The study of space exploration involves the study of manned and unmanned missions to the planets, moons, and other objects in our solar system as well as the stars beyond. It is a scientific discipline in its own right and often combines with other disciplines such as aeronautical engineering and planetary science. Governments have largely funded this work since the early days of space exploration, which began with the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik 1 on 4 October 1957 and the American Apollo 11 flight to the Moon on 20 July 1969.
Planets were once viewed as mysterious lights that moved across the night sky, but they became real places when people used increasingly powerful tools to observe them. Once scientists could study them with high-resolution cameras and telescopes, they discovered that they were not only lights, but each had its own unique characteristics. These discoveries opened up new opportunities for space exploration, including the development of rovers that could take soil and rock samples from a planet’s surface.
Rockets were developed in the late 20th century that are powerful enough to overcome Earth’s gravity and achieve orbital velocities, allowing the first satellites and then human missions to be launched into space. More recently, researchers have explored the Moon, the other planets of our Solar System, and even beyond. The rover Curiosity is currently exploring Mars, while the probes Voyager 1 and 2 have traveled beyond 100 times the distance from Earth to the Sun, entering the Solar System’s heliosphere.