Manned spaceflights refer to human beings' flights beyond the Earth's atmosphere by space vehicles for the missions of exploration, experiment, research and production as well as military applications.

By getting over the blockage of the atmosphere and the gravity of the earth, the space flights expand the scope of human activities from the land, ocean and atmosphere of the earth to the outer space and help the man better recognize the universe.

The flights are also used to conduct various kinds of researches and experiments in the unique environment of the space and the manned spacecraft, in order to explore the space and its abundant resources.

Manned space vessels can be divided into manned spaceships, manned space stations and space shuttles, according to their functions.

A manned spaceship, or manned satellite or lunar lander, can cater to one man or several crew members, while a manned space stations normally can accommodate several astronauts. A manned spaceship can serve as a space station and is reusable.

In the past, only Russia and the United States had the technology of manned spaceflight.

The former Soviet Union launched the world's first manned spaceship on April 12, 1961. Yuri Gagarin made one circle around the earth and returned to the ground safely.

On February 20, 1962, the United States launched its first manned spaceship.

Before launching their manned spacecraft, the two countries had conducted a series of unmanned test flights in the space.