Outer Space
The term 'outer space' was first coined by author H.G. Wells in 1901.1 Outer space is the area outside of the Earth's atmosphere, to collectively include all other planets, solar systems, stars and galaxies.2
Fast Facts
- The Earth resides in the Milky Way galaxy
- Largest volcano in the solar system is Olympus Mons on Mars at a height of 15 miles3
- It would take 3,000 years to count all the stars in the galaxy at a rate of one per second3
- Chances of being killed by falling space debris is one in five billion3
- Venus is the only known planet that rotates clockwise3
- It would take 258 days to drive around Saturn's rings at 75 mile per hour3
Exploration Timeline
- 1901: Term coined by H.G. Wells
- October 4, 1957: Russia launches first satellite into orbit, Sputnik4
- September 12, 1959: Russia launches first rocket towards the Moon5
- April 12, 1961: Yuri Gargarin becomes the first man in outer space6
- February 20, 1962: John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth7
- June 16, 1963: Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman into outer space8
- July 21, 1969: Neil Armstrong becomes the first man on the moon9
- July 20, 1976: Viking spacecraft sends back images of Mars10
- April 28, 2001: Dennis Tito becomes the first tourist in outer space11
From Science Fiction to Reality
What started in the late 1800s and early 1900s as the realm of science fiction writers, space travel became a reality because of the research of rocket experts like Werner von Braun. After the Soviet Union put the first satellite into space, the United States engaged in what would later be known as the 'space race'. In 1969, the U.S. won the race by putting the first man on the Moon.
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