The Soviet Vostok-2 carrier rocket makes its maiden flight, only to come down and blow up 1.8 seconds into launch.
50 years ago, in 1968:
After just over three years in orbit, Explorer 10 reenters the Earth's atmosphere and burns up.
48 years ago, in 1970:
Soyuz 9 is launched for an 18 day mission in orbit.
28 years ago, in 1990:
Germany's X-ray satellite, ROSAT, is launched.
13 years ago, in 2005:
The Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) is brought out of hibernation to support the Deep Impact mission at Comet 9P/Tempel.
10 years ago, in 2008:
Cassini completes its primary mission at Saturn.
2
WANING GIBBOUS
160 years ago, in 1858:
The Italian astronomer Giovanni Donati discovers Comet Donati (C/1858 L1), the first comet to be photographed.
64 years ago, in 1954:
The Soviet dogs Lisa and Ryzhik are launched aboard an R1 to an altitude of 100km (60mi), and survive.
56 years ago, in 1962:
OSCAR 2, the second amateur radio satellite, is launched.
52 years ago, in 1966:
Surveyor 1 is the first craft to make a soft landing on the Moon.
44 years ago, in 1974:
Luna 22 (USSR) goes into orbit around the Moon, returning data for the next 15 months.
39 years ago, in 1979:
Ariel 6, a British and American satellite, is launched for X-ray astronomy and the detection of cosmic rays.
35 years ago, in 1983:
Venera 15 is launched to Venus to map its surface using radar.
15 years ago, in 2003:
The European Mars Express and Beagle 2 lander are launched from the Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan.
3
53 years ago, in 1965:
Gemini IV is launched and orbits for three days; first EVA by an American, Ed White for 22 minutes.
52 years ago, in 1966:
Gemini IX-A is launched; completes three types of rendezvous, two hours of EVA, and 44 orbits.
49 years ago, in 1969:
The final episode of Star Trek is broadcast.
45 years ago, in 1973:
The Soviet news agency (TAS) announces the Lunokhod 2 moon rover mission to be over.
5 years ago, in 2013:
10199 Chariklo, a centaur, is the first minor planet discovered to have rings.
4 years ago, in 2014:
The Mars rover Curiosity observes the planet Mercury transiting the Sun.
1 year ago, in 2017:
SpaceX CRS-11 is launched to the ISS, becoming first reuse of a CRS Dragon cargo vessel (previously flown on CRS-4).
1 year ago, in 2017:
The Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer Mission (NICER) is launched aboard a Falcon 9 to study neutron stars through soft X-ray timing.
4
54 years ago, in 1964:
Molniya-1 No.2 (Zond 1964A) is the first Soviet communications satellite to be launched, but fails to reach orbit.
44 years ago, in 1974:
Contruction begins on the shuttle Enterprise (OV-101).
22 years ago, in 1996:
The maiden flight of the Ariane 5 rocket with the Cluster constellation (four ESA spacecraft) is lost due to running dead code, and has become known as one of the most expensive software bugs in history (US$370 million).
18 years ago, in 2000:
The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory burns up in Earth's atmosphere.
8 years ago, in 2010:
SpaceX makes its first launch from a NASA spaceport, Falcon 9 v1.0 Flight 1 carrying the Dragon Spacecraft Qualification Unit.
5
38 years ago, in 1980:
Soyuz T-2 is launched to Salyut 6, the main purpose being to test the new Soyuz-T in manned flight.
27 years ago, in 1991:
Millie Hughes-Fulford becomes the first female payload specialist, aboard the shuttle Columbia (STS-40).
27 years ago, in 1991:
The eleventh launch of the shuttle Columbia, STS-40, is the first spaceflight with three women astronauts aboard.
16 years ago, in 2002:
The shuttle Endeavour (STS-111) is launched with the Mobile Base System (MBS) for the Canadarm2 on the ISS.
11 years ago, in 2007:
Messenger makes its second Venus flyby.
5 years ago, in 2013:
After 29 years of operating in space, Landsat 5 is decommissioned, and sets a record for the longest-operating Earth-observing satellite mission in history.
6
LAST QUARTER
52 years ago, in 1966:
Gemini IX-A lands back on Earth.
47 years ago, in 1971:
Soyuz 11 is launched to Salyut 1, where it docks for 23 days.
16 years ago, in 2002:
At the Palomar Observatory, Chad Trujillo and Michael Brown discover 50000 Quaoar, a non-resonant trans-Neptunian object.
This year:
NASA announces that the Juno mission at Jupiter will be extended through to at least July 2021.
7
53 years ago, in 1965:
Gemini IV lands back on Earth.
49 years ago, in 1969:
Echo 2 re-enters Earth's atmosphere and burns up.
35 years ago, in 1983:
Venera 16 is launched to Venus to map its surface using radar.
30 years ago, in 1988:
Soyuz TM-5, the fifth cosmonaut-carrying spacecraft to visit the Mir Space Station, is launched.
26 years ago, in 1992:
NASA's Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE), a space telescope for short-wave ultraviolet astronomy, is launched.
