People in Space
Many people have explored the sky from Earth. Others have travelled up there for a closer look.
The first space travellers from Earth were not people at all. They were animals! In November 1957, scientists from the Soviet Union sent a dog named Laika into space in a satellite called Sputnik 2. Laika’s journey proved that animals could survive a trip into space.
On January 31, 1961, the U.S.A. sent Ham, a chimpanzee, into space in the Mercury space capsule. Animal flights helped scientists prepare for the challenge of sending people into space!
Not long after Ham’s journey, on April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin from the Soviet Union became the first person in orbit. His flight lasted 108 minutes.
Alan B. Shepard became the first U.S. astronaut launched into space. He took off May 5, 1961.
John Glenn became the first U.S. astronaut to orbit Earth. In 1962, he circled Earth three times.
In 1963, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. She made 45 orbits of Earth.
The first spacewalk took place in 1965. That year Alexei A. Leonov, from the Soviet Union, became the first person to step outside a spacecraft.
In 1984, American astronaut Bruce McCandless attached himself to a jet-propelled backpack. This let him move around in space without a lifeline linked to his craft. McCandless was his own miniature spaceship! He kept his face towards the shuttle so that he wouldn’t lose sight of it.
In 1991, Helen Sharman became the first British astronaut in space.
In 1992, Mae Carol jemison became the first African American woman to travel in space.
In 1995, cosmonaut Valery Polyakov completed a record 438 days in space. In 1996, American astronaut Shannon Lucid broke two records for time spent in space with 188 days. That was the longest time for any woman and the longest time for any American.
Picture Credit : Google
