Man made his first journey into space in the year 1961. The distinction of this feat goes to Yuri Gagarin who went into space in a Russian built ‘Vostok’ spacecraft on the 12th of April 1961. He made his first orbit auound the Earth and returned in 108 minuts. The mission was soon followed by the American John Glenn in a Mercury spacecraft on 20th February 1962.
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Till 1965 the Americans and the Russians unsuccessfully tried to link their spacecraft with other satellites in orbit. It was only on 16th march 1966 that a Gemini spacecraft from America linked up with unmanned satellite followed by a link up between a Russian Soyuz-Vand a Soyuz-IV spacecraft on 16th January 1969.
The initial mission into sapace were followed by many more and the next landmark was established in July 1969 when Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon. Next came the era of the space flight in which a spaceshuttle was used. The space shuttle which is still used is like an aircraft which can make repeated flights into space. It is lifted off into orbit on two huge booster rockets which get detached when the shuttle in about 45 km in space. On completing their mission the astronauts return by firing the re-entry rockets and landing the shuttle on an airstrip.
The men who go into space are called Astonauts. They wear specially designed multi-layered suits and carry tands of oxygen in their backs. Since there in no air or atmospheric pressure on the Earth they would explode if these protective suits were no worn outside the spacecraft. Lack of gravity also causes weakening of body muscles and bones. Astronauts who are raquired to stay in space for longer periods, carry special equipment in their spacecraft for exercising regularly.
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