All You Need to Know About Getting to Space

A Brief History of Space Exploration

In 1957, science fiction became reality as the former Soviet Union was launching the Sputnik satellite into orbit. Alongside inspiring dreams of personal space travel, this monumental achievement triggered a global Space Race.

The first man to travel around the world in a spaceship was Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin in 1961. By 1969, millions of people were tuning in to watch Americans become the first Earthlings to step foot on the moon. 

On the verge of a new space era, in 1976 NASA was revealing a space shuttle designed to carry satellites and scientists into and out of orbit for the next several decades. 

The space agency began accepting applications from would-be astronauts to take part in the space shuttle program. NASA committed to providing women and people of color a chance to participate, opening the dream of space to a wider audience.

A Chance at Traveling to Space

Prerequisites to Becoming an Astronaut 

Initially, the route to space included strict requirements. 

To start, candidates had to be under a certain age (40 years in 1959, then lowered to 35 years in 1960). There was also a maximum height of 5 feet 11 inches, and they had to be a graduate of test pilot school with a minimum of 1,500 hours of total flying time. By 1960, a degree in engineering or the physical or biological sciences was required, as well as a recommendation from an employer. 

Most astronauts up to this point were white, military-trained males.

Only in 1976, with the expanded commitment to more diversity in the program, were the requirements slightly broadened. By this time, NASA was waiving pilot experience and hiring “Mission Specialists” who wouldn’t fly the vehicle, but rather join the mission crew as scientists and physicians.

Applying to Go to Space

Like any other job, becoming an astronaut includes an application process. 

In 1995, only around 120 people were interviewed for the space program out of nearly 2,400 applicants. Potential candidates undergo a grueling week of interviews, psychological tests, and medical exams. Some find out they have indicators that disqualify them for life.

After completing all of the investigations, the space agency narrows down the qualified applicant list even further. In 1995, NASA selected just 10 shuttle pilots and 25 mission specialists to join the crew. 

Becoming an Astronaut

Astronaut Training

Once the selection announcement arrived, the celebration didn’t last long before the astronaut began the rigorous training process. Between prop plane flying lessons and survival exercises — which included tasks like lifting oneself and gear into a raft on the water — training also entailed various simulators and a terrifying centrifuge, all mimicking extreme conditions.

As if the physical training weren’t daunting enough, the 1976 trainees were told that NASA expected to lose one in 25 shuttle flights (or 4%). If that rate bothered them, they were free to leave — there were thousands of others waiting to take their place. 

For many potential astronauts, this was a dream they had been pursuing their whole lives, so many chose to take the risk. 

What About Cosmonauts?

The primary difference between a cosmonaut and an astronaut is who trains and employs them. A cosmonaut is trained in Russia (or the former Soviet Union), while an astronaut is trained in the United States. 

In the early 1990s, as relations between the United States and the new Russian Federation were warming, American astronauts were sent to Russia to train with their cosmonaut counterparts. Despite being partially trained in Russia, these spacefarers are still considered astronauts as they’re American affiliated and employed by NASA. 

The Space Shuttle Program

During the early years of the Space Race with Russia, astronauts and cosmonauts used spacecraft that could only go into space once, such as the lunar spacecraft from the Apollo missions. These spacecraft were extremely expensive to build, only rivaled by how dangerous they could be. So, as the age of space exploration continued, NASA turned it’s attention toward building a reusable spacecraft that could ferry astronauts into space. And thus, the space shuttle program was born. 

The first space shuttle, Columbia, was completed in 1979 and launched on its first mission on April 12, 1981, on the 20th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s space flight. Over the course of the space shuttle program, NASA built six shuttles, including Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, Endeavour, and Enterprise. 

Despite earlier successes with the space shuttle program, the catastrophic explosion of the Challenger shuttle in 1986, just one minute after liftoff, resulted in the loss of seven lives and put NASA’s space schedule on hold for nearly three years, threatening the future of the American space program entirely. 

Space Stations

While the United States had been busy launching shuttles, the Soviet Union was focusing on long-term orbital stations. The Soviets launched their first space station in 1971 and put six more in orbit over the next 15 years. By the time Mir launched in 1986, cosmonauts had already logged more than five years of human habitation in space.

