View source for Engineering:Space technology

{{short description|Technology developed for use in Space exploration}}

Many common everyday services for [[Astronomy:Earth|terrestrial]] use such as [[Earth:Weather forecasting|weather forecasting]], [[Earth:Remote sensing|remote sensing]], [[Earth:Satellite navigation|satellite navigation]] systems, [[Engineering:Satellite television|satellite television]], and some long-distance communications systems critically rely on space infrastructure. Of the sciences, [[Astronomy:Outline of astronomy|astronomy]] and Earth science benefit from space technology.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hall|first=Loura|date=2015-03-16|title=About Us|url=http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/about_us/index.html|access-date=2020-06-27|website=NASA}}</ref> New technologies originating with or accelerated by space-related endeavors are often subsequently exploited in other economic activities.

== History of space technology ==
The first country on Earth to put any technology into space was [[Place:Soviet Union|Soviet Union]], formally known as the "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" (USSR). The USSR sent the [[Engineering:Sputnik 1|Sputnik 1]] satellite on October 4, 1957. It weighed about {{convert|83|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, and is believed to have orbited around the globe. Analysis of the radio signals was used to gather information about the electron density of the ionosphere, while temperature and pressure data was encoded in the duration of radio beeps.

The first successful human spaceflight was ''[[Astronomy:Vostok 1|Vostok 1]]'', carrying 27-year-old Soviet cosmonaut [[Biography:Yuri Gagarin|Yuri Gagarin]] in April 1961. The entire mission was controlled by either automatic systems or by [[Engineering:Mission control center|ground control]]. This was because medical staff and spacecraft engineers were unsure how a human might react to weightlessness, and therefore it was decided to lock the pilot's manual controls.<ref name=oleg>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11111713/Oleg-Ivanovsky-obituary.html#disqus_thread |title=Oleg Ivanovsky - obituary |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=September 21, 2014 |access-date=September 25, 2014}}</ref><ref>Burgess and Hall, p.156</ref>

The first probe to impact the surface of the Moon was the Soviet probe [[Engineering:Luna 2|Luna 2]], which made a hard landing on September 14, 1959. The far side of the Moon was first photographed on October 7, 1959, by the Soviet probe [[Engineering:Luna 3|Luna 3]].s
On December 24, 1968, the crew of [[Engineering:Apollo 8|Apollo 8]], Frank Borman, [[Biography:Jim Lovell|James Lovell]] and [[Biography:William Anders|William Anders]], became the first human beings to enter lunar orbit and see the far side of the Moon in person. Humans first landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969. The first human to walk on the lunar surface was Neil Armstrong, commander of [[Engineering:Apollo 11|Apollo 11]].

Apollo 11 was followed by [[Engineering:Apollo 12|Apollo 12]], [[Engineering:Apollo 14|14]], [[Engineering:Apollo 15|15]], [[Engineering:Apollo 16|16]], and [[Engineering:Apollo 17|17]]. [[Engineering:Apollo 13|Apollo 13]] had a failure of the Apollo service module, but passed the [[Astronomy:Far side of the Moon|far side of the Moon]] at an altitude of {{convert|254|km|mi nmi|sp=us|abbr=off}} above the lunar surface, and 400,171&nbsp;km (248,655&nbsp;mi) from Earth, marking the [[Astronomy:List of spaceflight records|record]] for the farthest humans traveled from Earth in 1970.

The first robotic [[Astronomy:Lunar rover|lunar rover]] to land on the Moon was the Soviet vessel [[Astronomy:Lunokhod 1|Lunokhod 1]] on November 17, 1970, as part of the Lunokhod program. To date, the last human to stand on the Moon was Eugene Cernan, who as part of the [[Engineering:Apollo 17|Apollo 17]] mission, walked on the Moon in December 1972. Apollo 17 was followed by several uncrewed interplanetary missions operated by NASA.

One of the notable interplanetary missions is ''[[Astronomy:Voyager 1|Voyager 1]]'', the first artificial object to leave the Solar System into [[Astronomy:Outer space#Interstellar space|interstellar space]] on August 25, 2012. It is also the most distant artificial object from Earth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/solarsystem/space_missions/voyager_1 |title=Voyager 1 |work=BBC Solar System |access-date=4 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203195855/http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/solarsystem/space_missions/voyager_1 |archive-date=February 3, 2018 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> The probe passed the heliopause at 121 [[Astronomy:Astronomical unit|AU]] to enter [[Astronomy:Interstellar medium|interstellar space]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Voyager 1 finally crosses into interstellar space |first=William|last=Harwood |work=CBS News |date=September 12, 2013 |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57602736/voyager-1-finally-crosses-into-interstellar-space/}}</ref> ''Voyager 1'' is currently at a distance of {{convert|145.11|AU|sigfig=5}} (21.708 billion kilometers; 13.489 billion miles) from Earth as of January 1, 2019.<ref name="voyager">{{cite web | url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status/ | title=Voyager - Mission Status | work=[[Organization:Jet Propulsion Laboratory|Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] | publisher=[[Organization:NASA|NASA]] | access-date=January 1, 2019}}</ref>

== Hazards caused by space technology ==
{{excerpt|Spaceflight|Safety}}

==See also==
* [[Company:NewSpace|NewSpace]]
* [[Astronomy:Spacecraft propulsion|Spacecraft propulsion]]
* [[Astronomy:Space science|Space science]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/index.html NASA images and videos of space technology]
*[https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/our-solar-system/overview/ NASA solar system overview]
*[https://www.grovevc.com/news-and-events/space-tech-to-infinity-and-beyond/ Space-Tech: To Infinity and Beyond]

{{In space}}

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{{Sourceattribution|Space technology}}