History of space exploration
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Description
Book Introduction
From the V-2 rocket, the Apollo program, to SpaceX Starship…
Humanity's efforts and orbits in space exploration
A friendly guide that draws accurately
It is important in many ways to systematically understand the process of space exploration by following it chronologically.
To understand the science and technology related to space exploration and to look toward the future, it is necessary to examine the reasons for each exploration, the scientific knowledge behind it, and how problems and incidents related to space exploration were resolved.
This book focuses on this aspect, unfolding the history of space exploration and explaining the related science and technology using scientific concepts that everyone can access.
"The History of Space Exploration" is a friendly guide that details the entire history of space exploration, including not only the current state of space exploration, but also how humanity began space exploration and the efforts and processes through which it has developed.
While providing a wealth of scientific information, supplemented by physics knowledge, it also does not miss the fun of following a historical narrative.
It contains all the stories about going to space, what to do when you go there, and what not to do.
Having secured its own launch vehicle technology capable of placing satellites into low Earth orbit with Nuri, South Korea is now ready to plan and implement higher-level space exploration beyond satellites, including exploration of the moon, asteroids, and planets.
It is time to examine the footsteps of advanced space exploration countries that have already taken this step and understand the science and technology that underpins them.
At this crucial juncture, A History of Space Exploration will become a must-read for anyone interested in space exploration.
Humanity's efforts and orbits in space exploration
A friendly guide that draws accurately
It is important in many ways to systematically understand the process of space exploration by following it chronologically.
To understand the science and technology related to space exploration and to look toward the future, it is necessary to examine the reasons for each exploration, the scientific knowledge behind it, and how problems and incidents related to space exploration were resolved.
This book focuses on this aspect, unfolding the history of space exploration and explaining the related science and technology using scientific concepts that everyone can access.
"The History of Space Exploration" is a friendly guide that details the entire history of space exploration, including not only the current state of space exploration, but also how humanity began space exploration and the efforts and processes through which it has developed.
While providing a wealth of scientific information, supplemented by physics knowledge, it also does not miss the fun of following a historical narrative.
It contains all the stories about going to space, what to do when you go there, and what not to do.
Having secured its own launch vehicle technology capable of placing satellites into low Earth orbit with Nuri, South Korea is now ready to plan and implement higher-level space exploration beyond satellites, including exploration of the moon, asteroids, and planets.
It is time to examine the footsteps of advanced space exploration countries that have already taken this step and understand the science and technology that underpins them.
At this crucial juncture, A History of Space Exploration will become a must-read for anyone interested in space exploration.
- You can preview some of the book's contents.
Preview
index
Recommendation
prolog
Chapter 1: From Early Space Science to Nazi Germany's V-2 Rocket
The Beginnings of Space Science | The Dawn of Modern Space Science | The Advent of the V-2 Rocket | Animal Spaceflight Using Ballistic Missiles
Chapter 2: The Early Space Race Between the United States and the Soviet Union
Satellite Race | Satellite Speed and Escape Velocity | The US-Soviet Race to Escape Earth's Gravity | The Manned Space Race
Chapter 3: Early Planetary Exploration and Communication Satellites
To reach planets beyond Earth | Why the direction a spacecraft flies is important | Venus flybys and Mars flybys | Communication satellites: Artificial satellites whose primary purpose is communications | Geosynchronous satellites, whose orbital period is aligned with the Earth's rotational period | Geosynchronous satellites: Geosynchronous satellites floating above the equator
Chapter 4: The Race Between Multi-Crew Manned Spaceflight and Unmanned Lunar Orbiters and Landers
The Beginning of Manned Lunar Exploration Programs | Gemini Program: America's Multi-Crew Manned Spaceflight Program | The Soviet Union's Voskhod Program, Which Did Not Go as Planned | The U.S. and Soviet Unmanned Lunar Orbiter and Lunar Lander Race | Achieving Lunar Orbiter First
Gonghan Lunar Lander
Chapter 5: Development of the Saturn Rocket and the Apollo Program
How will manned lunar exploration be accomplished? | Understanding manned lunar exploration through velocity increments | Utilizing air resistance in the Earth's atmosphere for the return to Earth | Development of the Saturn rocket, the most powerful of the 20th century rockets | The Apollo program | Apollo 11, the first step on the moon
Chapter 6 Planetary Exploration Using Planetary Orbiters, Landers, and Gravity Assist
Why orbiters are harder than flybys | How Venus and Mars orbiters became planetary landers | Planetary landers can exploit atmospheric drag | Pioneer's gravity-assist navigation to Jupiter and Saturn | Mariner 10's gravity-assisted flybys of Mercury three times | A special fact discovered by young JPL interns in the early 1960s | Voyager 2, which realized the grand plan to explore planets
Chapter 7: From Naked-Eye Observations to Space Telescopes
From naked-eye astronomical observation to the invention of the telescope | Astronomical observation and space telescopes using various types of light | A space telescope orbiting the Earth | A space telescope orbiting the Sun | A space telescope installed at the L2 Lagrange point between the Sun and Earth
Chapter 8: The History of the Space Station
Why do we need a space station? | The Soviet Union built the first space station. | How do you dispose of a space station? | The differences between Salyut 1-5 and 6 and 7. | Skylab, the first space station in the United States. | The Intercosmos program, which involved cosmonauts from Soviet allies. | Mir, the first modular space station. | The International Space Station, built through international collaboration. | China's space station. | Lunar Gateway, a space station orbiting the moon.
