American to orbit the Earth was John Glenn. In 1962, Glenn completed three orbits around the Earth, becoming the first American to do so.
5. The first woman to travel to space was Valentina Tereshkova. In 1963, the Russian cosmonaut spent almost three days in space aboard the Vostok 6 spacecraft.
6. The first spacecraft to land on a comet was the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft. In 2014, Rosetta landed on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
7. The first spacecraft to land on Mars was the Viking 1 spacecraft in 1976. The mission was successful, and the spacecraft operated for over six years.
8. The fastest spacecraft ever launched was the Parker Solar Probe. In 2018, the spacecraft was launched at a speed of over 430,000 miles per hour, making it the fastest object ever launched by humans.
9. The first privately-funded spacecraft to reach orbit was the SpaceX Falcon 1 rocket. In 2008, the rocket successfully reached orbit on its fourth launch attempt.
10. The Voyager 1 spacecraft, launched in 1977, is the farthest man-made object from Earth. It has traveled over 14 billion miles from Earth and is still sending back data to scientists.

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Space exploration has led to many fascinating discoveries and achievements. From the first human orbit of the Earth to the farthest man-made object from our planet, space exploration has expanded our knowledge of the universe and inspired us to continue to push the boundaries of what we can achieve.

These fun facts about space exploration highlight just a few of the incredible accomplishments made by humans in our quest to explore the final frontier.