Are you fascinated by space exploration? Do you dream of joining the 12 people in history who've walked on the moon? Before you don your space suit, check out these interesting facts about humans in space!

1) Before you can even think about becoming an astronaut, you must log at least 1,000 hours of flying in a jet aircraft. This will prepare you, at least somewhat, to go from zero to 17,000 miles per hour in less than nine minutes on the Space Shuttle.

2) Once you've been launched into space, astronauts receive 3.8 pounds of food a day. Most of the food is precooked and processed so that it doesn't require refrigeration. Some fresh fruits and vegetables are on board, but they must be consumed within the first couple days. Astronauts can season their meals with ketchup, mustard, and taco sauce, among other condiments provided on the Space Shuttle.

3) The food consumed during Apollo 11 included bacon squares, sugar cookie cubes, beef stew, and fruit cake. The astronauts quenched their thirst with coffee, fruit juice, and orange drink.

4) On Earth, space suits weigh a whopping 280 pounds. It takes the better part of an hour to put on a space suit, and each astronaut wears special undergarments.

For more interesting space facts, check out NASA's website.

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Dark, mysterious, and rarely traveled, outer space piques the curiosity of people young and old. If your daydreams take you on intergalactic adventures, check out NASA's facts about the planets:

1) The average temperature on Venus is about 900 degrees Fahrenheit. Some areas on this planet are hot enough to melt lead. Likely due to Venus's extreme temperatures, no evidence of life has ever been found on the planet.

2) Mercury is the fastest planet in the solar system: A year on Mercury is equal to 88 days on Earth! Mercury is also the smallest planet in our solar system; it's a little smaller than Earth's moon.

3) Mars is cold and desert-like. It has seasons; however, the conditions of its atmosphere does not allow its surface to retain liquid water for long.

4) Enveloped by rings of ice and rock, Saturn is composed mainly of hydrogen and helium. The planet has three orbiting moons.

5) The winds on Neptune can reach up to 1,600 miles per hour, making Neptune the windiest planet in the solar system.

6) Jupiter has plenty of moons with different climates. One of the four largest moons is covered in ice, while another one of Jupiter's moons is the most volcanically active in the solar system.

Learn more about our solar system by visiting the Solar System 101 page on NASA's website.

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