Chapter 9: The History of Spacecraft and Rocket Reuse
Spaceship reuse that enabled SpaceX's dominance | The cost of launching a spaceship using the Saturn rocket | The Space Shuttle, which began the full-scale reuse of rockets and spacecraft | The Space Shuttle's launch cost problem and two major accidents | The Soviet space shuttle Buran | SpaceX's rocket reuse | Starship, which reuses both the launch vehicle and the spacecraft | The unmanned Boeing X-37 space shuttle
prolog
Chapter 1: From Early Space Science to Nazi Germany's V-2 Rocket
The Beginnings of Space Science | The Dawn of Modern Space Science | The Advent of the V-2 Rocket | Animal Spaceflight Using Ballistic Missiles
Chapter 2: The Early Space Race Between the United States and the Soviet Union
Satellite Race | Satellite Speed and Escape Velocity | The US-Soviet Race to Escape Earth's Gravity | The Manned Space Race
Chapter 3: Early Planetary Exploration and Communication Satellites
To reach planets beyond Earth | Why the direction a spacecraft flies is important | Venus flybys and Mars flybys | Communication satellites: Artificial satellites whose primary purpose is communications | Geosynchronous satellites, whose orbital period is aligned with the Earth's rotational period | Geosynchronous satellites: Geosynchronous satellites floating above the equator
Chapter 4: The Race Between Multi-Crew Manned Spaceflight and Unmanned Lunar Orbiters and Landers
The Beginning of Manned Lunar Exploration Programs | Gemini Program: America's Multi-Crew Manned Spaceflight Program | The Soviet Union's Voskhod Program, Which Did Not Go as Planned | The U.S. and Soviet Unmanned Lunar Orbiter and Lunar Lander Race | Achieving Lunar Orbiter First
Gonghan Lunar Lander
Chapter 5: Development of the Saturn Rocket and the Apollo Program
How will manned lunar exploration be accomplished? | Understanding manned lunar exploration through velocity increments | Utilizing air resistance in the Earth's atmosphere for the return to Earth | Development of the Saturn rocket, the most powerful of the 20th century rockets | The Apollo program | Apollo 11, the first step on the moon
Chapter 6 Planetary Exploration Using Planetary Orbiters, Landers, and Gravity Assist
Why orbiters are harder than flybys | How Venus and Mars orbiters became planetary landers | Planetary landers can exploit atmospheric drag | Pioneer's gravity-assist navigation to Jupiter and Saturn | Mariner 10's gravity-assisted flybys of Mercury three times | A special fact discovered by young JPL interns in the early 1960s | Voyager 2, which realized the grand plan to explore planets
Chapter 7: From Naked-Eye Observations to Space Telescopes
From naked-eye astronomical observation to the invention of the telescope | Astronomical observation and space telescopes using various types of light | A space telescope orbiting the Earth | A space telescope orbiting the Sun | A space telescope installed at the L2 Lagrange point between the Sun and Earth
Chapter 8: The History of the Space Station
Why do we need a space station? | The Soviet Union built the first space station. | How do you dispose of a space station? | The differences between Salyut 1-5 and 6 and 7. | Skylab, the first space station in the United States. | The Intercosmos program, which involved cosmonauts from Soviet allies. | Mir, the first modular space station. | The International Space Station, built through international collaboration. | China's space station. | Lunar Gateway, a space station orbiting the moon.
