Even after forty-five years of experience, traveling to and living in space is a risky proposition. Both of the world's major spacefaring nations, the United States and Russia, have had close calls and catastrophes.

American Incidents

On the American side, an early emergency in space occurred during the Gemini program. Neil Armstrong, who would later become the first person to set foot on the Moon, had to abort his mission when a stuck thruster sent his spaceship tumbling. Close to losing consciousness, Armstrong fired his maneuvering engines to leave orbit and landed safely in the ocean.

An astronaut simulates an ejection into a body of water during an emergency bailout training session

A few years later, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) nearly lost the Apollo 13 crew when an oxygen tank exploded, crippling the spacecraft. The mission to the Moon was quickly aborted, and NASA now had...