ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Timeline of space travel by nationality

Space travel is when people or machines are sent into space, which is very far away from planet Earth. It usually starts with a big rocket like a big, powerful car with wings, which is called a spacecraft, and this is the way that people and machines get off our planet and into outer space.

The timeline of space travel by nationality tells us which countries and nations were the first to send spacecrafts into space. It also looks at who sent the first human into space and who has sent the most spacecrafts. The timeline tells us about all the different milestones, or very important events, that have been accomplished throughout the evolving history of space travel.

For example, the timeline starts in 1957 when the first space mission was launched by the Soviet Union - which was a country that was made up of a lot of the countries in the area of today's Russia. They sent the world's first artificial satellite, named Sputnik 1, into space.

After that, there was a race to space between the Soviet Union and the United States. The United States won this race and sent the first man into space in May of 1961. The man's name was Yuri Gagarin, and he was a citizen of the Soviet Union.

The timeline goes on to show us the many more accomplishments that have been made in space travel since then. Every country has made some sort of contribution to space exploration and development, including the United States, Russia, China, and many others.

Space travel has opened up new possibilities and closer understanding of our universe. The timeline of space travel by nationality shows us all the different milestones and accomplishments made by different nations to help us better understand space.