Fewer than 600 people from countries around the world have ever left the Earth’s atmosphere and reached outer space. In the future, it is likely that thousands of people will have the opportunity to experience space — maybe even you.

Members of the Russian space program are called cosmonauts. Astronauts in the Chinese space program are sometimes called taikonauts. 

Shortly after Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space, Alan Shepard became the first American in space.

Robert H. Lawrence Jr. was the first black astronaut. He lost his life at the age of 32 in the crash of an F-104 Starfighter jet.

One small step for man

A Saturn V rocket took the Apollo 11 crew into space on July 16, 1969. Four days later, on July 20, Michael Collins orbited the moon in the command module Columbia while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the lunar module Eagle on the moon’s surface.

In 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman and youngest American to reach outer space. Mae C. Jemison is the first African-American female astronaut. In 1992, she flew aboard the Endeavour. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin of the former USSR became an international celebrity as the first human to enter space. He completed an orbit of the Earth.

The Space Station

Presently there are six people aboard the Space Station.

Expedition 40 (May to Sept. 2014)

• Steve Swanson (Commander)

• Oleg Artemyev

• Alexander Skvortsov

• Reid Wiseman

• Alexander Gerst

• Maxim Suraev

The International Space Station took 10 years and more than 30 missions to assemble. The station floats about 240 miles (390km) above the Earth. It has been home to a rotating international crew since November 2000.

Source :Times Of Oman