"Space exploration is carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration is conducted both by uncrewed robotic space probes and human spaceflight."
A history of planetary exploration and current space missions, including the science goals, instrumentation, and data analysis.
Astronomy: The study of celestial objects, including planets, stars, galaxies, and comets.
Planetary Geology: The study of the physical and chemical makeup of planets and their geological processes, such as volcanism, tectonics, and erosion.
Astrobiology: The study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and survival of life in the universe, including the search for extraterrestrial life.
Aerospace Engineering: The study of the design, construction, and operation of aircraft and spacecraft, including rockets, satellites, and probes.
Navigation: The art and science of determining the position, direction, and distance of objects on Earth or in space, including the use of GPS, celestial navigation, and spacecraft tracking.
Remote Sensing: The use of satellite and aircraft-based sensors to observe and measure the physical, chemical, and biological properties of Earth and other planets.
Atmospheric Science: The study of Earth's atmosphere and other planetary atmospheres, including their composition, dynamics, and weather patterns.
Space Law and Policy: The legal, ethical, and political considerations related to space exploration, including treaties, agreements, and regulations governing space activities and space debris.
Mission Design and Planning: The process of developing and implementing missions to explore and study planets and other celestial objects, including the selection of targets, the design of instruments and spacecraft, and the management of resources and personnel.
History of Space Exploration: The study of the historical, cultural, and social aspects of human exploration of space, including the achievements and challenges of past and current missions.
Flyby mission: This type of mission involves a spacecraft that flies close to a planet or moon for a short period of time to gather data and images.
Orbiter mission: In this type of mission, a spacecraft is placed in orbit around a planet or moon to continuously gather data and images over an extended period of time.
Lander mission: A lander mission involves sending a spacecraft to a planet or moon that is designed to land on the surface and conduct scientific investigations.
Rover mission: Similar to a lander mission, a rover mission involves sending a spacecraft to a planet or moon that can move around on the surface, allowing for greater exploration and data collection.
Sample return mission: In this type of mission, a spacecraft is sent to a planet or moon with the goal of collecting samples of surface materials and bringing them back to Earth for analysis.
Human mission: This type of mission involves sending humans to explore and conduct scientific investigations on a planet or moon.
Telepresence mission: A telepresence mission uses robotic technology to allow humans on Earth to remotely operate spacecraft and conduct exploration and scientific investigations on a distant planet or moon.
Telescope mission: This type of mission involves sending a spacecraft equipped with a powerful telescope to gather data and images of celestial objects, such as planets, stars, and galaxies.
Atmospheric probe mission: An atmospheric probe mission involves sending a spacecraft into the atmosphere of a planet or moon to gather data and measurements of its composition and behavior.
Magnetospheric mission: This type of mission involves sending a spacecraft to study the magnetic field of a planet or moon, and its interactions with the solar wind and other celestial objects.
Interstellar mission: An interstellar mission involves sending a spacecraft beyond our solar system to explore and investigate the interstellar medium and other celestial objects.
Comet and asteroid mission: This type of mission involves sending a spacecraft to study comets and asteroids, and their role in the formation and evolution of our solar system.
"Space exploration, like its classical form astronomy, is one of the main sources for space science."
"It was the development of large and relatively efficient rockets during the mid-twentieth century that allowed physical space exploration to become a reality."
"The world's first large-scale experimental rocket program was Opel-RAK under the leadership of Fritz von Opel and Max Valier during the late 1920s."
"The Opel-RAK program and the spectacular public demonstrations of ground and air vehicles drew large crowds, as well as caused global public excitement... and had a large long-lasting impact on later spaceflight pioneers like Wernher von Braun."
"Common rationales for exploring space include advancing scientific research, national prestige, uniting different nations, ensuring the future survival of humanity, and developing military and strategic advantages against other countries."
"The early era of space exploration was driven by a 'Space Race' between the Soviet Union and the United States."
"In fact, the reason NASA was made was due to the response of Sputnik I."
"The launch of the first human-made object to orbit Earth, the Soviet Union's Sputnik 1, on 4 October 1957, and the first Moon landing by the American Apollo 11 mission on 20 July 1969 are often taken as landmarks for this initial period."
"The Soviet space program achieved many of the first milestones, including the first living being in orbit in 1957, the first human spaceflight (Yuri Gagarin aboard Vostok 1) in 1961, the first spacewalk (by Alexei Leonov) on 18 March 1965, the first automatic landing on another celestial body in 1966, and the launch of the first space station (Salyut 1) in 1971."
"After the first 20 years of exploration, focus shifted from one-off flights to renewable hardware, such as the Space Shuttle program, and from competition to cooperation as with the International Space Station (ISS)."
"Constellation, a Bush administration program for a return to the Moon by 2020 was judged inadequately funded and unrealistic by an expert review panel reporting in 2009."
"The Obama administration proposed a revision of Constellation in 2010 to focus on the development of the capability for crewed missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO), envisioning extending the operation of the ISS beyond 2020, transferring the development of launch vehicles for human crews from NASA to the private sector, and developing technology to enable missions to beyond LEO."
"In the 2000s, China initiated a successful crewed spaceflight program."
"India launched Chandraayan 1."
"China, Russia, and Japan have advocated crewed missions to the Moon during the 21st century."
"The European Union has advocated crewed missions to both the Moon and Mars during the 20th and 21st century."
"Studying space exploration can help us understand the advancements in technology, the race for space supremacy, and the milestones achieved in human spaceflight."
"The development of large and relatively efficient rockets during the mid-twentieth century allowed physical space exploration to become a reality."
"Focusing on cooperation, as demonstrated with the International Space Station (ISS), allows for shared resources, knowledge exchange, and joint scientific endeavors."