Did You Know: Space – Who were the first space explorers?
Early space explorers were the first people to ride in rockets, see the Earth from hundreds of miles away, and feel weightless.
They were the pioneers of space travel.
Yuri Gagarin
The first person to travel in space was Yuri Gagarin. On April 12, 1961, the Russian orbited the Earth in his spacecraft Vostok 1 for one hour and 48 minutes.
Valentina Tereshkova
In 1963, Russian Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. She orbited the Earth 48 times on her three-day trip.
Apollo 8 crew
Americans Jim Lovell, Bill Anders, and Frank Borman were the first to leave the Earth’s orbit. They circled the moon in their 1968 mission.
Apollo 11 crew
In 1969, Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people to walk on the moon. Michael Collins accompanied them on their mission, but stayed in the spacecraft
Alexey Leonov
In 1965, Russian Alexey Leonov was the first person to leave a spacecraft and take a “space walk.” He floated in space for 12 minutes while attached to the spacecraft.