1. NSF North Mississippi GK-8
Race to Space!
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

2. Wernher von Braun: Father of Space Exploration
Along with other German scientists, developed the first rockets during and after World War II
Came to the U.S. after WWII, lived and worked in Huntsville, AL from 1950 – 1970
Work provided the basis for all early NASA missions
First director of NASA
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

3. Start of the “Space Race”
October 4th, 1957, Russia launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, into orbit
Caused a wide-spread panic in the U.S.
People feared the Soviet Union would dominate the world in space exploration
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

4. NSF North Mississippi GK-8
Formation of NASA
Founded 1958 after Congress passed the National Aeronautics and Space Act
Formed in direct response to the launch of Sputnik
Purpose to provide organization and direction of U.S. space program
First missions focused on getting humans into space, studying effects of space on humans, and returning astronauts safely to Earth
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

5. Competitors in the Space Race
Soviet Union
United States
After the launch of Sputnik, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. were in direct competition to have most advanced space program
Viewed as contest between communism and capitalism
National pride and fears for national defense played large roles in motivating space race
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

6. First Human in Space
On April 12, 1961, the Soviets succeeded in launching the first human into space, Yuri Gagarin, and returning him safely to Earth
Yuri and his spacecraft, Vostok 1
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

7. First American in Space
Alan Shepard becomes the first American astronaut to enter space, aboard the Freedom 7 spacecraft, on May 5, 1961
Alan and his spacecraft, Freedom 7
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

8. President Kennedy’s Challenge
May 21, 1961: President Kennedy challenged the United States to land astronauts on the moon and to return them safely to Earth
Challenge provided a “finish line” for the space race
President John F. Kennedy
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

9. NSF North Mississippi GK-8
The Apollo Missions
Apollo involved landing men on the moon; Apollo 13 was aborted due to a malfunction
July 20, 1969, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong of Apollo 11 were first men on the moon
Each mission consisted of three astronauts: one stayed on Command Module in lunar orbit, two descended in Lunar Module to moon’s surface
Total of 12 men have walked on the moon
The Apollo 11 launch
Neil Armstrong
Buzz Aldrin, in Apollo 11 and on the moon (above and right)
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

10. When did the space race end?
Some historians believe the Space Race ended when Apollo 11 returned safely from the Moon
Others believe that the Race ended when the United States’ Apollo 18 spacecraft docked with a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 1975
A drawing of the Apollo – Soyuz rendezvous (Apollo 18 is on the left)
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

11. Skylab: The First Space Station
Launched by the U.S. in 1973
Built from a modified Apollo command module
Occupied by 3 different teams of astronauts for a total of 171 days
Purposely burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere in 1979
Over 2,000 hours of scientific and medical experiments performed onboard
Two photographs of Skylab, taken by astronauts on their approach to the space station
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

12. NSF North Mississippi GK-8
Space Shuttles
Originally spacecraft were used only once
In the 1980s, NASA developed reusable spacecraft, the space shuttles
Launched like rockets but land like modern-day airplanes
Considered the most complex machines ever built
Used to take satellites and instruments into space
Originally five shuttles, two of which have been destroyed (Challenger, Columbia), three remaining in service (Atlantis, Endeavor, Discovery)
Fleet of shuttles scheduled to be retired in 2010
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

13. The International Space Station (ISS)
15 nations participating
Assembly began in 1998; should be completed by 2010
Teams of astronauts have lived aboard the ISS since 2001
Provides a permanent laboratory for conducting experiments in space
Images of the ISS
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

14. Unmanned Missions: Space Probes and Landers
Besides manned missions like Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo, NASA launched a series of unmanned missions
Probes sent to study the outer planets and to land on planets of the inner solar system like Mercury, Venus, and Mars
Probes also sent to gather information about the moon before astronauts ventured there
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

15. Why send robotic probes instead of human?
Benefits:
Cheaper: there’s no need to send along food, air, and living space for astronauts or fuel for a round-trip
Safer: there’s no danger to human life
Drawbacks:
Robotic probes can only do what they’re programmed to do; they cannot grow or adapt to face unforeseen changes
Robotic probes often must be controlled remotely from Earth
Some feel that robotic missions lack the romance of discovery and experience of manned missions
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

16. NSF North Mississippi GK-8
Voyager
Launched in 1977, first spacecraft to visit the outer planets of our solar system and send back pictures of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
Continue to function to this day
Now the farthest man-made objects in the solar system
Images of Saturn (left) and Jupiter (below) from the Voyager spacecraft
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

17. NSF North Mississippi GK-8
The Hubble Telescope
From left: Images from the Hubble telescope of the Sombrero Galaxy, Orion Nebula, Messier 101 Galaxy
In 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was placed in orbit by the shuttle Discovery
Example of scientific instrument in space
Used to measure the age and size of the universe
Able to take extremely clear images that are undistorted by Earth’s atmosphere
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

18. The Cassini-Huygens Mission
An image of Saturn relayed to Earth by the Cassini – Huygens spacecraft
First spacecraft to explore Saturn and its rings and moons from orbit
Has been in orbit around Saturn since January 30, 2004
The Huygens probe was released from the Cassini spacecraft in January 2005 to study Titan, Saturn’s largest moon
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

19. NSF North Mississippi GK-8
Mars Rovers
Probes launched to Mars with robotic rovers to explore surface
Spirit landed on Mars January 4, 2004; Opportunity landed December 12, 2004
Primary mission scheduled to last ~ 3 months, but mission has been active over two Earth years
Rovers remotely controlled by scientists on Earth
Top and bottom: images of Mars from the rovers. Left: an artist’s vision of Spirit on Mars
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

20. President Bush’s Vision for Space Exploration
Presented plan to NASA January 2004
ISS to be completed by 2010
Space shuttles to be retired from service by 2010
Develop new manned spacecraft by 2008 and complete manned mission by 2014
Return to the moon by 2020
Eventually send humans to Mars
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

21. NSF North Mississippi GK-8
Image Sources
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

22. NSF North Mississippi GK-8
Sources Continued:
NSF North Mississippi GK-8