Laika
During the early days of space exploration, no one knew if humans could survive a trip to space. Scientists thought it would be best to use animals first to make sure living creatures could handle the daring voyage. In 1957, the Soviet Union sent one of the very first animals into space. Laika the Dog was chosen out of a herd of stray dogs because she was very calm and did not get easily stressed. She got the name Laika, which means “barker” in Russian, because she barked on the radio when she was first introduced to the public. Soviet scientists placed her inside a tiny cabin in a satellite called Sputnik 2 and sent her off on her journey knowing that she would probably never return. Although Laika died in orbit just six days later, her flight proved that animals could survive the trip into space. Russia built a monument to the brave Laika in 2008, and musicians from around the world have written songs to honor her. She will always be remembered for giving her life to be the first living creature to orbit the Earth.
Ham the Chimp
No one could forget one of NASA’s shortest and perhaps hairiest astronauts: Ham the Chimpanzee. Ham began his life in the wild forests of Cameroon where he was captured and then sold to an animal park in Florida. Two years later, Ham found himself at a U.S. Air Force base in New Mexico where he began his difficult training. Ham was launched into space on January 13, 1961. Just over 16 minutes later, the small spacecraft safely splashed down into the Atlantic Ocean. During his short flight, Ham proved that animals could perform tasks even under the stresses of space flight. One of his tasks was to press a button when he saw a light or heard a sound. After his mission, the brave chimp lived out the rest of his days at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and the North Carolina Zoo.
Ham’s flight proved that it would be safe for humans to follow in the astrochimp’s footsteps. Less than five months later, NASA launched Freedom 7 and Alan Shepard became the first American to travel to space.
Although Ham’s daring journey was an important step, some people began to worry about the scientists’ treatment of chimpanzees. Years later, Ham’s flight inspired Dr. Carole Noon to create the charity Save the Chimps. Today, the charity works to end the use of chimps in science experimentation.
Sputnik
In 1957, the U.S. and the Soviet Union raced to build a satellite that could map the Earth’s surface. That October, the Soviet Union launched the first man-made satellite called Sputnik into outer space. Sputnik was nearly the size of a beach ball and heavier than many scientists had believed possible. This large satellite caused a lot of Americans to worry. If the Soviet Union could launch Sputnik, would they also be able to launch missiles to the U.S.? As Sputnik finished its first orbit around Earth, the Space Race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union had already begun. The next 35 years would be an era of scientific discovery and fierce competition between the two countries, known as the Cold War.
Yuri Gagarin
After years of experimenting with animals in space, the U.S. and the Soviet Union got ready to take the final leap: to launch a human into space.
On April 12, 1961, the Soviet Union beat the U.S. when the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin departed for the stars. Gagarin’s spacecraft, called Vostok 1, made one complete orbit around the Earth. Nearly two hours later, Gagarin returned to Earth with a smile. He became an instant international hero and traveled the world meeting kings, queens, presidents, and crowds of excited fans. Gagarin remained an active member of the Soviet Airforce until the very end when died in an accident during a training flight. His time in orbit showed that a human could survive in space and return to Earth in good health and spirits.
Valentina Tereshkova
The first woman in space was remarkable in more ways than one. Valentina Tereshkova was neither a scientist nor a pilot, but a worker in a textile factory. Unlike her fellow factory workers, however, she
had a love for parachute jumping. Inspired by Yuri Gagarin’s space flight, Tereshkova volunteered for the Soviet Space program. She was soon chosen because she had made 126 parachute jumps. After 18 months of training, Tereshkova was finally picked to be the first woman in space. aOn June 16, 1963, Tereshkova launched on her historic flight. She orbited the Earth 48 times. This was longer than all of the previous American astronauts’ flights combined! Three days later, she returned to Earth and became an international hero. After her mission, Tereshkova became an Air Force pilot and dedicated her life to international peace and politics. Her famous flight proved that women could handle the experience of space travel as well as men. As she stated, “If women can be railroad workers, why can’t they fly in space?” It would be 19 years until another woman went to space.
Neil Armstrong
Twelve years after Laika the Dog became the first living being in space, the United States won the race to land humans on the moon. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon and made his famous statement, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Nineteen minutes later, Buzz Aldrin joined him. Over 600 million people sat in front of their television sets to watch the two men take these historic steps. Many schools and businesses closed for the event and families threw “moon parties.” Neil and Buzz brought back 47.5 pounds of lunar rocks and soil to study on Earth.
Walking on the moon was just one of Armstrong’s many achievements at NASA. He was also the first American civilian astronaut in space.
This meant that unlike other astronauts, he had not been in the armed forces. Armstrong was a talented pilot and was the first to link two different spacecrafts together in Earth orbit. He spent the rest of his life teaching and promoting space study and exploration.