Chapter 9: The History of Spacecraft and Rocket Reuse
Spaceship reuse that enabled SpaceX's dominance | The cost of launching a spaceship using the Saturn rocket | The Space Shuttle, which began the full-scale reuse of rockets and spacecraft | The Space Shuttle's launch cost problem and two major accidents | The Soviet space shuttle Buran | SpaceX's rocket reuse | Starship, which reuses both the launch vehicle and the spacecraft | The unmanned Boeing X-37 space shuttle
Detailed image
Into the book
As a result of their victory in World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union, which took the V-2 rocket and related technology as spoils of war, continued to develop rockets and also conducted experiments to send animals into space.
The monkey, known as Albert 2, ascended into space 134 kilometers above the ground aboard a V-2 rocket launched by the United States on June 14, 1949.
It was the first mammal to reach space.
However, when he returned, his parachute did not open properly, so he did not return alive.
Extending to non-mammals, the first animal to reach space was a fruit fly, which reached an altitude of 109 kilometers aboard a V-2 rocket launched by the United States on February 20, 1947.
The first mammal to reach space and return alive was a dog.
On July 22, 1951, the Soviet R-1 rocket, based on the V-2 rocket, launched carrying two dogs named Dezik and Tsungan, reaching an altitude of 101 kilometers and returning safely to Earth.
The rocket reached a maximum speed of 4.2 kilometers per second, and was in a state of weightlessness for about four minutes during a ballistic flight after stopping rocket propulsion.
Blue Origin's space travel product, which began in earnest in 2021, is also a space travel product that ascends to a similar height and experiences weightlessness for a similar amount of time.
The United States had also launched several rockets carrying animals into space, but failed to return the animals safely. However, on May 28, 1959, much later than the Soviet Union, a medium-range ballistic missile called the Jupiter AM-18 successfully launched two monkeys into space and returned them safely to Earth.
--- p.27~28 "Chapter 1: From Early Space Science to Nazi Germany's V-2 Rocket"
The Soviet Union resumed manned spaceflight on April 23, 1967, with the launch of Soyuz 1, about five months after the United States concluded its Gemini program, after a two-year hiatus.
However, during the return trip, Soyuz 1 crashed because its parachute failed to open, killing cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov.
It was the first accident in which an astronaut died during a space flight.
Komarov was one of three cosmonauts who boarded Voskhod 1.
The United States, which had given the first multi-crew manned space flight to the Soviet Union's Voskhod 1, conducted 10 manned space flights over a period of 1 year and 8 months from the launch of Gemini 3 in March 1965 to the launch of Gemini 12 in November 1966.
This was in contrast to the Soviet Union, which had not launched a manned spacecraft for over two years after launching Voskhod 1 and 2 on October 12, 1964, and March 18, 1965.
From this time on, the United States began to catch up and surpass the Soviet Union in the space race.
The person leading NASA at the time was James Webb, a former bureaucrat who had served as Under Secretary of State.
Despite not having a scientific background, his name is used in the naming of the James Webb Space Telescope, which was launched on December 25, 2021 and is currently undergoing active observations.
--- p.75~76 "Chapter 4: Multi-Crew Manned Spaceflight and the Unmanned Lunar Orbiter/Lander Competition"
Apollo 11 was the first manned spacecraft in human history to land on a celestial body outside of Earth.
Apollo 11, carrying Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin, launched on July 16, 1969.
Eleven minutes and 23 seconds after launch, it reached low Earth orbit about 185 kilometers above the ground, and after another one and a half orbits around the Earth, it powered the last third stage of its Saturn V rocket for 5 minutes and 42 seconds to enter lunar transfer orbit toward the moon.
[…] Six hours and 39 minutes after landing, Armstrong descended from the lunar module and set foot on the lunar surface for the first time, a scene watched live on television by more than 60 million people around the world.
In 1961, John F. Kennedy pledged to send a man to the moon within the 1960s.
It was the moment when Kennedy's declaration came true.
Aldrin then also set foot on the lunar surface.
From Apollo 4, the first spacecraft of the Apollo program launched on November 9, 1967, to Apollo 11, launched on July 16, 1969, it was a historic feat that successfully landed on the moon with eight Apollo spacecraft launches in a short period of just one year and eight months.
