Space – The Final Frontier

 Just as light has a finite speed, so does sound. It depends on temperature and altitude, but the average speed of sound on earth is about 760mph (340m/s). Once humans began to fly, our first milestone was to have a pilot fly faster than the speed of sound – called Mach 1. Chuck Yeager was born and raised in WV. In 1947, Chuck Yeager drove the first plane to break the sound barrier. In this first checkpoint, the US was ahead of rest of the world in the space race. Today, the fastest planes regularly break Mach 2 (1550mph), though they have to get permission to do so – it creates a sonic boom! Breaking the sound barrier

 Just as light has a finite speed, so does sound. It depends on temperature and altitude, but the average speed of sound on earth is about 760mph (340m/s). Once humans began to fly, our first milestone was to have a pilot fly faster than the speed of sound – called Mach 1. Chuck Yeager was born and raised in WV. In 1947, Chuck Yeager drove the first plane to break the sound barrier. In this first checkpoint, the US was ahead of rest of the world in the space race. Today, the fastest planes regularly break Mach 2 (1550mph), though they have to get permission to do so – it creates a sonic boom!

Space Race Begins  Though the Americans were traveling fast, the Soviets were travelling far. In August of 1957, the Soviets launched the first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I. The world's first artificial satellite was about the size of a basketball, weighed only 183 pounds, and took about 98 minutes to orbit the Earth on its elliptical path. One month later, they launched Sputnik 2 (Sputnik means traveler), and on this satellite, there was a dog named Laika. These events marked the start of the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R space race.

Spacecraft  In 1958, the USSR began construction on the first space craft called Vostok. The Americans created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to begin to compete. By 1961, President John F. Kennedy decided to “bring it”: he made a speech in which he pledged the US would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Meanwhile, Yuri Alekseyevich Gargarin, a Soviet, was the first to orbit Earth in Vostok 1. Three weeks later, American Alan Shepherd was the first American in space. This jockeying in the race continued throughout the 60’s.

Mariner Project  The Mariner Project was a series of US space probes build to provide information on the inner planets – Mercury, Venus, and Mars. Mariner 2 launched in Many embarrassing disasters on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral. Due to the bad press, the final phase of the Mariner Project was renamed Voyager and its mission changed. Voyager 1 launched from Kennedy Space Center September In 1980 it approached Saturn. Voyager 2 also launched from Cape Canaveral in The purpose of the Voyagers was to study the outer solar system and, eventually, interstellar space.

Space Probes (Satellites)  There were several other programs designed to study our space neighborhood. Viking 1 and 2 (launched in 1976) were the first successful landings on Mars. Voyager 2 has seen Neptune and Uranus up close. Both Voyagers have passed Pluto and are in the heliopause. Galileo(1989) was the 1 st probe to orbit Jupiter. Other famous probes are the Cassini (to Saturn in 1997), Magellan (US) and Vanera 9 (USSR) (to Venus in 1989 and 1975), Spirit and Opportunity (rovers on Mars, 2003). NEAR – the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous landed on the asteroid Eros in 2001, and the ESA landed Philae on a comet in 2014.

ShepherdYeagerGergarin ICBMSputnikLaika VostokMarinerVoyager CassiniMagellanGalileo VaneraSpiritOpportunity NearPhilaeHeliopause Mach 2Sonic BoomMach 1

Manned Space Program Mercury Program

The Mercury Program (1960 – 1962) was the first program to put an astronaut (American) into space. Meanwhile, the cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky became the first person to sustain a long-duration spaceflight – five days – aboard Vostok 5. While he was still in space, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space on the last Vostok mission (6).

Gemini Program Gemini as a manned space program to put 2 men into space – hence the name Gemini which means twin. The goals of the Gemini program were: 1) To subject man and equipment to space flight up to two weeks in duration; 2) To rendezvous and dock with orbiting vehicles and to maneuver the docked combination by using the target vehicle's propulsion system; 3)To perfect methods of entering the atmosphere and landing at a preselected point on land. Its goals were also met, with the exception of a land landing, which was cancelled in However, the Soviets flew Voskhod 1 – their own 2 man vehicle – first.Gemini as a manned space program to put 2 men into space – hence the name Gemini which means twin. The goals of the Gemini program were: 1) To subject man and equipment to space flight up to two weeks in duration; 2) To rendezvous and dock with orbiting vehicles and to maneuver the docked combination by using the target vehicle's propulsion system; 3)To perfect methods of entering the atmosphere and landing at a preselected point on land. Its goals were also met, with the exception of a land landing, which was cancelled in However, the Soviets flew Voskhod 1 – their own 2 man vehicle – first.

