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military, more and more people headed to space for science.
Over the next decades, more and more scientists were sent into
space. Each space shuttle mission included people called mission spe-
cialists. Most of themwere not pilots, but were sent into orbit to conduct
experiments. They had started their scientific careers on Earth . . . but
they would continue them in space!
Science in Space
ust about any branch of science can be studied in space. The
way that astronauts reach space startedwith science, of course.
Rockets were created by engineers using ideas from
physicists
.
The American astronauts, all military pilots, who kicked off the space program for NASA came to be
known as the Mercury 7, after the name of the spacecraft they would fly.