first rocket to be used more than once.
The MIR space station was built in sections, each piece launched by a rocket and then joined together in orbit. Construction started in 1986, with the last piece being fitted ten years later!
MIR was the first consistently inhabited long-term space station. MIR was destroyed in 2001 when it burned up as it crashed back to earth.
On January 28th 1986, tragedy struck. Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launch, because of a fuel system failure. All seven astronauts on board were killed, and all shuttles were grounded for nearly three years.
This shocking accident reminded the world of the dangers of space travel, and the incredible bravery of all astronauts.
In 2000 the first permanent crew moved into the International Space Station (ISS), where crews of astronauts have been living ever since.
The ISS is a huge space station for research and space exploration that began construction in 1986 and will not be finished until 2010.
On the 28th April 2001 American millionaire Dennis Tito became the first space tourist when he paid around 20 million dollars for a ride in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
Dennis spent a week in orbit, most of the time visiting the International Space Station. He had to train for 900 hours just to be a passenger!
In January 2004, US President George Bush announced that NASA would resume missions to the moon by 2020, and work on a permanent moon-base would begin. Next will be a manned mission to visit Mars, that could last for 2 years.
Many of the astronauts that will be involved in these exciting missions are only children right now!