Each generation has some events or milestones that will forever mark them in the annals of history. Wars. advancements in science or medicine, something that no other generation can lay claim too. After World War II, advancements in science and technology started moving at a rapid pace. Many new and wonderous things came about on a seemingly annually basis, this made my youth very interesting to me. After much thought, I have decided the one thing that has caught my attention more than any other one thing, the most exciting thing was the race to space and the endless possibilities of it for future generations.
It all started with Hitler's V2 rockets that were launched at England, they were rocket propelled and contained warhead, somehow I doubt Hitler could have foreseen any use for the V2 beyond that of a weapon. America recognized the possibilities of the V2 as a weapon and as a tool of limitless technology so they brought home as many as they could find along with willing German scientist. In addition to military applications some bright soul saw into the future and all of a sudden the space race was on.
June 14, 1949 was the first time America ventured into space, we strapped a chimpanzee into the nose of one of those captured V2's and shot him into the air. He reached an altitude 83 miles before falling back to earth, the Chimp didn't survive but a thirst was developed. The flight was short of outer space but it was a start. Over the next few years more monkeys, dogs and mice were sent into space, they were used as Guinea Pigs to understand the effects that space flight would have on humans although none really obtained orbital status.
The Russains had the same thoughts about space as we did so and they too had several V2's and scientist and the race to space was on between our countries. They were the first to put something into an orbit around the earth, it was a satellite, a small round orb with a couple of antennas sticking out, they named it "Sputnik" It's only purpose was to reach orbit so the world would know they were the leaders of the race, it transmitted a beeping sound as it rounded the earth other than that it was a fascination for the world to hear and see. I was ten at the time and on a cloudless and dark night some of us kids would go outside and look up at the stars and there would be one that moved across the sky at a pretty good pace. It was a short-lived flight as it's orbit deteriorated and it burned up in the atmosphere a year later. They too kept shooting sending their Guinea Pigs up with similar results.
It wasn't until January 31, 1958 that the US launched a satellite that did more than beep. We launched a spy satellite called the Explorer I, it collected information mainly on Russia and probably China.
The one thing Sputnik did do was give the US a swift kick in the butt towards their efforts to get a man in space. It was a tight race and the Russians again won the day, on April12, 1961 Yuri Gargarin spent 108 minutes circling the earth and returned unharmed after one orbit. Over the next two years Russia sent another five cosmonauts into space including Valentina Tereshkova on June 16, 1963, she was the first woman in space.
Several more rockets and satellites were launched over the next few years before we sent Alan Shepard into space on May 5, 1961, he was touted as the first "Free" man in space. The flight lasted 15 minutes and reached an altitude of 116 miles. Many other Astronauts followed Shepard in various flights of various duration all in preparation for the ultimate goal of landing on the moon.
America's space program kept people glued to the TV when rockets were sent into space but the whole world shut down on July 16, 1969 as Appollo 11 was orbiting the moon with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins aboard the capsule "Eagle" preparing to make a landing on the moon, Michael Collins remained with the capsule and upon landing Neil Armstrong announced "the Eagle has landed" and when he sat foot on the moon he said "one step for man, one giant leap for mankind".
The United States has made several trips to the moon, no other country has even tried. Several countries have space programs but they are mainly used to launch satellites. The U.S. and Russia pushed on with their programs although the US had the most advancements with it's space program including the invention of the reusable space shuttle, orbiting space labs and giant telescopes that see into the depths of space.
To me, the most interesting of our adventures into space was when we launched Voyager 1 on September 9, 1977, it was to explore the outer planets of our solar system and indeed it has, the pictures it has sent back are amazing and beautiful but it did not stop there. After traveling for 45 years it reached the known edges of our solar system and kept going, it still reports back to earth although not as frequently. It takes at least an hour for any transmissions to reach earth from Voyager 1. Personally I think the voyager program is near the top of man's achievements of the 20th century, in addition to exploring the outer reaches of our solar system it was hoped that it may discover alien life on other planets, it was equipped with writings, pictures and verbal messages of greeting to any who it may encounter. I would like to be around in another fifty years to see what Voyager may find but at my age it will have to be up to my grandchildren and their children to find out what is out there. I envy them.
Now our space program is entering a new phase, it is collaborating with civilian enterprise, it is working towards the human exploration and colonizing of Mars. More advances and more adventures lie in wait in the minds of inquisitive young people with a big imaginations.
I am a firm believer that there is more that awaits us in space, I just can't believe that God stopped with earth, I can't believe that mankind is alone in space, this is why I have such a fascination with space. I think exploration of the cosmos is our salvation, I hope that maybe one of my future generations will someday be among the explorers.
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