EXPLORING SPACE

The biggest revolution in the history of the human race has taken place in the past 50 years: we have been able to leave our planet and explore space. It has totally changed our lives – in fact, many of us would not recognize the world as it was before the launch of SPUTNIK 1 in 1957. Now, flotillas of satellites circle Earth, beaming a cacophony of communications into our homes, while weather, resources, and even wars were surveyed from space. The attendant breakthroughs in miniaturization and computer power can be appreciated by anyone with a personal computer. Space is also a human frontier. Hundreds of people have now flown in space and even walked on the Moon – and with the forthcoming International Space Station, thousands more will join them. Further afield, sophisticated craft has explored all the planets of our Solar System except Pluto – and the next step will be to set off for the stars themselves.