Aristotle• Year – 347BC

• believed that the Earth was at the center of the universe.

Ptolemy• Year – 100AD• He believed Earth was at

the center of the universe and all other heavenly bodies revolved around it.

• This theory is known as the geocentric theory.

Nicolas Copernicus• 1543

• All of the planets revolve around the sun.

• This theory is known as the heliocentric theory.

Galileo Galilei• In 1609, Galileo used a

telescope to look at the sky.

• He confirmed Copernicus’ theory that the planets revolved around the sun.

Sputnik• first artificial

satellite into space on Oct.4, 1957.

• Launched by Soviet Union

• Sputnik orbited the Earth for 6 months before falling back to Earth.

Yuri Gagarin• April 1961

• First person to go into space.

• He orbited the Earth one time.

• He was from the Soviet Union(Russia).

Alan Shepherd• May 1961

• First American

to go into space.• Stayed in space for

15 minutes.

Space Race• A “race” between United States

and Soviet Union(Russia) to see who could go the farthest in space.

• "I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth."

• He asked Congress for 22 billion dollars to finance the Apollo missions.

John Glenn• February 20,1962

• The first man to orbit the Earth in space.

• Orbited 3 times around Earth

• Landed in Atlantic Ocean

Rocket at launch pad

Capsule in space

Capsule returning to Earth

Capsule lands in ocean and is recovered by a Navy ocean liner

Gemini Program• Mid 1960s (1965)

• Sent 2 people into space to work on techniques for a lunar mission.

• “Space walks”• Spent up to 14 days in

space

Apollo 11• July 20, 1969

• 1st mission to land on the moon

• Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin 1st to walk on the moon

• Michael Collins orbited the moon

Pictures from Apollo 11 mission

Space Shuttle• First launch in 1981

• First reusable rocket

• Can carry a crew of 5-8 astronauts

• Put satellites into orbit and/or make repairs

Hubble Space Telescope• Put into orbit in 1990

• Satellite that orbits Earth and takes pictures of other stars, galaxies, and planets

                                                                        

              

Mir• Russian Space

Station put into orbit in 1986

• U.S. and Russian astronauts lived and worked in space for months at a time

• Came crashing back to Earth in 2001

International Space Station

• Construction started in 1998• Space station built by

United States, Russia, Canada, Japan, and other countries

• Scientists live here and perform experiments

Rovers that have landed on Mars

• 1997 – Pathfinder lands safely on Mars and releases rover – Sojourner to study the surface.

                          

                                                         

                                                                                                                                  

2003 Spirit lands on Mars

Mariner satellites• 1971

• Explored inner planets – Mercury, Venus, and Mars

Voyager• Launched from Earth in

1977• Sent to study the outer

planets – Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

• Discovered Great Red Spot is a storm and Neptune has the strongest winds

Cassini• Launched in 1997

• Reached Saturn in 2004

• Studying the rings and moons of Saturn