9781422273104

It took until 1983 for the first American woman, Sally Ride, to travel to space.

The 1960s were full of space exploration milestones. In 1962, John Glenn made the first US manned orbital flight aboard Mercury-Atlas 6, and in 1963, Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to fly into space. (It took until 1983 for the first American woman, Sally Ride, to travel to space.) And in 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon. Astronauts play an important role in space exploration, but there are many other career opportunities for people who are interested in space. Since the moon landing, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)—the agency that oversees government-sponsored space exploration in the US—and space agencies of other countries have worked to expand our knowledge of space. In recent years, private companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin have partnered with NASA and other space agencies, as well as have worked independently, to build spacecraft and investigate space using telescopes and other technology.

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CAREERS IN SPACE EXPLORATION