HISTORY OF NATIONAL SPACE DAY

We could say that National Space Day’s history starts at the beginning of the universe itself, when an intense pressure and temperature resulted in the Big Bang, exploding the universe and everything in it into existence.

Ever since, the curious-minded have been fascinated with space and its state of feeling so near and yet so far. Whilst early cultures identified things in the sky as gods or spirits, it was the ancient Greeks who developed the study of planets and stars into something resembling the astronomy we know today. Although the heliocentric system was first suggested by the ancient Greeks, the theory wasn’t developed and published until 1543 when Copernicus outlined his ideas about the planets revolving around the sun.

Astronomy was further advanced by Galileo Galilei in the 17th century, who has often been referred to as ‘the father of astronomy’ due to his avid pursuit of it against the wishes of his patrons, colleagues, and even the Pope. He invented important apparatus for observing space and proving his theories, although he spent much of his life under house arrest for his work.

Centuries later, space continued to be a contentious issue when the space race began between Cold War rivals, America and Russia. The two countries competed to be the first to achieve space flight and eventually put a man on the moon. The victory was America’s, when Apollo 11 and its team of astronauts landed on the moon on July 16, 1969.

In 1997, the Lockheed Martin Corporation introduced National Space Day as a one-off event, and it was later expanded to International Space Day in 2001, due to its extreme popularity, by former astronaut and senator John Glenn.

Suns, stars, moons, and infinite realms. How do we even begin to explain the magnitude of space? What’s truly beautiful about space is that it may be endless, and yet there are millions of billions of secrets that it holds, each important and keeping everything in place. Humans have not even scratched the surface of the secrets that this infinite vacuum we know as space holds. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t celebrate what we do know, and be in awe of it.

On the first Friday in May each year, scientists, astronomers, astronauts, science buffs, and more, observe National Space Day, celebrating its mysteries and beyond. There is plenty to discuss and learn about space during this annual observance; from documentaries on television to discussions on online forums, everyone can benefit from learning about space.

The history of space is older than life on Earth and dates back to the beginning of the universe, following the Big Bang, which propelled life, time, and existence. The yearly celebration of space on Earth was started by Lockheed Martin in 1997 as a day to promote space and the fields of STEM among the youth.

In 2001, former Astronaut Senator John Glenn broadened the scope of National Space Day celebrations, encouraging everyone to participate and learn about space exploration.