Space exploration has been one of the most fascinating and awe-inspiring endeavors of humankind since its inception in 1957. From the very beginning, space exploration has seen remarkable milestones — moonshots, daring experiments, and incredible achievements.
One such milestone was the Apollo Program which began with a NASA project to put humans on the moon. As expected, there were several setbacks along the way but none could dampen their ambitious vision. After a decade-long mission, Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on lunar soil on July 20th, 1969. This marked a resounding success for NASA and pushed them to go even further with their projects.
The European Space Agency (ESA) decided to take things up a notch by giving astronauts special training in caves! They wanted astronauts to experience extreme conditions similar to those found in outer space and created ESA’s Cave Training Program for this purpose. The program involved astronauts performing underwater simulations and intense physical exercises inside pitch black cave networks while surrounded by stalactites and stalagmites. This unique training prepared these brave individuals for any situation they might come across during their missions in space.
Finally, we come to what is arguably one of the greatest achievements in modern astronomy — mapping the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR).