Long time ago, people believed that the world was flat. They thought that high up above the sky,there was a roof on which the sun, the moon and stars hung to give light to the earth.
Over the years, these ideas have been proved wrong. Sailors showed that earth is round-their ships did not Fall off the edge as some said they would. Later, scientists discovered that the earth also spins round and round and that nine planets, including the earth, move round the sun. We now believe that space is endless; so that if an imaginary bird continues to fly upwards, it will pass many of these planets. If it continues to fly, it will do so for millions of years without coming to stop. This is purely imaginary, for no creature can go so far and continue to live.
At present, Russian and American scientists are making attempts to know about space. They are trying to find out whether such knowledge can result in progress and better ways of life for all mankind. The oceans and the continents of the world, now almost fully explored, have been used to greatly improve our standard of living.
A lot of money is spent every year on space research. Special space vehicles are used to make journey to the moon and beyond: they are called space ships and are powered by rockets using special fuel.