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Here are some cool space race pictures. You can make any of these images into your computer desktop wallpaper. Just click on an image to enlarge it, and then choose “Set as Desktop Background”.
This is a picture of an astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt holding the American flag on the surface of the Moon. Schmitt is a geologist and is the last astronaut of the Apollo mission to set foot on the moon.
This is one of the priceless photos taken during the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969. This photo features Buzz Aldrin’s footprint on the lunar surface.
This image of the earth and the Mir space station was captured by the space shuttle Atlantis crew members in 1996. The image features the southern part of New Zealand and the city of Nelson. Mir belongs to the Soviet (Russian) space system and is considered the longest consistently manned space station.
This is an image of Yuri Gagarin as he prepared for the launch of the Vostok 1 mission on the morning of April 12, 1961. This mission made Yuri Gagarin the first man in space. He was able to accomplish one complete orbit around the earth.
Here’s an image of Alan Shepard, the second human to space next to Yuri Gagarin. He also became the first American to fly to space. He came to space through the Freedom 7 mission on May 5, 1961.
We have written many articles about space race for Universe Today. Here’s an article about space race, and here’s an article about human space exploration.
If you’d like more information on the space missions, here’s a link to NASA’s Official space shuttle page, and here’s the homepage for NASA’s Human Spaceflight.
We’ve recorded an episode of Astronomy Cast all about Moon Exploration. Listen here, Episode 114: The Moon, Part 2: Exploration of the Moon.





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