The sense of wonder and curiosity in a child is one of the purest, most beautiful things to witness. It is something to be cherished because, unfortunately, it does not last forever. Reality sets in for all of us, eventually.
Luckily, parents can keep their children curious by introducing them to the wonders of space at an early age. In fact, their curiosity may continue to grow as they mature and discover new things about the universe. While disillusionment and the near unbearable weight of adulthood may come, space is something we know scarcely little about and, as such, is able to inspire minds both young and old.
There are many ways to introduce your child to the possibilities of space. Simply reading a science fiction tale can sometimes be enough to pique their interest, and both Star Wars and Star Trek have been known to inspire generations of space-obsessed individuals. What follows are some of the most notable quotes about space, all of which can be easily digested and understood by your young aspiring astronaut.
Quotes About Space Travel
“The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever.”
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Soviet space engineer
“Space is for everybody. It’s not just for a few people in science or math, or for a select group of astronauts. That’s our new frontier out there, and it’s everybody’s business to know about space.”
Christa McAuliffe, American astronaut and teacher
“Mankind is drawn to the heavens for the same reason we were once drawn into unknown lands and across the open sea. We choose to explore space because doing so improves our lives, and lifts our national spirit. So let us continue the journey.”
George W. Bush, former president of the United States
“The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in the race for space.”
John F. Kennedy, former president of the United States
Quotes from Astronauts
“I know the sky is not the limit because there are footprints on the Moon — and I made some of them!”
Buzz Aldrin
“Earth is a small town with many neighborhoods in a very big universe.”
Ron Garan
“We are limited only by our imagination and our will to act.”
Ron Garan
It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.”
Neil Armstrong
“The Earth was small, light blue, and so touchingly alone, our home that must be defended like a holy relic. The Earth was absolutely round. I believe I never knew what the word round meant until I saw Earth from space.”
Alexi Leonov
“Mars has been flown by, orbited, smacked into, radar examined, and rocketed onto, as well as bounced upon, rolled over, shoveled, drilled into, baked and even blasted. Still to come: Mars being stepped on.”
Buzz Aldrin
“What everyone in the astronaut corps shares in common is not gender or ethnic background, but motivation, perseverance, and desire — the desire to participate in a voyage of discovery.”
Ellen Ochoa
“To some this may look like a sunset. But it’s a new dawn.”
Chris Hadfield
Space Quotes from Popular Culture
“In this single galaxy of ours there are eighty-seven thousand million suns.”
Arthur C. Clarke, author of 2001: A Space Odyssey
“In this single galaxy of ours there are eighty-seven thousand million suns.”
Arthur C. Clarke, author of 2001: A Space Odyssey
“The dinosaurs became extinct because they didn’t have a space program.”
Larry Niven, author of Ringworld
“To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.”
Stephen Hawking, author of A Brief History of Time
“Space or science fiction has become a dialect for our time.”
Doris Lessing, author of The Golden Notebook
“Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.”
Opening narration for Star Trek
“Astronauts are inherently insane. And really noble.”
Andy Weir, author of The Martian
“A sense of the unknown has always lured mankind and the greatest of the unknowns of today is outer space. The terrors, the joys and the sense of accomplishment are epitomized in the space program.”
William Shatner, actor
“Space travel is life-enhancing, and anything that’s life-enhancing is worth doing. It makes you want to live forever.”
Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451
“Today the stars and tomorrow the galaxies. No force exists in the Universe that can stop us.”
James Patrick Hogan, author of Inherit the Stars
“We’ve always defined ourselves by the ability to overcome the impossible. And we count these moments. These moments when we dare to aim higher, to break barriers, to reach for the stars, to make the unknown known.”
from the film Interstellar
Wrap Up
The wonder of the stars still has the power to entrance us if we let it. These quotes are just the tip of the iceberg; there is an entire world (or rather, worlds) out there just waiting to be explored, whether it is by you or your child. We hope these quotes have you inspired to reach for the stars… pun intended.