--- p.104~105 "Chapter 5: Development of the Saturn Rocket and the Apollo Program"
Soyuz 11 left Salyut 1 on June 30, 1971, and returned to Earth, but all cosmonauts on board were found dead.
It was discovered that the astronauts died of asphyxiation when the air in the return module escaped before entering the atmosphere.
It is the only recorded case of an astronaut dying in space, rather than in the atmosphere.
The narrow interior space of the return module, with only three astronauts on board and not wearing spacesuits, was another reason why the accident was unavoidable.
Starting with Soyuz 12, launched on September 27, 1973, the number of people on board the spacecraft was reduced from three to two to ensure space for wearing spacesuits.
--- p.165~166 "Chapter 8: The History of the Space Station"
DART is an experiment that involved impacting a spacecraft with the asteroid Dimorphocephalus to measure changes in its orbit around the asteroid. The DART probe was launched on November 24, 2021. Its orbit closely mirrors Earth's, keeping it close to Earth. At the time of DART's launch, the asteroids Didymos and Dimorphocephalus were approaching Earth from their aphelion points, beyond the orbit of Mars.
On September 11, 2022, a small cubesat, LICIA (short for Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids), was launched to observe the impact.
The DART probe, whose flight trajectory was precisely controlled by onboard ion thrusters, collided with the asteroid Dimorphos on September 26, 2022.
The DART spacecraft impacted the Dimorphosphere at 6.58 kilometers per second.
The kinetic energy calculated from the mass of the colliding spacecraft, 560 kilograms, is 12 gigajoules, which is similar to the explosive energy of about 3 tons of TNT.
The impact ejected asteroid material, creating a long dust tail that stretched up to 10,000 kilometers.
--- p.306 "Chapter 13: Exploration of Comets, Asteroids, and Dwarf Planets"
Starship is equipped with a Raptor engine as its rocket engine.
As of the 2024 version, the first-stage Super Heavy is equipped with a total of 33 Raptor 2 engines.
A single Raptor 2 engine can produce 2,255 kilonewtons of thrust, enough to lift 230 tons off the ground.
When the 33 rocket engines are operating at full power, they produce 74,400 kilonewtons of thrust, enough to lift 7,590 tons off the ground.
It is the most powerful rocket in rocket history, capable of accelerating the entire 4,975-ton Starship, fully loaded with propellant, vertically at more than 5 meters per second.
The two-stage Starship spacecraft is equipped with six Raptor 2 engines.
The maximum thrust is 14,700 kilonewtons, enough to lift 1,500 tons of mass from the ground.
The next version of the Super Heavy, which will be equipped with the Raptor 3 engine, which can produce 17% more thrust than the Raptor 2 engine, will be able to lift up to 8,877 tons off the ground, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said.
The monkey, known as Albert 2, ascended into space 134 kilometers above the ground aboard a V-2 rocket launched by the United States on June 14, 1949.
It was the first mammal to reach space.
However, when he returned, his parachute did not open properly, so he did not return alive.
Extending to non-mammals, the first animal to reach space was a fruit fly, which reached an altitude of 109 kilometers aboard a V-2 rocket launched by the United States on February 20, 1947.
The first mammal to reach space and return alive was a dog.
On July 22, 1951, the Soviet R-1 rocket, based on the V-2 rocket, launched carrying two dogs named Dezik and Tsungan, reaching an altitude of 101 kilometers and returning safely to Earth.
The rocket reached a maximum speed of 4.2 kilometers per second, and was in a state of weightlessness for about four minutes during a ballistic flight after stopping rocket propulsion.
Blue Origin's space travel product, which began in earnest in 2021, is also a space travel product that ascends to a similar height and experiences weightlessness for a similar amount of time.
The United States had also launched several rockets carrying animals into space, but failed to return the animals safely. However, on May 28, 1959, much later than the Soviet Union, a medium-range ballistic missile called the Jupiter AM-18 successfully launched two monkeys into space and returned them safely to Earth.
--- p.27~28 "Chapter 1: From Early Space Science to Nazi Germany's V-2 Rocket"
The Soviet Union resumed manned spaceflight on April 23, 1967, with the launch of Soyuz 1, about five months after the United States concluded its Gemini program, after a two-year hiatus.
However, during the return trip, Soyuz 1 crashed because its parachute failed to open, killing cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov.
It was the first accident in which an astronaut died during a space flight.
Komarov was one of three cosmonauts who boarded Voskhod 1.
