Firsts in Space
The journey to space didn’t start with humans. Before astronauts, animals were sent to test if living things could survive the trip. From fruit flies to dogs, these animals played a key role in space exploration. Some, like Laika the dog, became famous for their bravery.
- First animals in space
In 1947 the first living things went to space. They were two fruit flies! The United States launched the flies on a V2 rocket. In the 1950s, the USA and USSR sent lots of animals to space. These included mice, monkeys, rabbits, cats, and dogs. Scientists were testing if the creatures could survive the journey. Some test animals survived, but sadly not all.
Colour Your Space
Spending time focusing on one task can help you to relax. Colouring is a great way to spend some time on a calm and creative activity.
Use your imagination to add colour to these colouring sheets. Choose from Space Exploration, Planets, or Telescopes. Or why not complete all 3?!
Let's Explore Rockets!
Next time it's dark, why don't you look up!
Even if we can't go into space we can still learn a lot about it from right here on the ground.
Read All About it! Man on the Moon!
How carefully and accurately can you make sense of non-fiction text?
Dorothy Vaughan
Credit: Unknown author
Occupation: Mathematician and Human Computer
Year born: 1910
Research Areas: Computer Programming
Hazza Al Mansouri
Credit: NASA/Beth Weissinger
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Occupation: Astronaut
Year born: 1983
Research Areas: Aviation
Tim Peake
Credit: NASA
Occupation: Astronaut
Year born: 1972
Research Areas: Flight Dynamics, Aviation
Katherine Johnson
Credit: NASA
Occupation: Mathematician
Year born: 1918
Research Areas: Rocket Flightpaths, Trajectories, Orbital Mechanics
"I loved going to work every single day"
Timeline of the Apollo Missions
Did you know astronauts landed on the Moon six times between 1969 and 1972?
Explore the people and science of each Apollo mission using our timeline!
The First Moon Landing
In 1969, the Apollo 11 mission landed on the Moon. For the first time, people stepped foot on another world in our Solar System.