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Astronomy is remarkable in how its earliest, grainiest photographs evoke as much wonder and amazement as the most recent ones. These images serve as a reminder of how far we've come in our awe-inspiring quest to comprehend an overwhelmingly vast universe.
10. Explorer 6 and the Pioneering Satellite Image of Earth
The Soviets were the first to send a satellite into Earth's orbit, the notorious Sputnik 1, but the United States wasn’t far behind. In 1958, the first American satellite, Explorer 1, was launched into space, just one year later.
In 1959, not long after, Explorer 6 captured the first satellite image of Earth. Though the image itself is underwhelming and looks more like a flattened bug than a majestic sphere of rock, it was still an incredible achievement.
The compact Explorer 6, seemingly assembled from a backyard grill and fly swatters, carried a range of sensors and scanners to detect various forms of radiation in the upper atmosphere. Among these were the enigmatic cosmic rays, which bombard us with DNA-damaging power, though most of them are blocked by Earth's protective atmosphere and magnetic field.
The following year, the pioneering weather satellite TIROS-1 captured a much clearer image of our beautiful, albeit grainy, planet.
9. The First, Very Early Image of the Andromeda ‘Nebula’
Our closest major galactic neighbor, the massive Andromeda Galaxy (also known as M31), is roughly twice the size of our Milky Way. Remarkably, the first recognizable image of this colossal cosmic companion was captured in 1888 by Isaac Roberts.
Born in Wales in 1829, Roberts spent much of his life as a businessman in Liverpool before dedicating himself to a more celestial pursuit—amateur astrophotography. In the 19th century, astronomical tools were still rudimentary and inaccessible to ordinary people like Roberts, so he built his own, including a 10-centimeter-aperture (20 in) telescope, now on display in South Kensington. With this, he set out to catalog the stars.
With his self-made equipment, Roberts captured remarkable images never before seen by the public, including those of Pleiades, Orion, and the now-iconic Horsehead Nebula. His breakthrough came in 1888, when he first observed what was then called the Andromeda Nebula. At the time, no one knew that this glowing blur was, in fact, an entirely separate galaxy. In this pre-Hubble age, our understanding of the universe was limited, and Andromeda was assumed to be just a patch of gas or a forming solar system within the Milky Way, rather than a distant cosmic island of its own.
8. Pioneer 3 and 4
NASA officially began operations in 1958, and just two months later, the agency launched its first, gold-coated pioneers into the vast unknown. The relatively small Pioneer 3 and 4 probes (less than 60 centimeters [2 ft] in length and only 20 centimeters [9 in] in diameter) were designed to be the first objects to escape Earth's orbit. However, only the older of the two succeeded in its mission.
Unfortunately, Pioneer 3 faced a booster malfunction, limiting its reach to just 101 kilometers (63 mi) beyond Earth's atmosphere. Nevertheless, its trusty Geiger counter helped make a significant scientific contribution by detecting a second radiation belt around our planet, joining the first Van Allen radiation belt discovered by Explorer 1.
Not long after, in 1959, Pioneer 4 made up for its sibling's failure by becoming the first spacecraft to break free of Earth’s orbit and pass through the lunar vicinity, coming within 65,000 kilometers (40,000 mi) of the moon's cratered surface.
7. India Enters the Martian Space Race, Accomplishes Its Objectives on a Shoestring Budget
The space race is no longer confined to the traditional trio of nations—Germany, Russia, and the USA.
The Indian Mars Orbiter, Mangalyaan, has recently sent back stunning, crystal-clear photos of the Red Planet. What’s even more remarkable is the minimal cost. This incredibly affordable mission set India back only $74 million, whereas the US’s MAVEN mission for Mars cost a whopping $672 million. For comparison, India launched a fully functional probe around Mars for less than the cost of Hollywood’s Sandra Bullock movie Gravity.
How did they keep costs so low? For starters, Mangalyaan (“Mars Craft”) took advantage of a Hohmann transfer orbit, a trajectory designed for efficient fuel use. Additionally, its compact size—only 15 kilograms (33 lb)—made it much cheaper to launch into orbit, though its small stature does make it vulnerable to interference from other Mars orbiters.
While the reduced cost comes with reduced capabilities, Mangalyaan still boasts an important methane detector. The detection of this greenhouse gas emanating from Mars has sparked discussions about the possibility of microbial life on the planet, among other exciting theories.
6. The First Experience of Eating Food Grown in Space
For some time now, astronauts have been cultivating vegetables aboard the International Space Station to supplement their usual diet of pastes and powders. However, up until now, all food grown on the ISS was sent back to Earth for testing for space E. coli and other potential extraterrestrial pathogens.
In August 2015, a major breakthrough came when astronauts were allowed to finally taste the fruits of their space farming efforts. On Monday, August 10, Expedition 44 crew members sampled vegetables grown in a microgravity environment. After carefully cleaning the red romaine with antibacterial wipes, they enjoyed what they described as a flavorful, arugula-like snack, adding olive oil and balsamic vinegar to create a genuine space salad.
If the astronauts remain disease-free, aeroponically grown crops could be the perfect solution for long-term space food. Not only are seeds lightweight and cheap to transport, but having fresh greens could also offer a comforting reminder of Earth to help astronauts maintain their sanity during long journeys to Mars or beyond.
5. X-15 Paves the Way for Manned Space Missions
Long before Neil Armstrong made his iconic steps on the lunar surface, he played a key role in shaping the American space program by test piloting some of NASA's most perilously advanced aircraft.
One of the most daring of these experimental craft was the X-15 hypersonic plane, which first took flight in 1959. Over the next decade, the X-15 completed 199 missions, setting extraordinary records for speed and altitude as it reached the very edge of Earth's atmosphere at 7,275 kilometers (4,520 mi) per hour. Its mission was to push the boundaries of human and machine endurance, laying the groundwork for future space programs like Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. The X-15 more than delivered, achieving heights and speeds never before attained.
Fueled by rocket power, the X-15 consumed its propellant with such intensity that it had to be dropped from a B-52 before igniting its engines. The engines would only roar for about two minutes, after which the plane would glide, powerless, for 8 to 12 minutes before landing gracefully. Tragically, the hypersonic plane claimed a life: pilot Michael J. Adams, who died in a crash caused by a flight control failure during his seventh mission aboard the X-15.
4. Apollo 11 Quarantine
When the Apollo 11 astronauts returned to Earth from their historic lunar mission, they were hailed as heroes. But their homecoming wasn’t all parades and celebrations. Neil, Buzz, and Michael spent their first three weeks back on Earth in quarantine. This included 88 hours inside the Mobile Quarantine Unit, a converted Airstream trailer that resembled a hybrid of a mobile home and a submarine rather than a space-age shelter.
Back in the late 1960s, the potential threat of Moon-borne microbes was a real concern. NASA had to ensure the astronauts were completely sterile before reintroducing them to the Earth's population. As a result, the men and their Moon rocks were confined to the tight, isolated space of the quarantine unit to prevent any cosmic contamination from spreading.
The unit was quite comfortable and came equipped with all the essential amenities, such as a bathroom and kitchenette. These proved especially beneficial for the Apollo 12 crew, who unfortunately had to spend Thanksgiving Day, November 20, inside the shiny capsule.
3. The First Picture Of The Far Side Of The Moon (Goes To The Russians)
For much of humanity’s Moon-gazing history, we’ve only seen one face of our lunar neighbor. While we still can’t quite flip it over, the arrival of space probes finally answered a long-standing astronomical curiosity—what does the far side of the Moon look like?
Launched from the renowned Baikonur Cosmodrome in October 1959, Luna 3 was the third spacecraft to orbit the Moon and the first to capture a picture of the lunar far side. It took a series of 29 shots, covering 70 percent of the hidden half of the Moon, marking a significant victory for the Soviet side in the space race.
Fifty years later, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) circled the Moon and marked the 50th anniversary of that first far-side image by recreating the same picture, but with far sharper detail. While some familiar features remained, the modern LRO image showcases a level of detail that highlights how much imaging technology has advanced.
2. First American Spacewalk
On March 18, 1965, the Soviet space program celebrated another victory as Alexei Leonov became the first person to step outside a spacecraft during a spacewalk. However, the United States caught up quickly, with Edward Higgins White following suit just a few months later, completing NASA’s first extravehicular activity (EVA) during the Gemini 4 mission.
On June 3 at 7:45 PM, high above Hawaii, Ed White exited the Gemini spacecraft’s tight hatch, becoming the first American to float freely in space. Attached to the capsule by a 7-meter-long (25 ft), gold-plated tether, White used a handheld oxygen gun to navigate through the void, drifting for 23 minutes until he made his way back to the Gemini unit, traveling as far as the Mexican Gulf before returning.
Ed White was later assigned to the Apollo program but tragically lost his life, along with fellow astronauts Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee, during launchpad tests in the Apollo 1 capsule.
1. Thierry Legault Catches The ISS Eclipsing The Moon, Sun
Renowned astrophotographer Thierry Legault captured the historic moment when the International Space Station eclipsed the Moon for the first time. From Rambouillet, France, Legault produced a stunning montage of the ISS crossing the lunar surface in a diagonal path—a brief, lightning-fast transit lasting just 1.7 seconds.
While many of us watched the recent eclipse from the comfort of our backyards or porches on September 28, Thierry Legault went the extra mile to capture an extraordinary, human-centric cosmic event. The French photographer calculated celestial distances, shifting angles, and the astronomical speeds of the International Space Station—traveling at 25,000 kilometers (15,500 mi) per hour—to pinpoint a visibility path for the stunning shot. After using several computer programs and a bit of complicated math, he managed to capture the moment perfectly.
This isn't the first time Legault has pulled off such a feat. Back in August, the renowned astrophotographer captured the International Space Station photobombing the Sun. And as if that weren't impressive enough, here's another one, this time taken from Spain during a previous eclipse on March 28.
