Mashable - 2011 will go down as a landmark year for space exploration, for a multitude of reasons. From end-of-an-era missions to incredible milestones to breathtaking discoveries, human civilization is reaching out further and more often than ever before from our pale blue dot in the universe. The vast interstellar distances suddenly looked a lot smaller this year as we were captivated with discovery after discovery of planets in other solar systems, while man-made vehicles took their first steps exiting ours. We took a moment to celebrate a half-century of manned space flight just as its torch was being passed from public to private enterprise here in the States. Through it all, NASA and others cleverly used the Web and social media to keep is informed -- and enthralled.
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