The first steps of putting a man-made object into space were taken by German scientists during World War II while testing the V2 rocket which became the first human-made object in space on October 3, 1942 with the launching of V-4. After the war, the U.S. used German scientists and their captured rockets in programs for both military and civilian research. The first scientific exploration from space was the cosmic radiation experiment launched by the U.S. on a V2 rocket on May 10, 1946. The first images of Earth taken from space followed the same year while the first animal experiment saw fruit flies lifted into space in 1947, both also on modified V2s launched by Americans. Starting in 1947, the Soviets, also with the help of German teams, launched sub-orbital V2 rockets and their own variant, the R-1, including radiation and animal experiments on some flights. These suborbital experiments only allowed a very short time in space which limited their usefulness.