The story of space exploration stands as one of the most resounding triumphs of human intellect over the untamed vastness of the cosmos within a relatively short period. Just over half a century has passed since the first human-made object broke free from Earth’s gravity, reaching the necessary speed to orbit our planet—a blink of an eye by historical standards! Many today can vividly recall when a journey to the Moon was seen as pure fantasy, and those who dreamt of piercing the heavens were deemed harmless eccentrics at best. Today, spacecraft not only navigate the weightless expanse of space with precision but also transport cargo, astronauts, and even tourists to Earth’s orbit. Even more astonishing, missions now extend for as long as needed—Russian cosmonauts, for instance, serve 6–7 month stints on the International Space Station (ISS). Over these decades, humankind has walked on the Moon, captured the mysterious dark side of our satellite, populated Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mercury with artificial satellites, unveiled distant nebulas via the Hubble Telescope, and is earnestly considering Mars colonization. And while the search for communication with extraterrestrial beings and angels remains officially unfulfilled, there’s no reason to lose hope—the journey has only just begun.
It was in the late 19th century that progressive minds began to believe in the possibility of reaching distant worlds. Scientists had started to understand that if a flying device could achieve enough speed to overcome Earth’s gravitational pull and sustain it for long enough, it could break through the atmosphere and settle into orbit like the Moon, rotating around Earth. The primary challenge lay in developing an effective propulsion system. Early engines either expelled energy in short but powerful bursts, making them better suited for bombs, or functioned slowly and steadily, more appropriate for a horse-drawn carriage. Both options were inadequate for reaching space, and none provided the necessary control over thrust direction to alter a craft’s trajectory. Any attempt to launch vertically led the object to arc back to Earth, while a horizontal approach threatened destruction to everything around it. Finally, in the early 20th century, researchers looked toward rocket engines, a concept as ancient as the first century. In 1903, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky designed the first rocket theoretically capable of overcoming Earth’s gravity.
Despite two world wars slowing the progress of rocket development for peaceful purposes, post-war advancements were inevitable. A significant milestone was the adoption of a multi-stage rocket design, still used in astronautics today. This concept involved the simultaneous operation of multiple rockets symmetrically placed around a central object destined for Earth’s orbit, generating sufficient, steady thrust to reach the 7.9 km/s speed needed to overcome Earth’s gravitational pull. On October 4, 1957, humanity entered a new era with the launch of “Sputnik-1,” the first artificial satellite, aboard an R-7 rocket designed under Sergey Korolev’s leadership. Even today, the four-legged structure of the R-7, the forebear of all future space rockets, remains recognizable in the modern “Soyuz” launcher, carrying cargo and astronauts. The first satellite was a modest half-meter sphere weighing 83 kg and circled Earth in 96 minutes. This “star life” of iron pioneer Sputnik lasted only three months but covered an astonishing 60 million kilometers during that brief period!
The success of Sputnik-1 was a powerful motivator for scientists, turning the idea of sending a living creature into space into a plausible mission. Only a month after Sputnik-1, “Sputnik-2” was launched, carrying the first living creature to orbit—Laika the dog, sent to test survival in spaceflight conditions. Sadly, her mission was intended to be one-way. Although the launch was successful, a miscalculation caused the capsule’s temperature to spike after four orbits, and Laika didn’t survive. However, the satellite continued to orbit Earth for another five months before burning up upon re-entry. The first dogs to return from space safely were Belka and Strelka in August 1960. During their 17 orbits in 24 hours, mission control monitored their every move on black-and-white screens, as the dogs’ light-colored fur made them easier to observe. Following this flight, the spacecraft design was finalized, and within eight months, the first human would embark on a similar journey.
On April 12, 1961, the human race’s cosmic dreams became reality, marking a new era: before, when humanity simply “dreamed of the stars,” and after, when space was truly within reach. At 9:07 a.m. Moscow time, Yuri Gagarin became the first person to orbit Earth aboard “Vostok-1,” launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome. He completed one orbit in 90 minutes, covering 41,000 kilometers before safely landing near Saratov. Gagarin’s cheerful “Let’s go!” and his awe-inspired words, “Space is black, and Earth is blue,” became globally famous. His warmth and open demeanor melted hearts worldwide. Although Gagarin had limited control over the spacecraft and acted more as a well-prepared passenger, the physical strains he endured were immense, with G-forces reaching up to eight or ten times his body weight, the ship tumbling in space, and the hull heating to the point of metal melting. Despite several malfunctions, the flight was a success, and today, Cosmonautics Day is celebrated every April 12.
After Gagarin’s historic flight, landmark achievements continued to come one after another: the first group space flight, the journey of Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, and Alexey Leonov’s pioneering spacewalk in 1965. These feats marked monumental milestones in Soviet space history. Then, on July 21, 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to step on the Moon, taking that iconic “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Today, space travel is practically routine. Hundreds of satellites and thousands of other objects orbit above us, and on the brink of dawn, one might even spot the glint of the ISS’s solar panels reflecting sunlight yet unseen from Earth. With growing frequency, space tourists venture into orbit, making real the once-derisive phrase, “If you really want it, you can fly to space.” Commercial suborbital flights are poised to launch almost daily, heralding a new era. Space exploration with remote-controlled crafts continues to push our imagination to new heights, with HD images of distant galaxies and evidence suggesting the possibility of life on other planets. Billion-dollar corporations are now planning to construct space hotels in Earth’s orbit, while ideas of colonizing neighboring planets no longer seem pulled from the pages of Asimov or Clarke. One thing is certain: having once broken free from Earth’s gravity, humanity will continue to soar toward the boundless realms of stars, galaxies, and universes. May we always hold dear the beauty of the night sky, with its myriad twinkling stars, just as enticing and mysterious as they were in the earliest days of creation.