The United States, which had given the first multi-crew manned space flight to the Soviet Union's Voskhod 1, conducted 10 manned space flights over a period of 1 year and 8 months from the launch of Gemini 3 in March 1965 to the launch of Gemini 12 in November 1966.
This was in contrast to the Soviet Union, which had not launched a manned spacecraft for over two years after launching Voskhod 1 and 2 on October 12, 1964, and March 18, 1965.
From this time on, the United States began to catch up and surpass the Soviet Union in the space race.
The person leading NASA at the time was James Webb, a former bureaucrat who had served as Under Secretary of State.
Despite not having a scientific background, his name is used in the naming of the James Webb Space Telescope, which was launched on December 25, 2021 and is currently undergoing active observations.
--- p.75~76 "Chapter 4: Multi-Crew Manned Spaceflight and the Unmanned Lunar Orbiter/Lander Competition"
Apollo 11 was the first manned spacecraft in human history to land on a celestial body outside of Earth.
Apollo 11, carrying Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin, launched on July 16, 1969.
Eleven minutes and 23 seconds after launch, it reached low Earth orbit about 185 kilometers above the ground, and after another one and a half orbits around the Earth, it powered the last third stage of its Saturn V rocket for 5 minutes and 42 seconds to enter lunar transfer orbit toward the moon.
[…] Six hours and 39 minutes after landing, Armstrong descended from the lunar module and set foot on the lunar surface for the first time, a scene watched live on television by more than 60 million people around the world.
In 1961, John F. Kennedy pledged to send a man to the moon within the 1960s.
It was the moment when Kennedy's declaration came true.
Aldrin then also set foot on the lunar surface.
From Apollo 4, the first spacecraft of the Apollo program launched on November 9, 1967, to Apollo 11, launched on July 16, 1969, it was a historic feat that successfully landed on the moon with eight Apollo spacecraft launches in a short period of just one year and eight months.
--- p.104~105 "Chapter 5: Development of the Saturn Rocket and the Apollo Program"
Soyuz 11 left Salyut 1 on June 30, 1971, and returned to Earth, but all cosmonauts on board were found dead.
It was discovered that the astronauts died of asphyxiation when the air in the return module escaped before entering the atmosphere.
It is the only recorded case of an astronaut dying in space, rather than in the atmosphere.
The narrow interior space of the return module, with only three astronauts on board and not wearing spacesuits, was another reason why the accident was unavoidable.
Starting with Soyuz 12, launched on September 27, 1973, the number of people on board the spacecraft was reduced from three to two to ensure space for wearing spacesuits.
--- p.165~166 "Chapter 8: The History of the Space Station"
DART is an experiment that involved impacting a spacecraft with the asteroid Dimorphocephalus to measure changes in its orbit around the asteroid. The DART probe was launched on November 24, 2021. Its orbit closely mirrors Earth's, keeping it close to Earth. At the time of DART's launch, the asteroids Didymos and Dimorphocephalus were approaching Earth from their aphelion points, beyond the orbit of Mars.
On September 11, 2022, a small cubesat, LICIA (short for Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids), was launched to observe the impact.
The DART probe, whose flight trajectory was precisely controlled by onboard ion thrusters, collided with the asteroid Dimorphos on September 26, 2022.
The DART spacecraft impacted the Dimorphosphere at 6.58 kilometers per second.
The kinetic energy calculated from the mass of the colliding spacecraft, 560 kilograms, is 12 gigajoules, which is similar to the explosive energy of about 3 tons of TNT.
The impact ejected asteroid material, creating a long dust tail that stretched up to 10,000 kilometers.
--- p.306 "Chapter 13: Exploration of Comets, Asteroids, and Dwarf Planets"
Starship is equipped with a Raptor engine as its rocket engine.
As of the 2024 version, the first-stage Super Heavy is equipped with a total of 33 Raptor 2 engines.
A single Raptor 2 engine can produce 2,255 kilonewtons of thrust, enough to lift 230 tons off the ground.
When the 33 rocket engines are operating at full power, they produce 74,400 kilonewtons of thrust, enough to lift 7,590 tons off the ground.
It is the most powerful rocket in rocket history, capable of accelerating the entire 4,975-ton Starship, fully loaded with propellant, vertically at more than 5 meters per second.
The two-stage Starship spacecraft is equipped with six Raptor 2 engines.
