Editing Space exploration (section)

===Earth===
{{Main|Earth observation satellite}}
[[File:TIROS-1-Earth.png|244x244px|thumb|First television image of Earth from space, taken by [[TIROS-1]] (1960)]]Space exploration has been used as a tool to understand Earth as a celestial object. Orbital missions can provide data for Earth that can be difficult or impossible to obtain from a purely ground-based point of reference.

For example, the existence of the [[Van Allen radiation belt]]s was unknown until their discovery by the United States' first artificial satellite, ''[[Explorer 1]]''. These belts contain radiation trapped by Earth's magnetic fields, which currently renders construction of habitable space stations above 1000&nbsp;km impractical. Following this early unexpected discovery, a large number of Earth observation satellites have been deployed specifically to explore Earth from a space-based perspective. These satellites have significantly contributed to the understanding of a variety of Earth-based phenomena. For instance, the [[Ozone depletion|hole in the ozone layer]] was found by an artificial satellite that was exploring Earth's atmosphere, and satellites have allowed for the discovery of archeological sites or geological formations that were difficult or impossible to otherwise identify.

==== Moon ====
{{Main|Exploration of the Moon}}
[[File:Apollo 16 LM Orion.jpg|thumbnail|[[Apollo 16]] LEM Orion, the [[Lunar Roving Vehicle]] and astronaut [[John Young (astronaut)|John Young]] (1972)]]
The [[Moon]] was the first celestial body to be the object of space exploration. It holds the distinctions of being the first remote celestial object to be flown by, orbited, and landed upon by spacecraft, and the only remote celestial object ever to be visited by humans.

In 1959, the Soviets obtained the first images of the [[far side of the Moon]], never previously visible to humans. The U.S. exploration of the Moon began with the [[Ranger 4]] impactor in 1962. Starting in 1966, the Soviets successfully deployed a number of [[Lander (spacecraft)|landers]] to the Moon which were able to obtain data directly from the Moon's surface; just four months later, ''[[Surveyor 1]]'' marked the debut of a successful series of U.S. landers. The Soviet uncrewed missions culminated in the [[Lunokhod programme|Lunokhod program]] in the early 1970s, which included the first uncrewed rovers and also successfully [[Sample return mission|brought lunar soil samples to Earth]] for study. This marked the first (and to date the only) automated return of extraterrestrial soil samples to Earth. Uncrewed exploration of the Moon continues with various nations periodically deploying lunar orbiters. China's [[Chang'e 4]] in 2019 and [[Chang'e 6]] in 2024 achieved the world's first landing and sample return on the [[far side of the Moon]]. India's [[Chandrayaan-3]] in 2023 achieved the world's first landing on the [[lunar south pole]] region.

Crewed exploration of the Moon began in 1968 with the [[Apollo 8]] mission that successfully orbited the Moon, the first time any extraterrestrial object was orbited by humans. In 1969, the [[Apollo 11]] mission marked the first time humans set foot upon another world. Crewed exploration of the Moon did not continue for long. The [[Apollo 17]] mission in 1972 marked the sixth landing and the most recent human visit. [[Artemis II]] is scheduled to complete a crewed flyby of the Moon in 2025, and [[Artemis III]] will perform the first lunar landing since Apollo 17 with it scheduled for launch no earlier than 2026. Robotic missions are still pursued vigorously.