<P> The highest known projectiles prior to the rockets of the 1940s were the shells of the Paris Gun , a type of German long - range siege gun , which reached at least 40 kilometers altitude during World War One . Steps towards putting a human - made object into space were taken by German scientists during World War II while testing the V - 2 rocket , which became the first human - made object in space on 3 October 1942 with the launching of the A-4 . After the war , the U.S. used German scientists and their captured rockets in programs for both military and civilian research . The first scientific exploration from space was the cosmic radiation experiment launched by the U.S. on a V - 2 rocket on 10 May 1946 . The first images of Earth taken from space followed the same year while the first animal experiment saw fruit flies lifted into space in 1947 , both also on modified V - 2s launched by Americans . Starting in 1947 , the Soviets , also with the help of German teams , launched sub-orbital V - 2 rockets and their own variant , the R - 1 , including radiation and animal experiments on some flights . These suborbital experiments only allowed a very short time in space which limited their usefulness . </P>
<P> The highest known projectiles prior to the rockets of the 1940s were the shells of the Paris Gun , a type of German long - range siege gun , which reached at least 40 kilometers altitude during World War One . Steps towards putting a human - made object into space were taken by German scientists during World War II while testing the V - 2 rocket , which became the first human - made object in space on 3 October 1942 with the launching of the A-4 . After the war , the U.S. used German scientists and their captured rockets in programs for both military and civilian research . The first scientific exploration from space was the cosmic radiation experiment launched by the U.S. on a V - 2 rocket on 10 May 1946 . The first images of Earth taken from space followed the same year while the first animal experiment saw fruit flies lifted into space in 1947 , both also on modified V - 2s launched by Americans . Starting in 1947 , the Soviets , also with the help of German teams , launched sub-orbital V - 2 rockets and their own variant , the R - 1 , including radiation and animal experiments on some flights . These suborbital experiments only allowed a very short time in space which limited their usefulness . </P>
what was the first thing sent into space
what was the first thing sent into space
the V - 2 rocket
the V - 2 rocket