We started exploring space before our understanding of plate tectonics
“Plate tectonics is the theory that Earth’s outer shell is divided into several plates that glide over the mantle, the rocky inner layer above the core. The plates act like a hard and rigid shell compared to Earth’s mantle. ” — Live Science
Plate tectonics explains the movement of the Earth’s surface no matter whether it is for the tallest mountains or the deepest oceans.
Although the theory of continental drift was proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912, his theory was not accepted by geologists. He was ridiculed for his hypothesis, especially because geologists of that time saw no evident mechanism for continental drift.
According to the book, Bang to Eternity and Betwixt, “Wegner could not explain the force that drove continental drift, and his vindication did not come until after his death in 1930”. The theory of plate tectonics was accepted by the scientific community only in 1967. By that time we humans were exploring well beyond the Earth’s crust.
“A rocket was used for the first time to send something into space on the Sputnik mission, which launched a Soviet satellite on Oct. 4, 1957. After a few failed attempts, the United States used a Jupiter-C rocket to heft its Explorer 1 satellite into space on February 1958.” — History of Rockets on Space
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