Sci. 5-4 Living and Working in Space Pages
A. In April 12, 1961, a Soviet cosmonaut named Yuri Gagarin became the 1 st human to orbit Earth.
1) USA- May 5, Alan Shepard reached space
B. The great race to get a manned-flight program underway and to reach the moon was politically motivated. 1) The United States beat the Soviets to a manned moon landing with the Apollo moon flights in 1969.
2) Astronaut Neil Armstrong became the 1 st human to set foot on the moon.
C. Space Shuttle- a reusable vehicle that takes off like a rocket and lands like an airplane.
1) During the 1970’s, the United States focused on developing the space shuttle.
2) 1 st shuttle launched in 1981
3) Challenger exploded just after take off, killing all 7 astronauts- 1 st teacher Christa McAuliffe was on board.
D. Space Station- a long term orbiting platform from which other vehicles can be launched or scientific research can be carried out.
1) The soviets focused on developing orbiting space stations. 2) 1971, Soviets 1 st manned space station- Salyut 1.
3) Skylab – 1 st USA space station
E. The United States, Russia, and 14 other international partners are currently developing the International Space Station.
F. Because of a need for resources, living space beyond what Earth can provide, scientific reasons, and even recreational reasons, humans may eventually live and work on other planets and moons.