Topic outline of space exploration

Space exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. [cite web | url = http://adc.gsfc.nasa.gov/adc/education/space_ex/exploration.html | title = How Space is Explored | publisher = NASA] Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to space exploration:

Essence of space exploration

: "Main article: Space exploration"

Space exploration is a high technology domain in which relatively few countries have made major investments. Near-term practical applications include communications, meteorology, Earth resources exploitation and assessment, search and rescue, and military intelligence gathering. Longer-term activities, often with a mixture of practical and cultural justifications, include such areas as scientific investigation, asteroidal impact hazard assessment and its mitigation, and microgravity materials science and biology research, both pure and applied. A further strong justification, somewhat speculative and often quite controversial, is human expansion into the space environment, for solar energy and space materials utilization, exploration, and eventual colonization and habitation.

Terms that describe space exploration include:

* Big Science
* Exploration
* High tech
* Space
* Spaceflight

Branches of space exploration

Space exploration can be divided into two branches: manned and unmanned. Unmanned, or robotic, missions entail the use of untended satellites and probes for communications, various military purposes,space is big and observation, solar and heliospheric science, Solar System exploration, space-based astronomy, and so on. Manned missions include trained human personnel who go into space for various purposes such as constructing a space station, repair or upgrade of previously launched spacecraft (notably the HST), performing human-tended experiments as in micro-gravity or biology, and especially understanding the effects on humans of the space environment in preparation for future human exploration and possible habitation. In the past decade there have also been several fee-paying "space tourists", mostly accommodated on a space-available basis. While the utility of robotic missions seems established, the merit and value of human presence in space has been hotly debated and remains somewhat controversial in some quarters, though it does appear to have wide popular appeal.

# Manned spaceflight
# Unmanned spaceflight

History of space exploration

: "Main articles: History of space exploration and Timeline of space exploration"
* Exploration of the Moon
** Apollo program
** Moon landings
** Robotic exploration of the Moon
* Exploration of Mercury
* Exploration of Venus
* Remote sensing of Earth
* Exploration of Mars
** Mars landings
** Mars rovers
* Exploration of Jupiter
* Exploration of Saturn
* Exploration of Uranus
* Exploration of Neptune
* History of human spaceflight
* List of human spaceflights
* Spaceflight records
* Project Gemini
* Project Mercury
* Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes
* Timeline of astronauts by nationality
* Timeline of Earth science satellites
* Timeline of first orbital launches by country
* Timeline of rocket and missile technology
* Timeline of space exploration
* Timeline of Space Shuttle missions
* Timeline of space travel by nationality
* Timeline of spaceflight
* Timeline of the Space Race
* Timeline of solar system exploration

Current space exploration

Space agencies

The best funded space agencies are:

Active space missions

* Mars Express, ESA satellite orbitting Mars
* Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA
* Mars Exploration Rover, NASA
* MESSENGER, NASA probe to Mercury launched in 2004
* Hayabusa, JAXA unmanned space mission to asteroid
* New Horizons, probe to Pluto
* Rosetta, ESA mission to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
* Venus Express, ESA satellite orbitting Venus

Future of space exploration

Lunar (the Moon)
* Future lunar missions
* Colonization of the Moon
* Lunar outpost (NASA)Sun
* Sundiver (space mission)Mercury
* Colonization of MercuryVenus
* Current and future missions to VenusMars
* Colonization of Mars
* Manned mission to MarsOuter solar system
* Colonization of the outer Solar System
** Colonization of Titan

Basic space exploration concepts

* Astronaut
* Space and survival
* Spacecraft
* Space science

Space exploration scholars

Leaders in space exploration

* Neil Armstrong - first man to walk on the Moon.
*Yuri Gagarin - first man to orbit the Earth.
*John Glenn - oldest man in orbit.

Space exploration lists

: "Main article: List of space exploration topics"

* ISS assembly sequence
* Landings on other planets
* Space Shuttle crews
* List of Apollo astronauts
* List of Apollo missions
* List of Atlas V launches
* List of Constellation missions
* List of Cosmos satellites
* List of Delta II launches
* List of Delta IV launches
* List of Earth observation satellites
* List of ISS spacewalks
* List of International Space Station Expeditions
* List of International Space Station visitors
* List of Long March rocket launches
* List of Mir Expeditions
* List of Mir spacewalks
* List of spacecraft and crews that visited Mir
* List of NASA missions
* List of Proton launches
* List of R-7 launches
* List of Solar System probes
* List of Soviet and Russian manned space missions
* List of Space Shuttle crews
* List of V-2 test launches
* List of artificial objects on extra-terrestrial surfaces
* List of astronauts by name
* List of astronauts by selection
* List of communication satellite companies
* List of communications satellite firsts
* List of cumulative spacewalk records
* List of human spaceflight programs
* List of human spaceflights
* List of interplanetary voyages
* List of launch vehicles
* List of manned spacecraft
* List of manned spaceflights to the ISS
* List of objects at Lagrangian points
* List of private spaceflight companies
* List of probes by operational status
* List of rockets
* List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit
* List of satellites which have provided data on Earth's magnetosphere
* List of space agencies
* List of space exploration milestones, 1957-1969
* List of space shuttle missions
* List of space travelers by name
* List of space travelers by nationality
* List of spacecraft manufacturers
* List of spaceflight records
* List of spaceports
* List of spacewalks and moonwalks
* List of the largest fixed satellite operators
* List of unmanned spacecraft by program
* List of unmanned spaceflights to the ISS

See also

* List of basic aerospace topics

References

External links

* [http://www.spaceref.com Space related news]
* [http://spaceflight.nasa.gov NASA's website on human space travel]
* [http://www.esa.int/esaHS/ESARW78708D_index_0.html ESA: Building the ISS]
* [http://www.sworld.com.au/steven/space/shuttle/manifest.txt Unofficial Shuttle Launch Manifest]
* [http://www.space-video.info/iss/assembly-animation.html ISS Assembly Animation]