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30 Huge Leaps for Mankind During the Space Race

Space. The final frontier. Space has always been one of the most amazing and terrifying concepts that humans have ever known. Humans have always been fascinated by it, and human ambition is unmatched. So, once the majority of the globe was explored? They looked toward the heavens.

The Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union began in the mid-1950s. In response to the Soviet Union, the U.S. opened the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in October 1958. Since its opening, NASA has conducted research and testing for space science, exploration, and innovation. Some of these sciences and innovations have even been adapted for commercial use. NASA and other countries that participated in the Space Race developed technology that permeates into the everyday life of almost every human on the planet. Their achievements defined space exploration, and it's virtually impossible to imagine life without them.

Sputnik

Sputnik

On October 4, 1957, the Space Race kicked off with a blast. The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 into space, the first artificial Earth satellite. It orbited for three weeks before the batteries died. It continued to silently orbit for two months before it fell back into the atmosphere.

Artificial Limbs

Artificial Limbs

NASA led the pack in robotics, being able to control space vehicles remotely. Over the years, this technology has been successfully adapted to create functionally dynamic artificial limbs. Another NASA invention, memory foam, helps mold coverings for the limbs that have the natural look and feel of skin.

First Animal to Orbit Earth

First Animal to Orbit Earth

You might have heard of the tragic tale of Laika the dog. Often thought of as the first animal in space (which was actually a rhesus monkey in 1948), Laika was actually the first animal to orbit Earth. On November 3, 1957, Laika boarded Sputnik 2 and was launched into space. Laika sadly died from overheating not long after entering orbit.

(Image via Wikimedia)

The Dark Side of the Moon

The Dark Side of the Moon

The dark side of the moon was one of the great fascinations of the time. The Soviet Luna 3 program in October 1959 provided previously unseen views of the dark side of the moon. Mountainous terrain and low valleys were captured in 29 images taken over a period of 40-minutes. The pictures showed that the far side of the Moon was significantly different than that of the side facing Earth.

(Image via Wikipedia)

First Human in Space

First Human in Space

On April 12, 1961, all eyes were drawn to the Soviet Union when cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin launched into space in the Vostok 1 capsule. Gagarin orbited Earth once during a 108-minute flight before landing safely in a Russian field. The Soviet Union stunned the world, the United States most of all.

(Image via Wikipedia)

First American in Space

First American in Space

The United States is not to be outdone in anything. Less than a month after the USSR cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space, the U.S. countered with a manned mission of its own. May 5, 1961, astronaut Alan Shepard launched aboard Freedom 7 and became the second human in space. Shepard's suborbital flight lasted only 15 minutes before he touched down in the Atlantic Ocean, just 302 miles from the Florida launch site.

(Image via Wikipedia)

Satellite TV

Satellite TV

Before astronauts ever set foot in space, unmanned satellites were launched for test flights to send data back to Earth. The exact same technology has now become an integral part of everyday life, allowing long-distance communication thanks to the 200-ish satellites orbiting the globe every day.

Reusable Spaceships

Reusable Spaceships

NASA created humanity's first reusable spacecraft, Columbia, in 1981. The Columbia serviced until 2003, where it performed missions that included servicing the Hubble Space Telescope and deploying the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. Over the next 30 years, Columbia and the four following reusable spacecraft launched on a total of 133 missions (two of which ended in tragedy, the shuttles and the crews were both lost). 

(Image via Wikipedia)

First Spacewalk

First Spacewalk

On March 18, 1965, Alexey Leonov went down in world history for a feat of bravery unlike any other. Leonov became the first man to step outside of a spacecraft and embark on the first spacewalk that lasted 12 minutes.

(Image via Wikipedia)

Scratch-Resistant Lenses

Scratch-Resistant Lenses

Those scratch-resistant lenses in your glasses and sunglasses? Initially, they were created for astronaut helmets. After NASA's development of the lenses, the agency gave the Foster-Grant Corporation a license to continue experimenting with scratch-resistant plastics that are now in your glasses.

Insulin Pumps

Insulin Pumps

Used by diabetics across the world, insulin pumps can actually be traced back to NASA. The Goddard Space Flight Center developed these to monitor astronauts' vital signs while they were in space. Now, they've been adapted to regulate blood sugar levels and release insulin when needed.

Firefighting Equipment

Firefighting Equipment

Spacesuits are made up of unique materials, and some of those materials have been invaluable in creating flame-retardant, heat-resistant suits for firefighters. More recent firefighter suits have also sported a circulating coolant to help keep them from succumbing to the heat and advanced breathing systems that have been modeled after astronaut life support systems.

Men on the Moon

Men on the Moon

This is it, the infamous Apollo 11 mission. This is the mission that the U.S. and the Soviets were fighting to achieve. July 20, 1969, is a day that will forever mark history as the day men first stepped foot on the moon. Neil Armstrong's boot hit the lunar ground, and he uttered one of the most famous lines in history "That's one small step for a man — one giant leap for mankind."

