When were Space Ships first invented?
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And now it's time for Who Smarted? 10, 9, 8. Psst, smarty pants, welcome aboard the USS Smarty Pants. As you can hear, we're counting down to a launch. You better buckle up. 4, 3, 2, 1.

Blast off! Oh boy! Smarty pants, for today's mission, we're heading to the International Space Station, aka the ISS, which as you probably know from our episode on the ISS, is a research vessel orbiting Earth. And why are we going to the ISS? Why? We're delivering a very important item. Ice cream! That's right, ice cream!

Ice cream! As you may have also heard on our episode on the ISS, astronauts there don't have much room to store food, such as ice cream, and they certainly don't have cows to help make it. So, the crew of the ISS relies on spaceships like the USS Smarty Pants to deliver meals to them. Captain, we've reached the edge of space. I'm powering down the rockets.

Thanks, Number 1. Smartypants, do you know how far above Earth sits the edge of space? Is it A: 80 to 100 kilometers? 220 to 250 kilometers? Or C: More than 500 kilometers? The answer is A: Only 80 to 100 kilometers or 50 to 62 miles. Think of any place that's about an hour away from your home using a highway. Believe it or not, you're closer to outer space.

Unfortunately, to get there, you have to go up, up, up, fighting gravity. And that requires hundreds of thousands of gallons of rocket fuel. Oh, and the right spaceship.

Uh, number one? Yes, Captain Trustee? What's with the music? Oh, this is, uh, we built this city by the band Starship. No, no, no, no. I wasn't talking about the band Starship. I meant an actual spacecraft. Gotcha. And I love viewing the Earth from space. Number one, can you dim the lights so we can see it better? Yes, Captain. Dimming the lights now.

Uh, number one? What was that? Uh, nothing. Nothing at all. Let me try dimming those lights again. We are at 80% dim. Ah, yes. Seeing the edge of Earth never gets old. It's so...

Uh, number one? Yes, Captain Trusty? Where's the International Space Station? And all the satellites? There should be thousands orbiting Earth, but I can't see... Oh, no wait, no wait, there's one! Hmm, there's something odd about that tiny satellite. It looks like a ball with four long antennas. Uh, looks cool to me.

Wait a second. I know that satellite. It was the first one ever launched into space. Smarty Pants, do you know the name of the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth? Is it A, Explorer, B, Sputnik, or C, Skynet? The answer is B, Sputnik.

Well, what do you know? You can discover all kinds of things when traveling by spaceship. But Sputnik launched in 1957 and burned up in the Earth's atmosphere in 1958. How am I looking at...

Wait a second. Number one, did we somehow go back in time? Remember when we ordered a new control panel for the USS Smarty Pants? Yes. Well, there's lots of new buttons and knobs on it. And when I pushed the one that I thought was for the lights, I accidentally sent us back in time. Yeah.

I'll just turn it forward. Oh, and along the way we can explore space travel. Smarty Pants, how crazy were the early spaceships? What are we flying now? And where are spaceships headed in the future? It's time for another whiff of history and science on... Whoops, wrong button. Here we go.

Who's Smarted? Who's Smarted? Who's Smart? Is it you? Is it me? Is it science? Or history? Listen up, everyone! Smarting! Lots of fun on Who's Smarted?

Hey, Smarty Pants, you know how much we love sharing super cool facts here on Who Smarted, right? Well, I've got another super cool fact for you. The podcast Snoop and Sniffy is absolutely awesome. Now get this, Snoop and Sniffy are these brilliant dog detectives who help kids like you level up your sleuthing skills. We're talking problem solving, deductive reasoning...

the whole nine yards, and they do it by going on the most hilarious crime-solving adventures you've ever heard. One day they're meeting magic cockapoos. Magic cockapoos, smarty pants. The next, they're rumbling with something called the Barking Bandit. They explore ghost trains. They time travel. I mean, there is never a dull mystery with these two furry detectives. So here's what I want you to do.

Help everyone's favorite dog detectives crack their cases each week by listening to Snoop and Sniffy. You can find them on Apple, Spotify, at gokidgo.com, or wherever you get your podcasts. Trust me on this one, smarty pants. Your brain is going to love the workout on Snoop and Sniffy. BELL RINGS

Narrator's Space Journal, entry 61713. The USS Smartypants is orbiting Earth, but in the past, thanks to a combination, first officer slash new control panel issue. Not making excuses, but it could have happened to anyone. Right. Anywho, it's the year 1957. Uh, now 1961, sir. Oh, 1961, eh? Smartypants, do you know what space achievement took place in 1961? Was it...

The first dog in space. The first person in space. Hello! Or the first person on the moon. If you said the first person in space, you're right. In 1961, a man named Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space. He was from the same country that launched the first satellite. Smarty Pants, do you know the name of that country? Is it A, the USA? B, China? Or C, the Soviet Union?

The answer is C, the Soviet Union. Today, most of this country is Russia. If this Yuri fellow was the first person in space, that must mean he rode on the first manned spaceship, right? Right. The first manned spacecraft, called Vostok 1, looked like a ball attached to a can, with Gagarin sitting in the ball. The ball was 8 feet, or 2.5 meters in diameter. Not very big. It's like sitting in the middle of your parents' bed, with the head and footboards being the edges of the spacecraft.

Gagarin went around the planet once. Smarty pants, about how long do you think that took? Was it A, 24 hours, B, 4 hours and 15 minutes, or C, an hour and a half?

The answer is C. Vosok 1 went so fast, it took just an hour and a half to go around the world. Whoa. The spaceship had very few controls, and there was no way to slow down. So when Gagarin came back to Earth, he had to eject himself and parachute down before the capsule crashed. Okay, number one, let's move ahead in time. All right, Captain.

We are now entering the summer of 1969. Whoops, wrong button again. I am not good at this. Smarty Pants, do you know what happened in the summer of 69? Here's a hint. Number one, take us to the moon. Aye, Captain. The button placements are not very intuitive. Here we go.

Approaching the moon, sir. There it is. Apollo 11 from the United States. Smarty pants, why is Apollo 11 important? Is it A, the first spaceship to reach the moon? B, the first spaceship to land on the moon? Or C, the first spaceship to orbit the moon? The answer is B, after blasting off from Earth on top of a massive rocket.

Three astronauts traveled all the way to the moon in a cone-shaped command module about the size of a large car. The command module orbited the moon while the four-legged lunar module landed. Smarty Pants, do you know the name of the first person to set foot on the moon? Is it A. Neil Armstrong, B. Buzz Aldrin, or C. Michael Collins?

While all three were on Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong was the first to walk on the moon. Uh, Houston, we have a visitor. Looks like a pizza-shaped spacecraft. Oh, hey guys! It's just me, the trusty narrator, along with my button-challenged first officer, and thousands of smarty-pants from the future. Don't mind us. Okay, but now you've got me hungry for pizza.

We've been flying in space for over three days. Oh, number one, any chance we can beam down a pizza for them? On it. Enjoy. That's one small slice for man. One giant pie for mankind. Yeah, I think we better go. Good idea, Captain Trusty. Back to the future. This is not my day. Hold on, here we go. Whoa!

Returning to Earth, early 2000s. And there's the International Space Station. And I see some larger spaceships, too. They look like airplanes. Smarty Pants, what's the name of NASA's main spaceship of the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s? Is it A, the bus, B, the shuttle, or C, the space plane? The answer is B, the shuttle.

The shuttle was the first reusable spaceship, and it was much more roomy. It could hold up to seven passengers with a cockpit, living quarters, and a place for experiments. It also had a massive cargo bay, which helped in the construction of the ISS. Ah, it must have been nice to take the shuttle to the moon. Hmm, smarty pants. Is that true? Did the space shuttle ever go to the moon?

The answer is no. In fact, nobody has gone to the moon since the Apollo lunar program ended in 1972. The shuttles stayed close to Earth, conducting space research and, after the ISS was built, delivering people and supplies. And what about that spaceship ahead of us? It looks a bit like the first spaceship.

The Vostok. That's Russia's main spaceship, which first launched in 1967 and is still in use today. Smartypants, do you know what it's called? Is it A, Soyuz, B, Gemini, or C, Yeltsin? The answer is A, Soyuz. The Soyuz can hold up to three people, and its living quarters are about the size of a large van. After the shuttle program ended in 2011, the Soyuz was the main transporter of people and supplies to the ISS.

And that brings us to today. Number one... Heading home. Ha-ha! Got it! We're back, baby. Let's go deliver this ice cream and then head a bit into the future. The future, Captain Trusty? Why? You'll see right after this quick break and a word from our sponsors.

Hey friends, Trusty here. Now, you know the only thing I love more than adventure is not going on an adventure and hanging in my backyard eating pizza with Chet and the Woe Girl. Whoa. And there's something magical about finally making your space feel like yours. For me, it started with chairs. I used Wayfair to find the perfect chairs for my backyard. Stylish, affordable, and honestly, way more comfortable than I expected. And

And that's the thing about Wayfair. It's not just a place to buy furniture. It's a one-stop shop for creating the home that you've been dreaming about. Whether you're sprucing up your patio, planning backyard hangouts, or just upgrading your morning coffee spot, Wayfair has everything. Dining sets, lounge chairs, fire pits, string lights, you name it. Plus, the shopping experience is super easy. And they even have free shipping on the big stuff.

So this summer, make your space your oasis. You and your family deserve your own little paradise. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop a huge outdoor selection. That's W-A-Y-F-A-I-R.com. Wayfair. Every style, every home.

Hey smarty friends, trusty here. I grew up on the Smurfs. Saturday mornings, cereal in hand, glued to the screen. So yeah, I cannot wait for this. Smurfs is back, and this time it's bigger, bolder, and bursting with magic. Believe

blue magic. When Papa Smurf is taken by two seriously evil wizards, it's up to Smurfette, voiced by Rihanna, to lead the rescue mission into the real world. Along the way, the Smurfs discover that saving the universe means trusting something they've never relied on before. Magic. The music? All

All new! Rihanna, Cardi B, DJ Khaled, yes please! And the cast is stacked. James Corden, Daniel Levy, Sandra Oh, Octavia Spencer, Kurt Russell, John Goodman. Honestly, it's wild. It's got everything. Laughs, heart, music, and that classic Smurf spirit that I've loved forever. It's perfect for the whole family, or anyone who remembers what it felt like to believe in a little blue world full of hope. Just like I did.

Smurfs Hits Theater is July 18th. I'll be there. Hope you will too. And now, back to Who Smarted? Thanks for the ice cream, guys. We love this stuff. And we were afraid we'd have to wait until the next dragon delivery. Did you say dragons? In space?

No, that's the name of a spacecraft that brings cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station. It looks a little like the old Apollo space capsule, but can hold seven people. It's also full of modern technology and touchscreens. It's pretty sleek. And Smarty Pants, what government space program do you think makes the Dragon spacecraft? The United States, Russia, or China?

If you said the U.S., you're close. But NASA doesn't make the Dragon. No government space program does. Sorry, it was a trick question. Since the shuttle program ended, private companies have been building spaceships, and the Dragon comes from an American company called SpaceX. But NASA and other government agencies are still building spacecraft. Number one, let's head a little bit into the future. To the future!

Ooh, how do you like that? First try. Nice job, number one. But don't get cocky. Houston, we're seeing a pizza-shaped spaceship? Oh, hi. Don't worry about us. It's just the trusty narrator, first officer, and a bunch of smarty pants from the past here to watch another milestone in space exploration.

You've come to the right place. NASA's Artemis mission plans to land the first woman and first person of color on the moon. But that'll be the mission after ours. We're just the first humans since 1972 to go around the moon.

And smarty pants, that mission is scheduled to happen very soon. With the help of the European Space Agency, NASA's new spaceship called Orion will blast to the moon using both new technology and components similar to the space shuttle and Apollo spacecraft.

SpaceX will also help out, designing the spacecraft that will land on the surface. Other countries such as China, India, and Japan also have their own moon exploration projects. Wow, I hope their control panels are less confusing than mine. But it all sounds very exciting. It certainly is. Maybe your smarty pants can join us someday. I'm sure some of them would love to. Right, smarty pants?

Okay, Number One, I think it's time to take this starship home. Aye, aye, Captain. Whoops!

A big shout out to Lachlan in Liberty Hill, Texas. Thanks for listening to Who Smarted? To and from school every day, smarty pants. We're so glad we can put a big smile on your face and lots of fun facts in your brain. This episode's Spaceships was written by Dave, Be Me Up, Beaudry, and voiced by Adam Trex Davis, Jenna Holodeck-Hobin, Shafil Chastain, Eleanor Pernas, and Jerry Kolber.

Technical direction and sound design by Josh. In space, no one can hear you. Han. Our associate producer is Max Kamaski. The theme song is by Brian. Spaced out Suarez. With lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex-Davis. Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex-Davis and Jerry Kolber. This has been an Atomic Entertainment production. Who Smarted?