The maximum thrust is 14,700 kilonewtons, enough to lift 1,500 tons of mass from the ground.
The next version of the Super Heavy, which will be equipped with the Raptor 3 engine, which can produce 17% more thrust than the Raptor 2 engine, will be able to lift up to 8,877 tons off the ground, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said.
--- p.316~317 "Chapter 14: Manned Lunar Exploration and Mars Exploration Using Starship"
Publisher's Review
From the first satellite, Sputnik, to the return of SpaceX's Starship.
A friendly guide that accurately depicts humanity's efforts and orbits in space exploration.
On November 2, 2025 (Korean time), our country's fifth reconnaissance satellite was launched in Florida, USA.
The launch vehicle carrying this reconnaissance satellite was the Falcon 9, a launch vehicle from Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX).
SpaceX is a private American space company, well known for its CEO, Elon Musk.
South Korea's satellite launches into space were aided by private American companies. So, what role and influence does SpaceX hold in current space exploration? As of 2025, SpaceX alone will be responsible for more than half of all space launches worldwide, thanks to its nearly unrivaled rocket reusability technology.
If so, one wonders what process humanity went through to develop this kind of space exploration technology and when it became possible to achieve this level.
It is a moment when it is necessary to look back at the historical process of space exploration.
The event that marked the beginning of modern space exploration was the V-2 missile attack by Nazi Germany in 1944.
The V-2 missile was a rocket used as a weapon of war in the final days of World War II and was the first man-made object to ascend beyond the boundary of space.
In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite, and the United States also began launching satellites, beginning the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union succeeded in the first manned space flight in 1961, and the United States spurred manned lunar exploration through the Gemini and Apollo programs.
The United States gained a significant lead in the space race in 1969 when it sent two astronauts to the lunar surface on Apollo 11.
After the Apollo program, the United States resumed manned spaceflight with the Space Shuttle program, which began in 1981.
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the space race turned into space cooperation.
Space cooperation between several countries led to the construction of the International Space Station, the largest space station in the world.
In 2020, the United States regained its own crewed spacecraft when SpaceX, a private space company, began transporting astronauts to the International Space Station aboard its Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon.
Beyond its partially reusable rockets, the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, SpaceX is developing and test-launching its Starship spacecraft, aiming for full reusability.
The Starship spacecraft has also been selected as the lunar lander for the Artemis program, a manned lunar exploration project, and SpaceX is planning an ambitious plan to use Starship to explore Mars with humans.
The new book, "A History of Space Exploration," is a friendly guide that details the entire history of space exploration, including not only the current state of space exploration, but also how humanity began space exploration and the efforts and processes through which it has developed.
While providing a wealth of scientific information, supplemented by physics knowledge, it also does not miss the fun of following a historical narrative.
Now, humanity is moving beyond Earth and into the universe, which holds unknown information that has yet to be discovered.
It is an exhilarating experience to meticulously examine the history of space exploration and begin our future journey into space with this book.
Space is no longer a world of dreams and fantasy.
A history of space exploration, now a part of everyday life.
Go watch the 'Moonrimer League' soccer match held on the moon.
Enjoy a vacation at a ski resort at the polar caps of Mars.
You get dragged to a company conference on a space station with your annoying boss.
Could these things, once only imaginable, truly become part of our daily lives in the future? If space exploration technology advances and "space" becomes a part of our daily lives, the aforementioned things will become trivial and natural, says Ji Woong-bae, an astronomer and assistant professor in the College of Liberal Arts at Sejong University.
When we plan a vacation, we have very realistic concerns.
When it comes to travel routes, we consider things like which route is the fastest and which platform offers the cheapest tickets.
All day long, I'm on the internet, browsing through maps, navigation systems, airlines, and accommodations, trying to figure out the best route.
So, if space is going to become our everyday life, then we'll naturally have to worry about the very everyday things of how to get from here (Earth) to there (space).
If possible, choose the route that takes the least amount of time and money, is safe, or offers a little romance and luxury.
“The Earth is beneath our feet, and the universe is above our heads.
It's such a simple distinction, but there are endless paths from the bottom to the top.
And the universe you experience also changes.”
Astronomer Ji Woong-bae recommends reading "The History of Space Exploration," which contains all the stories about going to space, what to do when you go there, and what not to do if you think our daily lives will soon unfold above our heads (in space).
It also emphasizes that this book allows you to preview everything you will experience in space.
