1. Science 9: Unit E: Space Exploration Topic 8 – People in Space

2. The History of Space Exploration 1957-1980 ► The space age was launched in 1957 with the launching of Sputnik by the Soviets. Four years later Yuri Gagarin became the first human to enter space. ► Over the next ten years the Americans and Soviets entered in a period of serious competition as part of the cold war. The Soviets relied on their Soyuz spacecraft while the Americans created their Apollo space program. In 1969, Americans ‘won’ the space race when Apollo 11 landed and Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the Moon.

3. The History of Space Exploration 1980-Present ► In the 1980’s NASA created the Space Shuttle, the first spacecraft that could be used over and over again on multiple space flights. Unfortunately two of the four space shuttles have already disintegrated in space flight: The Challenger in 1986, and the Columbia in 2004. ► Canada’s contribution to the American space program has been in two main areas: the Canadarm which acts as a giant lever, and scientist astronauts: Marc Garneau 1984, and Roberta Bondar in 1992.

4. The International Space Station ► The current focus of space programs across the world is the International Space Station (ISS), the largest ever space station built. The focus of the ISS program is for the ISS to act as a giant space laboratory where experiments will be carried out in space with decreased effects of gravity (called microgravity). ► The ISS has been criticized by many astronomers as a waste of money (billions of $). We can create microgravity conditions here on Earth or in a plane for much cheaper. Many of these scientists believe we should invest our money in other projects.

5. The History of Space Exploration The Future 2015-2050 ► In 2005, George Bush declared that NASA will shift its focus from the ISS to sending humans back to the Moon and building a Moon base. The end goal is to have humans land on Mars within your lifetime.

6. Hazards of Spaceflight ► Cosmonauts and astronauts have to face risks that we don’t worry about here on Earth: frigid temperatures, cancer-causing solar radiation, the effects of microgravity (muscle and bone deterioration), and the constant risk of spacecraft disintegration. It is the job of the NASA engineers to recreate the protective features of the Earth’s magnetic sphere, ozone layer, and greenhouse effect.