Space Walks While the first manned Gemini flights were occurring, the Soviets were again taking the lead. In March of 1965, Alexi Leonov performed the first space walk – drifting in space above Siberia while tethered to Voskhod 2. In June, Edward White became the first American to do the same. Meanwhile, both countries are getting ready for bigger missions: 3 manned spacecraft in the form of Soyuz (Soviet) and Apollo (USA).While the first manned Gemini flights were occurring, the Soviets were again taking the lead. In March of 1965, Alexi Leonov performed the first space walk – drifting in space above Siberia while tethered to Voskhod 2. In June, Edward White became the first American to do the same. Meanwhile, both countries are getting ready for bigger missions: 3 manned spacecraft in the form of Soyuz (Soviet) and Apollo (USA).

The Apollo Program  Project Apollo was a series of human spaceflight missions undertaken by NASA, on behalf of the United States of America. The program used the Apollo spacecraft and Saturn launch vehicle, and was conducted during the years 1961 – It was devoted to the goal (in U.S. President John F. Kennedy's famous words) of "landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth" within the decade of the 1960s. Apollo 8 was the first craft to carry humans beyond the gravity of Earth. It orbited the Moon several times before coming home. Apollo 9 tested the Lunar Lander in Moon orbit. Apollo 10 was a rehearsal without the actual landing. The ultimate goal was achieved with the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969.

The US Space Shuttle  The US space shuttle was designed to be launched into space by rockets and then to return to the Earth’s surface by gliding down and landing on a runway. It was first used in the 1980’s. It was the first reusable spacecraft. However, the wear and tear on the crafts through the violent launch and re- entry meant they were more expensive to maintain than was first suggested. The space shuttle program was shelved in 2011.

The US Space Shuttle  The US space shuttle was designed to be launched into space by rockets and then to return to the Earth’s surface by gliding down and landing on a runway. It was first used in the 1980’s. It was the first reusable spacecraft. However, the wear and tear on the crafts through the violent launch and re- entry meant they were more expensive to maintain than was first suggested. The space shuttle program was shelved in 2011.

Space Disasters  The history of manned space travel is littered with danger and disaster. From the earliest days, when Apollo 1 burned, killing 3 astronauts aboard, or when Soyuz 1 crashed after its parachute failed, space travel has been filled with stories of misses and near-misses. Apollo 13, set to land on the moon, was beleaguered with problems from pre- launch, though no one was killed. Space shuttle Challenger was destroyed on launch in Space shuttle Columbia was destroyed on re- entry in Both shuttle explosions killed all people on board. Lessons were learned from each disaster.

Space Disasters  The history of manned space travel is littered with danger and disaster. From the earliest days, when Apollo 1 burned, killing 3 astronauts aboard, or when Soyuz 1 crashed after its parachute failed, space travel has been filled with stories of misses and near-misses. Apollo 13, set to land on the moon, was beleaguered with problems from pre- launch, though no one was killed. Space shuttle Challenger was destroyed on launch in Space shuttle Columbia was destroyed on re- entry in Both shuttle explosions killed all people on board. Lessons were learned from each disaster.

Space Labs  As soon as man got into space, he wanted to find a way to stay there. The answer? Not hotels, but orbiting labs or stations. The Russians put up Salyut and Almaz while the US put up Skylab. All of these early stations eventually fell out of orbit back to Earth. In the 80’s, The Soviets put up Mir, the first station intended to host people for long periods of time. Mir re-entered Earth’s atmosphere in Currently orbiting are the International Space Station and Tiangong1. Tiangong is a Chinese station. The ISS was a joint effort between 5 space agencies: the US, Russia, Japan, Canada, and Europe and has been continually manned since its inception.

MercuryVostokBykovsky GeminiVoskhodLeonov WhiteSoyuzApollo 1 Apollo 8Apollo 9Apollo 10 Apollo 11Apollo 12Apollo 13 ChallengerColumbiaSoyuz 1 ApolloSalyutAlmaz SkylabMirISS TiangongSaturnBrown

This powerpoint was kindly donated to is home to over a thousand powerpoints submitted by teachers. This is a completely free site and requires no registration. Please visit and I hope it will help in your teaching.