If you want to finally understand why Apollo 8 had to orbit the moon on Christmas Day, and why Voyager had to launch on a year that only comes once every 175 years, read this book, astronomer and science communicator Byungseong Lee recommends.
The author's perspective, which balances how technological achievements and human curiosity intertwined to create today's era of space exploration, is both cool and warm.
Through this book, beginners in space exploration will gain great insight, and enthusiasts will discover the pleasure of enriching their existing knowledge.
When you close the last page of the book, you will realize that “space exploration is not a heroic tale of the past, but the next sentence of civilization that we must write in the future,” says the star.
Space exploration is the next story we're writing right now.
An event that is feasible when almost everything is combined and amplified
Author Bokwon Yoon states that after writing his other book, The Physics of Space Exploration (published in 2023), he felt a strong need to describe the history of space exploration in chronological order, and that is why he wrote this book, The History of Space Exploration.
The previous work, "The Physics of Space Exploration," is a book that explains knowledge related to space exploration in a field that is accessible to the general public.
The depth of the book's content was recognized when it was selected as the 2023 Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics Science Book of the Year and the 2023 Sejong Book Academic Category.
The author says that there is a reason for the changes and developments that occur throughout history, and the same goes for space exploration.
I began organizing the history of space exploration with the idea of following it chronologically, understanding the reasons for change and development, and systematically understanding the fundamental principles of science and technology related to the process.
The result is 『History of Space Exploration』.
It is important to systematically understand the process of space exploration in many ways.
To understand the science and technology related to space exploration and to look toward the future, it is necessary to examine the reasons for each exploration, the scientific knowledge behind it, and how problems and incidents related to space exploration were resolved.
This book focuses on this part.
As we unfold the history of space exploration, we explain the relevant science and technology using scientific concepts accessible to everyone, without compromising on the depth of knowledge.
Having secured its own launch vehicle technology capable of placing satellites into low Earth orbit with Nuri, South Korea is now ready to plan and implement higher-level space exploration beyond satellites, including exploration of the moon, asteroids, and planets.
The author says that it is time to look at the footsteps of advanced space exploration countries that have already gone through this process and understand the science and technology that underpins them.
At this crucial juncture, the author is confident that "A History of Space Exploration" will serve as a valuable guide for readers seeking to understand how and why space exploration in South Korea should unfold in the future.
This book is a must-read for anyone interested in space exploration.
A friendly guide that accurately depicts humanity's efforts and orbits in space exploration.
On November 2, 2025 (Korean time), our country's fifth reconnaissance satellite was launched in Florida, USA.
The launch vehicle carrying this reconnaissance satellite was the Falcon 9, a launch vehicle from Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX).
SpaceX is a private American space company, well known for its CEO, Elon Musk.
South Korea's satellite launches into space were aided by private American companies. So, what role and influence does SpaceX hold in current space exploration? As of 2025, SpaceX alone will be responsible for more than half of all space launches worldwide, thanks to its nearly unrivaled rocket reusability technology.
If so, one wonders what process humanity went through to develop this kind of space exploration technology and when it became possible to achieve this level.
It is a moment when it is necessary to look back at the historical process of space exploration.
The event that marked the beginning of modern space exploration was the V-2 missile attack by Nazi Germany in 1944.
The V-2 missile was a rocket used as a weapon of war in the final days of World War II and was the first man-made object to ascend beyond the boundary of space.
In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite, and the United States also began launching satellites, beginning the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union succeeded in the first manned space flight in 1961, and the United States spurred manned lunar exploration through the Gemini and Apollo programs.
The United States gained a significant lead in the space race in 1969 when it sent two astronauts to the lunar surface on Apollo 11.
After the Apollo program, the United States resumed manned spaceflight with the Space Shuttle program, which began in 1981.
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the space race turned into space cooperation.
Space cooperation between several countries led to the construction of the International Space Station, the largest space station in the world.
In 2020, the United States regained its own crewed spacecraft when SpaceX, a private space company, began transporting astronauts to the International Space Station aboard its Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon.
Beyond its partially reusable rockets, the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, SpaceX is developing and test-launching its Starship spacecraft, aiming for full reusability.
The Starship spacecraft has also been selected as the lunar lander for the Artemis program, a manned lunar exploration project, and SpaceX is planning an ambitious plan to use Starship to explore Mars with humans.