The Shuttle-Mir Program

With the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States began worrying that Soviet-space knowledge could be lost. Recognizing the opportunity to provide crucial lessons on long-duration spaceflight, the U.S. began paying the Russian space program to host American astronauts on Mir.

Russian cosmonauts and American astronauts began working together on cooperative flights. The Shuttle-Mir program ran from 1994 to 1998, and American astronauts were spending six months at a time on Mir. The information gathered from Mir flights became instrumental in planning for the necessary cooperation and coordination for assembly of a joint station, paving the way for the development of the International Space Station. 

The last official working crew to visit Mir departed in August 1999, and for the first time in nearly 10 years, there were no humans in space. With the development of the ISS, the final unmanned cargo ship was nudging the Mir out of orbit and decommissioning the station in 2001.

The International Space Station (ISS)

Drawing on their collective knowledge, the United States and Russia, along with Europe, Japan, and Canada, began building and developing the $150 billion International Space Station, or ISS. 

Designing the ISS to be interdependent, so that no one country could operate the station on its own, the intent was to withstand political turmoil and continue existing despite what may happen on Earth. The U.S. controls the solar arrays (power) and Russia controls the propulsion, requiring both to cooperate for its survival. 

The ISS is four times bigger than Mir, has a more powerful energy supply allowing astronauts to conduct better experiments, and is a step forward both in technology and ideology. The large modules and other pieces of the station were delivered on 42 assembly flights, 37 of those on U.S. space shuttles and five on Russian Proton/Soyuz rockets. 

Space Facts

Space has been a source of endless fascination for humanity for millennia. And who can blame us? Space is cool! Let’s dive into some fun facts about space and astronauts from “Once Upon a Time in Space:”

• Since Yuri Gagarin first ventured to space in 1961, fewer than 800 people have ventured into space.
• 500 million people tuned in to watch humans take the first steps on the moon in 1969, making it the most viewed event in the history of television at the time.
• There are two definitions about what counts as “space.” The Karman Line is internationally recognized as 62 miles (100km) above the Earth, while the United States Air Force defines space as 50 miles (80km) above Earth.
• While some countries work together to explore space, many countries are beginning to build their own independent space agencies. China became the third country to send people to space in 2003 followed by India in 2008.
• In May 2020 SpaceX successfully launched two NASA astronauts into space from Cape Canaveral — the first launch from United States soil since the end of the space shuttle program.

Space Station Facts:

• The first space station was launched by the Soviet Union. It’s name, Mir, means “Peace” in Russian.
• When Russian cosmonauts Sergei Zalyotin and Aleksandr Kaleri departed the Mir at the end of their service, they left behind bread, salt, and a little cognac for the next inhabitants, based on a Russian tradition.
• After more than 14 years in space, the Mir was old with poorly functioning life support systems. The decision was made to deactivate the station, and in 2001, the space station was nudged out of orbit and it burned up in the atmosphere upon re-entry.
• The first crew of the International Space Station stayed aboard for four months, and the initial plan was to have people living on the ISS full time for more than 10 years.
• The International Space Station cost an estimated $150 billion, and it was developed jointly by the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.
• Many astronauts’ favorite location on the ISS is the Cupola module, which features seven windows that provide an incredible views of Earth and deep space. 

The Future of Space Exploration

The future is uncertain, as NASA has committed to fully use and safely operate the space station through the year 2030, after which time it will be de-orbited. The agency is continuing to work to enable and seamlessly transition to commercially owned and operated platforms, while private companies, like SpaceX and others, are aiming for the stars.

Today, there is a new space race between the United States and China. China has already beaten the U.S. to land a spacecraft on the far side of the moon, and America has set a goal to reach Mars.

Can only one country explore space alone? Will we need to unite and explore together? Only time will tell, as humans continue to be drawn to the fascinating space beyond Earth.

Learn more about space exploration in the new series “Once Upon a Time in Space,” premiering on PBS on July 14, 2026. And check out our collection of gifs & stickers from the series.