For centuries, the idea of space exploration has held a powerful hold on the human imagination. This enduring fascination may explain why astronauts consent to be put in the harrowing position, as described by Tom Wolfe in The Right Stuff, of sitting “on top of an enormous Roman candle, a Redstone, Atlas, Titan or Saturn rocket, and to be hurled into space like a pinball.”
For the first half of the 20th century, only governments could afford to send people and machines into space. As a result, most government-funded space programs had utilitarian purposes, such as increasing knowledge and national prestige or power. Some areas of space activity have been successful without the benefit of government funding, such as satellite telecommunications.
The initial space program of the 1950s focused on launching satellites and space probes into orbit. Orbiters took photographs of Earth, measured cosmic rays (a Geiger counter that detects charged particles), and confirmed the existence of what are now known as the Van Allen radiation belts. Probes eventually landed on Mars, Venus, Mercury and the other planets of the Solar System, and the Voyager 1 and 2 probes are now far beyond our own solar system into the heliosphere—a bubble of particles surrounding the Sun.
The benefits of space travel extend well beyond advancing scientific and technical knowledge. It inspires children and young adults to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It also fosters a spirit of creativity, critical thinking and perseverance—all important attributes for solving many of the complex problems that humanity faces.