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30 Space Space 31

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.

When people travel in space, they seem to become weightless. This often HOW DOES SPACE TRAVEL AFFECT PEOPLE?

they are not fighting gravity to sit or stand up. If they stay in space for a long time, makes them feel sick. Their bodies do not have to work as hard, because

the weightlessness makes their muscles start to waste away. Exercise and a special diet help to combat these effects.

Anyone who travels in space is called an astronaut. The Russians call their space travellers

cosmonauts. Most astronauts stay in space for only a few days, but some remain

there for months in the International Space Station (ISS).

Any work that astronauts perform outside a spacecraft is called extravehicular activity (EVA) or spacewalking. On EVA, astronauts

wear protective spacesuits and are attached to the spacecraft by a safety tether. In 1982, astronauts tried out

a jet-propelled backpack called a manned manoeuvring unit (MMU).

WHY DO ASTRONAUTS NEED TO LEAVE A SPACECRAFT?

One major job for spacewalking astronauts has been to help rescue and repair satellites. On some missions,

shuttle astronauts have carried out in-orbit servicing on the Hubble Space Telescope, replacing faulty or

outdated equipment. Astronauts may also carry out space construction work. Lengthy EVAs are helping

to assemble the International Space Station (ISS) from parts ferried into orbit by other vehicles.

WHAT WAS THE APOLLO SPACECRAFT LIKE?The Apollo spacecraft was launched from Earth by

the assembly stood 111 m (365 ft) tall. The spacecraft Saturn V rocket. On the launch pad, the whole

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 11in December 1972. During the missions, 12 astronauts in July 1969 and ending with Apollo 17

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.

HOW DO ASTRONAUTS TRAIN FOR THEIR MISSIONS?Pilots and commanders have flight training in jet

planes and flight simulators. Mission specialists rehearse mission procedures and experiments. They

may train for EVA submerged in water tanks, where conditions are similar to the weightlessness of space.

WHAT KINDS OF TASKS DO ASTRONAUTS PERFORM?On missions into orbit, a commander and pilot fly the

spacecraft. On past missions, specialists have made observations, carried out experiments and, if necessary,

performed. EXTRAVEHICULAR ACTIVITIES (EVAs).

(^4) The Saturn V rocket was used SATURN V LAUNCH
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.
All US manned space missions MISSION CONTROL^3
are under the control of Mission Control at the Johnson Space
Center in Texas.
ASTRONAUTS
(^1) A spacesuit is a multilayer garment that provides an astronaut with SUITED FOR SPACEWALKING
pressurized oxygen and protection from the hazards of space – extreme heat and cold, radiation, and meteorite particles.
EXTRAVEHICULAR ACTIVITIES
SPACE TRAVEL
APOLLO PROJECT
Portable life-support systemprovides oxygen, water in backpack,
(to cool the suit), and electricity. It will keep
an astronaut alive for up to 8 hours
(^1) Three giant parachutes slowed SPLASHDOWN
the falling Apollo command module for a gentle splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
(^1) Buzz Aldrin walked on the Sea of MAN ON THE MOON
Tranquillity during the two hours he spent on the Moon’s surface.
(^1) Astronauts are whirled round to prepare their bodies for the strange sensations of space flight. MULTI-AXIS WHEEL (^1) Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made one orbit of Earth in a Vostok capsule on 12 April 1961. FIRST PERSON IN SPACE
(^1) Apollo 11 LUNAR MODULE’s lunar module, Eagle,
orbited the Moon during the first Moon landing mission.
Second-stage enginesrocket 185 km lifted
(115 miles) above ground
Space glovesare heated to
keep astronaut’s fingers flexible in extreme cold
Tool clipsattaching drills, screwdrivers, and for
wrenches
First-stage enginesrocket 65 km lifted
(40 miles) off the ground
Third-stage engine propelled
spacecraft to the Moon
NASA PROJECT BADGE
One of two spinning
wheels
Astronaut’s cage
Apollocarried astronauts spacecraft
Backpack control box
DATE MISSION ASTRONAUT 1965 Voskhod 2 Alexei Leonov EVA1st spacewalk (10 mins)
1969 2001 Apollo 11 ISS Neil Armstrong Jim Voss 1st Moonwalk (2 hours 30 mins)Longest spacewalk (8 hours 56 mins)
LANDMARK EVAS
FIND OUT MORE. Moon 17 • Rockets 28 • Space Shuttle 32 FIND OUT MORE. Forces 164 • Space Observatories 29 • Space Stations 33
Helmetgold-coated visor to reflect with
light and heat
An astronaut is at work on the ISS, high above the Earth. The WORKING IN SPACE^3
suit so they don’t float away – he, tools he uses are tethered to his in turn, is tethered to the craft.
space travel
astronauts
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