The history of space exploration
Long ago many peoples thought the Earth was flat. In 1543 the Polish scholar Nicolaus Copernicus wrote in his book that the Earth and the other planets go round the Sun, which changed how people saw the world. In 1957 the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth was launched. On 12 April 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space; he circled the Earth once. In 1969 American astronauts set foot on the Moon. Later, space stations worked in orbit; today astronauts from many countries work and run experiments aboard the International Space Station. A rocket must overcome gravity to leave the Earth, so it has powerful engines. Astronauts train for weightlessness and must be healthy and well-informed. Spacecraft have also been sent to Mars and other planets. Reaching space is the shared work of scientists around the world.
Make a paper rocket: roll a sheet into a tube, close the tip and launch it using a balloon (with adult supervision). Explain what force pushes it. Use no sharp objects.