What is the history of space exploration and its major milestones?

Space exploration has been a major achievement of human civilization, as we have been able to send people and machines beyond Earth's atmosphere to study our universe. The history of space exploration has seen many milestones, starting with the launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, by the Soviet Union in 1957. This event marked the beginning of the Space Age and set off a race between the Soviet Union and the United States to achieve new milestones in space exploration.

Some of the major milestones in the history of space exploration include:

• The first human in space: Yuri Gagarin, from the Soviet Union, on April 12, 1961
• The first human on the Moon: Neil Armstrong, from the United States, on July 20, 1969
• The first space station: Salyut 1, launched by the Soviet Union in 1971
• The first reusable spacecraft: the Space Shuttle, launched by the United States in 1981
• The first rover on Mars: Sojourner, launched by the United States in 1996
• The first landing on a comet: Philae, launched by the European Space Agency in 2014
• The first landing on Mars by a helicopter: Ingenuity, launched by NASA in 2021

These milestones have been achieved through the efforts of many space agencies, including NASA, the European Space Agency, the Russian Space Agency, and others. Space exploration has helped us learn more about our universe and has led to many technological advancements that benefit our daily lives.