Space exploration facts for kids

Humans explore the lunar surface

This Kuiper belt object, known as Ultima Thule, is the farthest closely visited Solar System body, seen in 2019

Space exploration is a term which describes searching outer space. There are many reasons for space exploration. The most important reasons are scientific research and the interest of humans to learn more about outer space. For centuries, humans had dreamt of reaching outer space. Better rockets made it possible in the 20th century. On October 4, 1957, the former Soviet Union launched the Sputnik I, which was the first artificial satellite. This started the Space Race and people later went into orbit and Americans visited the Moon in Project Apollo. Many space probes have gone to the various planets and other places in the solar system to send back information about them.

Related articles

• Interstellar travel
• Moon landing
• Planet
• Solar system

Images for kids

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  Buzz Aldrin and Apollo 11's lunar lander on the Moon's surface

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  Self-portrait of Curiosity rover on Mars's surface

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  Most orbital flight actually takes place in upper layers of the atmosphere, especially in the thermosphere (not to scale)

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  Timeline of Solar System exploration.

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  V-2 Rocket in the Peenemünde Museum

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  Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite orbited Earth at 939 to 215 km (583 to 134 mi) in 1957, and was soon followed by Sputnik 2. See First satellite by country (Replica Pictured)

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  Model of Vostok spacecraft

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  Apollo CSM in lunar orbit

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  The Moon as seen in a digitally processed image from data collected during the 1992 Galileo spacecraft flyby

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  Mariner 10 image of Venus (1974)

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  First television image of Earth from space, taken by TIROS-1. (1960)

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  The Blue Marble Earth picture taken during Apollo 17 (1972)

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  Apollo 16 LEM Orion, the Lunar Roving Vehicle and astronaut John Young (1972)

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  Mars, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope (2003)

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  Surface of Mars by the Spirit rover (2004)

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  Asteroid 4 Vesta, imaged by the Dawn spacecraft (2011)

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  Jupiter, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope (2019).

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  A picture of Saturn taken by Cassini (2004)

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  A view beneath the clouds of Titan, as seen in false colour, created from a mosaic of images taken by Cassini (2013)

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  Uranus as imaged by Voyager 2 (1986)

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  Triton as imaged by Voyager 2 (1989)

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  New Horizons image of Charon (2015)

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  Comet 103P/Hartley (2010)

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  This high-resolution image of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field includes galaxies of various ages, sizes, shapes, and colors. The smallest, reddest galaxies, are some of the most distant galaxies to have been imaged by an optical telescope.

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  Concept art for a NASA Vision mission

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  Artistic image of a rocket lifting from a Saturn moon

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  The United States' planned Space Launch System concept art

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  Astronaut Buzz Aldrin had a personal Communion service when he first arrived on the surface of the Moon.

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  Crew quarters on Zvezda the base ISS crew module

See also

In Spanish: Exploración espacial para niños