Who invented space exploration?

I don't think that "invented" is the proper term for space exploration. "Led" would be more suitable. Over the past century many inventors from different countries experimented with balloons and small rockets. I expect that most had visions of space exploration in mind. In October of 1957, the Soviet Union was the first to put a satellite (sputnik) in earth orbit. Throughout the 1960s, America and the Soviet Union tried to escape the earth's gravity and land on the moon. On July 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong became the first man to step out of his American spacecraft onto the surface of the moon. The Soviets had technically landed on the moon previously when one of their spacecraft crashed into the moon. That is not generally considered the first moon landing.NO ONE CARES ABOUT THAT,WE WANNA KNOW FACTS WHY WE SHOULD GO INTO SPACE.