PAST, PRESENT, & FUTUREBY

HEATHER AVEDON AND JASON MILLER

Humans In Space

1940’s

1942: German V2, designed by

Wernher Von Braun, reaches 100km from Earth’s surface

1947: fruit flies launched into space to

test the effects of space on animals

1949: Albert 2, a Rhesus monkey, went

83 miles above earth in an American V2 rocket German V-

2

1950’s

1957: October 4: Soviet Union launches

Sputnik 1, first satellite to orbit Earth November 3: Sputnik 2 launches

with a dog, Laika, on board1958:

January 31: U.S. launches Explorer 1 from Cape Canaveral, FL

October: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) created

1959: Russian probe Luna 2 crash lands on

moonSputnik

1960’s

1961: April 12: Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin

becomes the first human to enter space and return safely

May 5: American Alan Shepard enters space in the Freedom 7

May 25: JFK announces goal of sending astronauts to the moon by the end of the decade

1965: August 21: Gemini 5 launches with

Gordon Cooper and Charles Conrad on an 8 day mission to test long term effects of space exposure

Gemini 5

1960’s

1966: May 30: Surveyor 1 makes a soft landing on the moon

1967: January 27: 3 American astronauts killed during

launch pad test for mission AS-204

Surveyor 1

1970’s

1972: March 2: Pioneer 10 is the first probe

to reach beyond the asteroid belt and take pictures of Jupiter

1973: Russian space probe, Mars 2, explores

Mars May 14: U.S. launches Skylab,

experimental space station1975:

July 15: first international manned spaceflight, U.S. Apollo docks with Soviet Soyuz space station

Skylab

1970’s

1969: July 16: Apollo 11 launches, carrying Neil Armstrong

and Buzz Aldrin. They become the first men to step on the moon on July 20th

1977: August 20: Voyager 2 launched to study Jupiter and

Saturn, they continue to send pictures back to Earth today

Aldrin saluting the

flag

1980’s

1981: April 12: Space shuttle

Columbia’s first launch. The space shuttle was the first reusable aircraft

1986: January 28: NASA Space

shuttle, Challenger, explodes shortly after takeoff

February 19: MIR space station launches, first consistently inhabited, long-term space station

Space Shuttle Columbia launching

1990’s

1990: April: Hubble telescope launched as a joint venture

between NASA and the European Space Agency1995:

March 14: Astronaut Norman Thagard launched with Cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Gennady Strekalov aboard a Russian Soyuz to spend 115 days on Mir

Hubble Telescope

2000’s

2004: January: Spirit and Opportunity arrive on the Martian

surface. They continue to explore the Red Planet today.

2004: September 30: SpaceShipOne becomes the first

privately built craft to reach outer space.

Spirit Mars rover

The Near Future: 2010s

2015: First lunar tourist; plans have already been set in motion by “Space Adventures, Ltd”. Physical contact with the moon will not be made, it will be viewed from roughly 62 miles above the surface.

2016: India’s first scheduled manned flight into space; first hotel in space unveiled by Orbital Technologies.

In Our Lifetime: 2020s – 2050s

2032: First manned mission to Mars.

2042: First manned missions to Phobos and Deimos.

2058: Radio telescope constructed on the moon.

2059: Mars has a permanent human residence.

The Latter 21st Century: 2060s – 2090s

2060: Mining operation underway on the moon. Helium-3 rich surface is important in supplying power for fusion. Expansion is of beginning bases is expected by 2070.

2085-2089: First manned flight to the Jovian system – the moons surrounding Jupiter.

2095: First manned flight to the Saturnian system

The 22nd Century: 2100s

2100-2149: Due to the rapid growth of technological advancements in space travel to meet the demands of mining corporations, the commercial industry undergoes a tremendous jump in popularity, as it is less costly.

2110: The process of terraforming Mars begins.

2130: Civilian moon settlement plans are put into action.

2150: Interstellar travel is becoming realized; though, most flights are unmanned by humans.

2170: First kilometer sized space station is complete – home to hundreds of humans.

The 23rd Century: 2200s

2230: Antimatter fueled starships are developed, allowing travel to other Earthlike planets up to one hundred light years away.

2260: Accelerated development of the solar system takes hold.

The 24th to 28th Century: 2300s – 2700s

2350-2500: The terraformation of Mars is completed.

2700: Venus’ terraformation has been completed.

Beyond the 28th Century…

1,000,000 CE: Faster-than-light travel is possible at this point in time; multiple galaxies have been explored and numerous forms of extraterrestrial life have been encountered.

Works Cited

Beary, H. (2010, January 27). India announces first manned space mission . Retrieved December 2011, from BBC News:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8483787.stm CBS Interactive Inc. (2011, August 23). Space sojourns coming to our solar

system in 2016? Retrieved December 2011, from CBS News Tech: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/23/scitech/main20096053.shtml

Fox, W. (2008). Retrieved December 2011, from Future Timeline: http://www.futuretimeline.net/

Guevin, Jennifer. “Key Milestones In Space Exploration.” CNET News. CBS Interactive, 1 October 2007. Web. 5 December 2011: http://

news.cnet.com/Timeline-Key-milestones-in-space-exploration/2009-11397_3-6210843.html

“Key Dates In The History of Space Exploration.” Space Travel Exploration and Tourism. 7 April 2011. Web. 5 December 2011: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Key_dates_in_the_history_of_space_exploration_999.html

Space Adventures, Ltd. (1998). Retrieved December 2011, from Space Adventures: http://www.spaceadventures.com/index.cfm?