Human spaceflight

Human spaceflight is when people travel into space inside a spacecraft. These spacecraft can be operated by the astronauts themselves, or sometimes they can be controlled from the ground or work on their own. The people who travel in space are called astronauts, cosmonauts, or taikonauts, depending on where they come from. Since November 2000, humans have had a continuous presence in space, living and working on the International Space Station.

The first person to go into space was Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who flew on April 12, 1961, as part of the Soviet Union's Vostok program. Shortly after, Alan Shepard became the first American in space. The most famous moment in human spaceflight happened on July 20, 1969, when American astronaut Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon and became the first human to step onto another world. The United States completed six landings on the Moon between 1969 and 1972.

Today, only the United States, Russia, and China have programs that can send people into space. Private companies have also started sending people to space, with the first private flight happening in 2004 and the first commercial flight to the International Space Station in 2020. These missions help us learn more about space and prepare for future adventures beyond Earth.

History

Main article: History of spaceflight

Cold War era

Main article: Space Race

Human spaceflight began during a time called the Cold War, mainly between the United States and the Soviet Union. These countries were building big rockets to launch satellites and later sent people into space. The Soviet Union sent the first person, Yuri Gagarin, into space in 1961. Soon after, the United States sent its first astronaut, Alan Shepard, on a short trip up and back. Later, John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth.

The United States wanted to send people to the Moon, a goal set by President John F. Kennedy. They built the Apollo rockets and successfully landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon in 1969. Many more missions followed, and people drove on the Moon’s surface using special cars.

Post-Apollo era

After the Moon landings, the United States built a space station called Skylab. Later, both the United States and the Soviet Union worked together on a mission where their spaceships met in space. The Soviet Union built its own space station called Mir, which stayed in orbit for many years.

US / Russian cooperation

After the Cold War ended, the United States and Russia worked together more. They built the International Space Station, a big home in space where people from many countries live and work.

China

China became the third country to send people into space. Their first mission in 2003 carried Yang Liwei into orbit for about a day. China has since built its own space station and continues to send people to live and work in space.

United States "Shuttle gap"

After the Space Shuttle stopped flying in 2011, the United States did not have its own way to send people to space until new private companies like SpaceX started doing so.

Commercial private spaceflight

Today, private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin are sending people to space for tourism and other missions. These flights give people a short trip above Earth.

Passenger travel via spacecraft

Imagine airplanes that can fly us to different places in space! Over the years, many ideas have been made for special space vehicles that could carry lots of people, kind of like how airplanes do today. These space vehicles would be able to take passengers to places in space or even to different spots on Earth very quickly. So far, none of these big space vehicles have been built yet, but a few smaller ones are being tested.

One big idea is the SpaceX Starship, which might be able to fly more than 100 people between two places on Earth in less than an hour. Other smaller space vehicles, like the SpaceShipTwo and New Shepard, are also being worked on. These would take about six passengers up for a short trip where they can feel weightless before coming back down.

Human representation and participation

See also: Space law, Human presence in space, Space colonization, and Human outpost

People from many countries and backgrounds have been part of space exploration, but not everyone has had the same chances. Rules and traditions have sometimes made it harder for some groups to join in. Groups like the Justspace Alliance and IAU-featured Inclusive Astronomy are working to change that.

Women

Main article: Women in space

The first woman to travel into space was Valentina Tereshkova in 1963. For many years after that, no other women joined her. This was partly because the rules at the time only allowed military test pilots to be astronauts, and women were not allowed in that job. Later, when the rules changed, more women could become astronauts. Svetlana Savitskaya from the Soviet Union was the second woman in space, and Sally Ride was the first American woman in space. Since then, astronauts from eleven other countries have included women. In 2019, Christina Koch and Jessica Meir became the first women to do a spacewalk together. In 2026, during Artemis II, Christina Koch will become the first woman to travel beyond low Earth orbit and around the Moon. A mission to land on the Moon with a woman is planned for 2028.

Even with these advances, women are still not represented equally among astronauts. Out of more than 600 people who have flown in space, only 75 have been women. Some reasons for this include unfair rules and a lack of space suits that fit women properly.

Milestones

This section lists important achievements made by different countries in space travel. It shows the first time each country sent one of its own citizens into space and the first spacecraft from that country to reach key milestones. These records include many different kinds of missions and results.