V-2 rocket
Early Space Travel
What do you already know about the first space travel?
Early space travel strangely started during the Second World War. The technology to send the first rockets into space was developed during the war. German scientists invented the V-2 Rocket, which was blasted up 50 miles above the Earth before coming crashing back down causing a lot of damage and killing many people.
The V-2 Rocket was a weapon that the Nazis used against the Allies. After the war however America, Britain and Soviet Union (made up of Russia and other countries) used the technology from German weapons and turned them into rockets that would go even further up out into space.
Taken on the 24th October 1946, by a camera aboard a V-2 rocket.
The first two stage rocket
This rocket took the Surveyor 1 Spacecraft up to space, which was the first unmanned American spacecraft to land on the Moon.
In the years after the Second World War the technology was further developed. Animals even started to be sent up into space to test the effects of space travel as they wanted to know if humans would survive travelling into space.
The first animals in space were fruit flies, which were launched up into space by the United States in 1947 and then the Americans also sent a monkey named Albert II up to space in 1949. Both were in a V-2 rocket.
The Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite on the 4th October1957. It was called Sputnik 1 and it orbited around Earth. They then sent a dog called Laika into space on the 3rd November 1957, aboard Sputnik 2.
The first American satellite, called Explorer 1, was launched on the 31st January 1958.
The first animals to successfully orbit the Earth and return safely were on Sputnik 5 in 1960. They were dogs named Belka and Strelka.
In 1959 an unmanned spacecraft from the Soviet Union made it all the way to the Moon, although it crashed into the surface when it arrived. Then in 1966 both America and the Soviet Union landed unmanned spacecraft onto the Moon safely and photos were taken of the Moons surface.
In 1961 the Soviet Union then sent the first human up into space!
The Vostok 1 rocket launching that took the first human, Yuri Gagarin up into space.
Yuri Gagarin was the first human in space.
Yuri Gagarin, went up to space on the 12th April 1961, orbiting Earth once and spending 1 hour and 29 minutes in space. The next month lan Shepard Jr. became the first American in space on the 5th May 1961. He spent 15 minutes up in space. Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space in 1963. Alexei Leonov was the first person to leave his spacecraft and walk in space in 1965. Both were from the Soviet Union.
What we've learnt...
V-2 rockets were the first man made object to go up into space.
Animals were sent up into space to see if it was safe for humans.
The first artificial satellite was called Sputnik 1 and it was launched in 1957.
The first human in space was Yuri Gargarin in 1961.
The first unmanned spacecrafts to safely reach the Moon were in 1966.
Test your knowledge...
Early Space Travel Quiz
If you click the correct answer the box will turn green. If it’s the wrong answer it will turn red and then show you what the correct answer was. Remember to read or listen to the questions carefully! If you are listening to the questions using Text To Speech make sure you pause it after it has read the questions and answers so you have a chance to think!
#1. What was the first type of rocket to go up into space?
#2. Who was the first person to go up into space?
#3. Which two countries were racing to get to space?
Select all that apply:
#4. Why were animals sent up into space?
#5. What was the first satellite called?
Results
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