The 10 most remarkable objects that humans have left into space

In an article published in GizmodoCanadian bioethicist, transhumanist and futurist George Dvorsky created a museum containing the most important human objects ever sent into space.

With the help of astronomer Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, US, he selected a series of artifacts that are materially nothing more than space debris today but have remained in the past. an invaluable historical, nostalgic or scientific value. Check out the main ones:

1 – Pioneer 1

It was launched by NASA five months after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 (which had already burned up in Earth’s atmosphere). Vanguard 1 is the oldest satellite still in Earth orbitAccording to the space agency. The small ball, 16.5 cm in diameter and weighing less than 1.5 kg, was the first satellite to use solar energy.

2 – SHOT 1

The first weather satellite launched into space According to NASA, the Television and Infrared Observation Satellite (TIROS) was the first experimental step “to determine whether satellites would be useful in studying the Earth.” The satellite was successful during its 78 days of operation and remains in orbit today.

3 – Month 1

Luna 1, built and operated by the former Soviet Union, was the first spacecraft to reach proximity to the Moon. although it did not fall on lunar soil as planned. This object, called Mechta (Dream) in Russian, entered orbit around the Sun, approximately six thousand kilometers away from its target.

4 – Telstar 1

Telstar 1, the symbol of satellite communications in the world, was the first communications satellite active in Earth orbit and also supported by private financing. Although it operated for only a few months, it transmitted telephone signals, data and live TV images of American President John F. Kennedy and French singer Yves Montand across the Atlantic Ocean. Telstar 1 is still orbiting our planet.

5 – Intelsat 1

Intelsat 1, known as the “Early Bird”, weighs 34.5 kg and is the first commercial communications satellite launched into Earth’s geostationary orbit. This facility, a pioneer in “providing a direct and near-instantaneous communications link between Europe and North America,” according to NASA, operated for 18 months before being shut down. later reactivated by the Apollo 11 mission, and today it remains approximately 35,900 km above the equator.

Also read:

6 – Sailor 4

NASA’s Mariner 4, a magnificent spacecraft, is now “retired” and orbiting the Sun. However, it reached Mars in its heyday on July 15, 1965. Becoming the first space probe to take close-up photos of another planet. He continued to work on important studies for another three years, with an expected survival time of eight more months.

7- Worship 7

Venera 7, the first probe to transmit data directly from the surface of another planet for 23 minutes, reached the planet of the same name. (Venera is Venus in Russian) In December 1970, it officially became the first successful landing on Earth’s uninhabitable twin planet. At that time, the spacecraft’s sensors revealed temperatures exceeding 475° C on the planet’s surface.

8 – Moon chariots from Apollos 15 to 17

Although the Russian eight-wheeled rover Lunokhod 1 rover became the first wheeled rover to reach the lunar surface on November 17, 1970, Nothing compares to three fascinating moon chariots, so-called LRVs.

The first four-wheeled vehicles to roam on another celestial body are parked on the Moon to this day, after serving on the Apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions.

9 – Pioneer 10

We are about to leave the Solar System and head towards the red star Aldebaran. Pioneer 10 space probe was the first object from Earth to pass the asteroid belt and send images of Jupiter. After exceeding Pluto’s orbit, the spacecraft made its last official communication on January 23, 2003.

10 – Rover Guest

Weighing just over 25 pounds, NASA’s Sojourner rover is considered the friendliest robot ever sent into space and is also The first wheeled vehicle in history to travel on the surface of another planet. Parked on Chryse Planitia on Mars, it probably needs a shower to remove excess red dust.

Did you like the content? Stay up to date with more curiosities like this on TecMundo and take the opportunity to discover what would happen if a piece of space debris crashed into your home.