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30 Space

People began travelling in space in 1961 in tiny spacecraft called

capsules, which were launched from Earth by powerful

rockets. Russian crews still travel in this kind of craft,

in Soyuz capsules. From 1981 to 2010, the Americans

had reusable rocket-planes called space shuttles.

HOW DOES SPACE TRAVEL AFFECT PEOPLE?

When people travel in space, they seem to become weightless. This often

makes them feel sick. Their bodies do not have to work as hard, because

they are not fighting gravity to sit or stand up. If they stay in space for a long time,

the weightlessness makes their muscles start to waste away. Exercise and a special

diet help to combat these effects.

WHAT WAS THE APOLLO SPACECRAFT LIKE?

The Apollo spacecraft was launched from Earth by

the Saturn V rocket. On the launch pad, the whole

assembly stood 111 m (365 ft) tall. The spacecraft

itself weighed 45 tonnes (44 tons). It was made from

three main modules (sections). The command module

for flight control housed the three-man crew. The

service module carried equipment, fuel, and a rocket

motor. The lunar module detached from the craft

and landed two astronauts on the Moon’s surface.

HOW DO HUMANS SURVIVE IN SPACE?

There is no oxygen in space, so all manned spacecraft carry a life-support system. This

supplies air for people to breathe. The system also includes equipment to keep the air at

a comfortable temperature and pressure, and to remove carbon dioxide and odours.

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST ANYONE HAS TRAVELLED IN SPACE?

Astronauts on the. APOLLO PROJECT travelled as far as the Moon, about 385,000 km

(239,000 miles) away. Russian cosmonaut Valeri Poliakov travelled a distance of about

280 million km (174 million miles) around the Earth while in the Mir space station.

In the space race of the 1960s, the US

Apollo Project beat the Soviet Union by

landing the first astronauts on the Moon.

The first Moon landing, by Apollo 11,

took place on 20 July 1969, when Neil

Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the

first humans to set foot on another world.

HOW MANY APOLLO LANDINGS WERE THERE?

There were six Moon landings, beginning with

Apollo 11 in July 1969 and ending with Apollo 17

in December 1972. During the missions, 12 astronauts

explored the lunar surface for a total of over 80 hours

and brought back nearly 400 kg (880 lb) of Moon

rock and dust for examination on Earth.

4 SATURN V LAUNCH

The Saturn V rocket was used

for all the Moon landing

missions in the 1960s and 1970s.

At lift-off, the thrust was more

than the combined thrust of 30

jumbo jets taking off.

MISSION CONTROL 3

All US manned space missions

are under the control of Mission

Control at the Johnson Space

Center in Texas.

SPACE TRAVEL

Space Travel

APOLLO PROJECT

1 SPLASHDOWN

Three giant parachutes slowed

the falling Apollo command

module for a gentle splashdown

in the Pacific Ocean.

1 MAN ON THE MOON

Buzz Aldrin walked on the Sea of

Tranquillity during the two hours

he spent on the Moon’s surface.

1 LUNAR MODULE

Apollo 11’s lunar module, Eagle,

orbited the Moon during the first

Moon landing mission.

Second-stage

engines lifted

rocket 185 km

(115 miles)

above ground

First-stage

engines lifted

rocket 65 km

(40 miles) off

the ground

Third-stage

engine propelled

spacecraft to

the Moon

Apollo spacecraft

carried astronauts

FIND OUT MORE. Moon 17 • Rockets 28 • Space Shuttle 32

space travel