|
|
Article: Emergencies
- Article from:
- Space Sciences
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Emergencies
Even after forty-five years of experience, traveling to and living in space is a risky proposition. Both of the world's major spacefaring nations, the United States and Russia, have had close calls and catastrophes.
American Incidents
On the American side, an early emergency in space occurred during the
Gemini
program. Neil Armstrong, who would later become the first person
to set foot on the Moon, had to abort his mission when a stuck thruster sent his spaceship tumbling. Close to losing consciousness, Armstrong fired his maneuvering engines to leave orbit and landed safely in the ocean.
A few years later, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) nearly ...