Looking Upward: The Best 20 Adventures of Humans in Space

The Beginning of Adventure

Humans have always been driven by the curiosity to explore and discover. The space age only intensified this urge by opening up the possibility of adventures beyond our planet’s atmosphere. The brave exploration of space has challenged humans to reach higher, push boundaries and discover the incredible wonders of the vast universe beyond us. Here are the top 20 greatest adventures of humans in space:

1. Yuri Gagarin

On April 12, 1961, Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin became the first human to journey into space. he completed one orbit of Earth on his Vostok 1 spacecraft, famously greeting the world, “Poyekhali!”, meaning “Let’s go!”.

2. Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collins

Apollo 11 mission, which launched on July 16, 1969, saw humanity’s first steps on the moon by Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin.

3. John Glenn

In 1962, former Marine Corps pilot became the first US astronaut to orbit Earth on the Friendship 7 capsule. He became a household name.

4. Sally Ride

In 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. She became a role model and inspiration to many young women.

5. Alexei Leonov

Soviet cosmonaut, Alexei Leonov, successfully completed the first spacewalk in 1965. The historic feat lasted 12 minutes and nine seconds.

6. Sally K. Ride, Guion Bluford Jr., Kathryn D. Sullivan and Robert C. Springer

In 1984, four crew members of the Space Shuttle Challenger became the first NOAA astronauts to complete a groundbreaking department of Commerce space mission.

7. Valentina Tereshkova

In 1963, Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. She orbited earth 48 times during a three-day mission as a member of the Soviet Vostok 6 mission.

8. Chris Hadfield

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield went massively viral with his cover of “Space Oddity” from aboard the International Space Station.

9. Alan Shepard

In 1961, Alan Shepard flew into suborbital space on the Freedom 7 flight. This made him the first American in space.

10. Mae Jemison

Mae Jemison became the first black woman to fly on the space shuttle during her eight-day mission in 1992.

11. Peggy Whitson

In 2017, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson set a new US record for time in space, coming back to Earth with more of than 665 days of time spent in weightlessness.

12. Shannon Lucid

Shannon Lucid spent 188 days aboard Russian Space Station Mir in 1996. This set the US record for the most time an American woman spent in space.

13. Ellen Ochoa

In 1993, Ellen Ochoa became the first female Hispanic astronaut to fly in space during STS-56.

14. Scott Kelly

US astronaut Scott Kelly was part of the space station twins study alongside his twin earthbound brother, Mark Kelly, who is also an astronaut.

15. Kalpana Chawla

Indian-born Kalpana Chawla was one of the crew members aboard a Space Shuttle Challenger mission in 2003. Tragically, mission STS-107 ended in disaster when the orbiter broke apart upon re-entry over Texas.

16. EO Wilson

Biologist EO Wilson gave a heart-warming talk at Space for Humanity discussing the innate desire for exploration within humans.

17. Timothy Peake

In December 2015, British astronaut Tim Peake arrived at the International Space Station for his six-month long mission.

18. Jeanette Epps

In 2018, newcomer to the industry, Jeanette Epps would have flown in 2018 or 2019 to join Expedition 56 to the International Space Station but NASA cut her mission off.

19. Helen Sharman

In 1991, Helen Sharman became the first British astronaut in space. She travailed aboard soviet orbiter Mir.

20. Stephen Colbert

While his guests could only see the International Space Station via the Horizon spacecraft, comedian Stephen Colbert famously urged NASA to rename the modules after famous inanimate objects including Sesame Street personality, Oscar the Grouch or The Incredible Hulk.

Concluding Thoughts

Our exploratory transition from Earth to the wider universe beyond prove that mankind’s mission of discovery, innovation and wonder as well as our unceasing tenacity to use innovation in search for better possibilities for our kind will always push the boundaries of exploration, physical limits and imagination. May humanity continue breaking their own limits and fostering exploration into the expanding horizons surrounding us.