Astronauts have travelled out of the Earth’s atmosphere and up into space and they have even visited the Moon. The rest of space is a bit tricky to visit as everything is so far away but we have found very clever ways to find out as much about it as we can.

We live on Earth, which is part of the Solar System. For many years people have been trying to find out as much as they can about the objects that make up the Solar System and the rest of Space. 

We know a lot about Space from using telescopes from Earth. That is how the distant planets were discovered that make up the Solar System (the closer rocky planets and the big gas giants can actually be seen without the need for a telescope if you know where to look!). For hundreds of years this was the only way of knowing what else is out there. But then technology improved and humans found new ways of exploring space.

Over the last century we have launched spacecraft up into space to find out more and more about the Solar System. We have sent up rockets, space shuttles, satellites and probes up into space. We even have astronauts living up in the International Space Station and men have set foot on the surface of the Moon!

Click on a picture to learn about some of the ways we have explored space, or you can use the links below.