Knowra Human spaceflight Human spaceflight Human spaceflight is travel beyond Earth's atmosphere by people aboard spacecraft. It includes orbital missions, journeys to the Moon, and crewed flights to other destinations.
Launch vehicle : A rocket-powered vehicle that carries spacecraft or payloads from a launch site into space. Its engines and stages must accelerate a crewed spacecraft through Earth's atmosphere and into its planned trajectory.
Vostok 1 : The 1961 Soviet mission that carried Yuri Gagarin into orbit, making him the first human in space. It opened the era of human spaceflight and demonstrated that a person could survive an orbital mission.
International Space Station : A multinational crewed research laboratory in low Earth orbit, continuously inhabited since 2000. It is the longest-running setting for sustained human work and research in orbit.
Space law : The body of international and national rules governing activities in outer space. Crewed missions raise questions about jurisdiction, rescue duties, and responsibility for people in space.
Radiation protection in space : Methods for reducing human exposure to energetic particles and other ionizing radiation beyond Earth's protective environment. Radiation remains a major health constraint for journeys beyond Earth's magnetic field.
Spacecraft life-support system : Equipment that maintains breathable air, water, temperature, and other conditions needed by people aboard a spacecraft. It makes otherwise uninhabitable spacecraft cabins suitable for a crew.
Mercury program : The first United States human-spaceflight program, which sent astronauts on suborbital and orbital missions from 1961 to 1963. It developed early American crewed-flight operations and tested whether astronauts could function in space.
Spacewalk : An activity in which an astronaut works outside a spacecraft while wearing a spacesuit. Spacewalks allow crews to assemble, repair, and inspect orbital equipment directly.
Outer Space Treaty : The 1967 international treaty establishing foundational rules for the exploration and use of outer space. It sets legal principles that apply to states conducting crewed missions.
Microgravity effects on the human body : Physiological changes caused by prolonged exposure to near-weightlessness, including bone loss and altered fluid distribution. Long missions require better ways to prevent and reverse these changes.
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