The new book, "A History of Space Exploration," is a friendly guide that details the entire history of space exploration, including not only the current state of space exploration, but also how humanity began space exploration and the efforts and processes through which it has developed.
While providing a wealth of scientific information, supplemented by physics knowledge, it also does not miss the fun of following a historical narrative.
Now, humanity is moving beyond Earth and into the universe, which holds unknown information that has yet to be discovered.
It is an exhilarating experience to meticulously examine the history of space exploration and begin our future journey into space with this book.
Space is no longer a world of dreams and fantasy.
A history of space exploration, now a part of everyday life.
Go watch the 'Moonrimer League' soccer match held on the moon.
Enjoy a vacation at a ski resort at the polar caps of Mars.
You get dragged to a company conference on a space station with your annoying boss.
Could these things, once only imaginable, truly become part of our daily lives in the future? If space exploration technology advances and "space" becomes a part of our daily lives, the aforementioned things will become trivial and natural, says Ji Woong-bae, an astronomer and assistant professor in the College of Liberal Arts at Sejong University.
When we plan a vacation, we have very realistic concerns.
When it comes to travel routes, we consider things like which route is the fastest and which platform offers the cheapest tickets.
All day long, I'm on the internet, browsing through maps, navigation systems, airlines, and accommodations, trying to figure out the best route.
So, if space is going to become our everyday life, then we'll naturally have to worry about the very everyday things of how to get from here (Earth) to there (space).
If possible, choose the route that takes the least amount of time and money, is safe, or offers a little romance and luxury.
“The Earth is beneath our feet, and the universe is above our heads.
It's such a simple distinction, but there are endless paths from the bottom to the top.
And the universe you experience also changes.”
Astronomer Ji Woong-bae recommends reading "The History of Space Exploration," which contains all the stories about going to space, what to do when you go there, and what not to do if you think our daily lives will soon unfold above our heads (in space).
It also emphasizes that this book allows you to preview everything you will experience in space.
If you want to finally understand why Apollo 8 had to orbit the moon on Christmas Day, and why Voyager had to launch on a year that only comes once every 175 years, read this book, astronomer and science communicator Byungseong Lee recommends.
The author's perspective, which balances how technological achievements and human curiosity intertwined to create today's era of space exploration, is both cool and warm.
Through this book, beginners in space exploration will gain great insight, and enthusiasts will discover the pleasure of enriching their existing knowledge.
When you close the last page of the book, you will realize that “space exploration is not a heroic tale of the past, but the next sentence of civilization that we must write in the future,” says the star.
Space exploration is the next story we're writing right now.
An event that is feasible when almost everything is combined and amplified
Author Bokwon Yoon states that after writing his other book, The Physics of Space Exploration (published in 2023), he felt a strong need to describe the history of space exploration in chronological order, and that is why he wrote this book, The History of Space Exploration.
The previous work, "The Physics of Space Exploration," is a book that explains knowledge related to space exploration in a field that is accessible to the general public.
The depth of the book's content was recognized when it was selected as the 2023 Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics Science Book of the Year and the 2023 Sejong Book Academic Category.
The author says that there is a reason for the changes and developments that occur throughout history, and the same goes for space exploration.
I began organizing the history of space exploration with the idea of following it chronologically, understanding the reasons for change and development, and systematically understanding the fundamental principles of science and technology related to the process.
The result is 『History of Space Exploration』.
It is important to systematically understand the process of space exploration in many ways.
To understand the science and technology related to space exploration and to look toward the future, it is necessary to examine the reasons for each exploration, the scientific knowledge behind it, and how problems and incidents related to space exploration were resolved.
This book focuses on this part.
As we unfold the history of space exploration, we explain the relevant science and technology using scientific concepts accessible to everyone, without compromising on the depth of knowledge.
Having secured its own launch vehicle technology capable of placing satellites into low Earth orbit with Nuri, South Korea is now ready to plan and implement higher-level space exploration beyond satellites, including exploration of the moon, asteroids, and planets.
The author says that it is time to look at the footsteps of advanced space exploration countries that have already gone through this process and understand the science and technology that underpins them.
At this crucial juncture, the author is confident that "A History of Space Exploration" will serve as a valuable guide for readers seeking to understand how and why space exploration in South Korea should unfold in the future.
This book is a must-read for anyone interested in space exploration.
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: November 20, 2025
- Page count, weight, size: 364 pages | 640g | 148*220*22mm
- ISBN13: 9788962626827
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