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The first space flight is a term that is debated. This is because “first spaceflight” can refer to three key events in the history of space exploration. The first would be the launch of the German rocket, V-2. This was the first rocket to successfully reach space. However, the Russians don’t consider a suborbital launch to count. In that case the title of the first successful spaceflight would actually go to the launch of Sputnik 1. Sputnik was the first artificial satellite to be launched into orbit. The final definition would be the first successful human spaceflight. This honor goes again to the Russians. The Vostok 1 mission was the first successful launch of a human being into outer space and the first successful orbit of the earth by a human being. Each and every one of these “firsts” was important to the advancement of space exploration. So I will try to describe their significance in detail.
The German V-2 rockets were actually an innovation of the liquid fuel rocket designed by the Father of Modern Rocketry, Robert Goddard. The German government funded the research of its rocket scientists in order to actually create a weapon. So the first long range missiles were also the German’s invention. The significance of the V-2 launch is that it proved that rockets could be used to enter space. Many of the scientists that worked on the project would later work for NASA after WWII.
The Launch of Sputnik was a significant event. It was the very first successful launch of a rocket into space. It took the design of the V-2 rocket a step further using a plan based off Intercontinental ballistic missiles. The impact of the launch of Sputnik was immediate and it started the Space Race that spawned the development of the majority of modern space technology.
The Vostok 1 mission is probably the most important first flight. It was the equivalent of the Wright’s brothers’ flight at Kittyhawk, North Carolina. It proved that human space flight was possible and made later feats like the Apollo 11 mission possible. Without this first flight other marvels like Mir, the International Space Station and the space shuttle would not come to exist.
So while what the actual first spaceflight is still debatable, the three candidates for the designation were each important first in their own right. They expanded our knowledge of space and helped human technology advance by leaps and bounds and even made modern life as we now know it possible.
If you enjoyed this article there are others that you might enjoy on Universe Today. There is an interesting article about Laika the first dog in space. There is also an article commemorating the early pioneer of space exploration.
There are also great resources on the web. You can check out russianspaceweb.com to learn more about the history of the Russian space program. You can also check out the NASA.gov website to learn more about Sputnik.
You can also check out Astronomy Cast. Episode 124 ,Space Capsules, is particularly pertinent to this article.