(Image via Wikipedia)

LASIK Surgery

LASIK Surgery

The technology essential for LASIK surgery was developed originally to track astronauts' eyes during periods in space. This tracking was initially used to assess how humans' frames of reference are affected by the weightlessness of space, and now, surgeons use it to track their patient's eyes in LASIK.

The First Space Station

The First Space Station

A decade after humans first arrived in outer space, they finally figured out a way to stay up there. On April 19, 1971, the Soviet Union launched the Salyut 1, the world's first space station. Salyut 1 was about 66 feet long and 13 feet across at its widest point. The crew of the Soyuz 11 spacecraft was the first to arrive on the craft on June 7, 1971. The Soyuz 11 crew stayed onboard until June 29, completing 362 orbits around Earth before going back home.

(Image via Wikipedia)

Solar Cells

Solar Cells

Created from a desperate need to power space missions, NASA invented and has continually improved photovoltaic cells. NASA shared the cells with other companies to help them accelerate the technology.

(Image via Wikipedia)

First Spacecraft to Mars

First Spacecraft to Mars

On August 20, 1975, NASA launched the first spacecraft to Mars: Viking 1. Viking 1 was followed by Viking 2 in September 1975, and the pair became the first U.S. mission to land safely on Mars and return images of the red planet's surface.

(Image via Wikipedia)

Hubble Space Telescope

Hubble Space Telescope

In April of 1990, NASA deployed the Hubble Space Telescope. Since its launch, the Hubble has traveled more than four billion miles and made more than 1.3 million observations of our universe.

(Image via Wikipedia)

Camera Phones

Camera Phones

Back in the 1990s, one of NASA's labs created a light, mini imaging system that required minimal energy to take high-quality pictures from space. This same technology has become standard in cell phone and computer cameras across the globe.

CAT Scans

CAT Scans

Initially used to recreate images of the moon during the Apollo missions, this same digital signal tech is the underlying force that makes CAT scans and MRIs possible in hospitals around the world.

First Permanently Manned Space Station

First Permanently Manned Space Station

Following the success of the Soviet Salyut, a replacement space station was undertaken. Plans for the Mir space station began in 1976, and it launched a decade later in February 1986. From 1989 to 1999, Mir was permanently occupied by crews from across the globe.

(Image via Wikipedia)

The International Space Station

The International Space Station

In November 1993, the United States, Russia, Japan, and the European Space Agency announced that they would work together to create the International Space Station. A total of 15 nations participated in the construction of the ISS, which took 13 years to complete.

(Image via Wikipedia)

Space Tourism

Space Tourism

In April 2001, Dennis Tito became the first space tourist, paying as much as $20 million to fly to the International Space Station and back. Tito stayed on the orbiting lab for almost 8 days, and since then, seven more tourists have visited the ISS (some of them paying up to $35 million).

(Image via Wikipedia)

3D Food Printing

3D Food Printing

The ability to cook on long space missions wasn't exactly possible, at least not until recently. The invention of 3D food printers allowed astronauts to cook in space, and now it's being refined for commercial use.

Air Purifiers

Air Purifiers

In the sealed environment of a spacecraft, growing plants has led to ethylene buildup (which speeds up decay and other pathogens). In order to combat this, NASA invented an air purifier for the International Space Station. That technology has now taken up residence all across the globe in restaurants, hospitals, and refrigerators to remove ethylene.

Water Filtration

Water Filtration

Back in the 1970s, NASA created a filtration system that utilized iodine and cartridge filters to make sure astronauts had access to safe, tasteless water. This technology is now standard across the world.

Building Shock Absorbers

Building Shock Absorbers

Shock absorbers were initially designed to protect equipment during shuttle launches, and now those same absorbers are used to protect bridges and buildings in earthquake-prone areas.

Portable Computers

Portable Computers

Most people today probably wouldn't be able to imagine life without a laptop (especially younger generations). They've become too integral in everyday life for most people across the globe. The first portable computer, the Grid Compass, was used on several shuttle missions in the '80s to communicate with onboard devices and launch satellites of the shuttles. Our standard laptops today can't really do that, but it's cool to know that that's where they started.

(Image via Wikipedia)

Apollo 8 Circled the Moon

Apollo 8 Circled the Moon

Launched on December 21, 1968, humans traveled farther from their home than ever before. The Apollo 8 craft and its three crewmembers made one and a half orbits of Earth, then set off for a trip around the moon and back. The Apollo 8 arrived in lunar orbit on December 24, and they took the iconic 'Earthrise' shot, with Earth hanging in the black background of space with the desolate lunar surface in the foreground.

NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

First Woman in Space

First Woman in Space

Space travel was originally an exclusively male endeavor, as most things were at the time. The USSR, however, surprised everyone. On June 16, 1963, 26-year-old Valentina Tereshkova piloted the Vostok 6, completing 48 orbits of Earth. The first American woman didn't reach space until two decades later when Sally Ride boarded the space shuttle Challenger in 1983.

National Archives at College Park, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons