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What happened to history's most famous spacecraft?

Sputnik 1: Earth's atmosphere
Explorer 1: Earth's atmosphere
Vanguard 1: Earth's orbit
Luna 2: Autolycus crater, Mare Imbrium, Moon
Vostok 1: RKK Energiya museum, Korolyov, Russia, Earth
Freedom 7: John F. Kennedy Library, Boston, USA
Mariner 2: Sun's inner orbit
Telstar 1: Earth's orbit
Ariel 1: Earth's atmosphere
Mariner 4: Sun's outer orbit
Gemini 3: Grissom Memorial Museum, Indiana, USA
Saturn V: Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA
Columbia: National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC, USA
Odyssey: Cosmosphere, Kansas, USA
Venera 7: Guinevere Planitia, Venus
Skylab: Western Australia
Mir: Point Nemo, South Pacific Ocean
Pioneer 10: Constellation of Taurus
Pioneer 11: Scutum constellation
Viking 1: Chryse Planitia, Mars
Voyager 2: Interstellar space
Voyager 1: Interstellar space
Giotto: Sun's inner orbit
New Horizons: Kuiper Belt
Rosetta: Ma'at region, Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Tiangong-1: South Pacific Ocean, Earth
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ALCATEL-LUCENT/AFP via Getty Images

"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”

More than 50 years ago, Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and pilot Michael Collins became the first people to reach the moon. The success of the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969 has since gone down in history.

But have you ever wondered where the most famous satellites, probes, manned craft, and space stations end up once they've served their purpose? From museums here on Earth to infinity and beyond, discover the final destinations of some of the most iconic spacecraft in history.

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Daniel Coughlin

24 April 2024

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