| The Race for Space | Introduction |
| Scientific/philosophical interest in
space and celestial objects goes back to the dawn of
civilization. Babylonian, Egyptian, and Greek astrologers and philosophers made careful observations of constellations, the movement of the sun and moon, and other astronomical phenomena. During the Scientific Revolution of the 17th century the traditional observational astronomy of Galileo (1564-1642) and Kepler (1571-1630) was combined with new insights into the physical processes behind astronomical events, as described by Newton (1643-1727). Newton's conclusions about the universal presence of gravitational forces revealed an intriguing possibility of leaving the earth and venturing out into the solar system and beyond. Click on the following links to learn more about:
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