8
53 years ago, in 1965:
Luna 6 is launched to the Moon, but misses it by 161,000 km (100,040 miles).
45 years ago, in 1973:
SAS-2 (Explorer 48), a gamma ray telescope, completes its observations.
43 years ago, in 1975:
Venera 9 is launched for Venus.
11 years ago, in 2007:
The shuttle Atlantis (STS-117) is launched to the ISS with the second starboard truss segment (S3/S4), and a set of solar arrays.
10 years ago, in 2008:
New Horizons passes the orbit of Saturn on its way to Pluto.
7 years ago, in 2011:
Chang'e 2, an unmanned Chinese lunar probe, leaves lunar orbit for the Earth–Sun L2 Lagrangian point.
9
66 years ago, in 1952:
The Abee meteorite lands in Alberta, Canada; the only enstatite chondrite with petrologic type 4 ever found.
38 years ago, in 1980:
Soyuz T-2 undocks from Salyut 6 and returns to Earth.
33 years ago, in 1985:
The Soviet Vega 1 probe releases its balloon and lander for descent on Venus, then continues on to Halley's Comet.
10
WANING CRESCENT
42 years ago, in 1976:
MARISAT F2, the second of three maritime telecommunications satellites for commercial shipping and the U.S. Navy, is launched.
15 years ago, in 2003:
Mars Rover "Spirit" is launched.
14 years ago, in 2004:
Saturn's moon Phoebe becomes the first moon flyby of the Cassini probe.
9 years ago, in 2009:
After a successful mission, Japan's second lunar orbiter, SELENE (Kaguya), is deliberately crashed into the moon .
This year:
The Opportunity rover falls silent as a planet-wide dust storm encircles Mars.
11
70 years ago, in 1948:
The first primate astronaut, a rhesus macaque named Albert, is launched aboard a U.S. launched V-2, but dies of suffocation in flight.
33 years ago, in 1985:
The Soviet Vega 1 probe lander touches down successfully on Venus; the balloon travels 11,600 km (7200 miles).
10 years ago, in 2008:
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (FGST) is launched.
5 years ago, in 2013:
Shenzhou 10, the final mission to Tiangong-1, is launched aboard a Long March 2Frocket.
12
199 years ago, in 1819:
Jean Louis Pons is the first 'discoverer' of comet 7P/Pons–Winnecke.
56 years ago, in 1962:
An Aerobee 150 rocket is launched with an X-ray detector, and finds the first extra-solar X-ray source, Scorpius X-1.
55 years ago, in 1963:
Project Mercury, America's first manned space flight program, comes to a close after 4 years, 8 months, and 1 week.
51 years ago, in 1967:
Venera 4 is launched for Venus.
13
NEW MOON
35 years ago, in 1983:
Pioneer 10 crosses the orbit of Neptune.
33 years ago, in 1985:
The Soviet Vega 2 probe releases its balloon and lander for descent on Venus, then continues on to Halley's Comet.
8 years ago, in 2010:
The Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft releases its sample from asteroid Itokawa before burning up in Earth's atmosphere.
6 years ago, in 2012:
The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) is launched to study the universe in high energy X-rays.
5 years ago, in 2013:
Shenzhou 10 successfully docks with Tiangong-1.
14
248 years ago, in 1770:
Charles Messier discovers Comet D/1770 L1, also known as Lexell's Comet after its orbit computer, Anders Lexell.
69 years ago, in 1949:
Albert II becomes the first monkey in space aboard a U.S. launched V-2, but dies on impact after the parachute fails.
55 years ago, in 1963:
Vostok 5 is launched into orbit to meet up with Vostok 6.
51 years ago, in 1967:
Mariner 5 is launched to Venus.
43 years ago, in 1975:
Venera 10 is launched for Venus.
25 years ago, in 1993:
The Japanese probe Sakigake makes its second Earth swingby.
1 year ago, in 2017:
The Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT, Insight), a Chinese X-ray space observatory, is launched.
15
58 years ago, in 1960:
Communication is lost with Tiros 1.
33 years ago, in 1985:
The Soviet Vega 2 probe lander touches down successfully on Venus; the balloon travels 11,100 km (7200 miles).
8 years ago, in 2010:
The French PICARD Solar Satellite is launched from Dombarovskiy Cosmodrome, Russia, to study the Sun.
16
212 years ago, in 1806:
Jose Joaquin de Ferrer (Spain), observing at Kinderhook, New York, gives the name corona to the glow of the faint outer atmosphere of the Sun seen during a total eclipse.
55 years ago, in 1963:
Aboard Vostok 6, Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space, orbiting Earth 48 times.
29 years ago, in 1989:
Neptune's second largest moon, Proteus, is discovered by Voyager 2.
6 years ago, in 2012:
Shenzhou 9 is launched aboard a Long March 2F rocket to dock with Tiangong-1, and carries the first Chinese female astronaut, Liu Yang.
17
WAXING CRESCENT
51 years ago, in 1967:
Cosmos 167 (Kosmos 167) is launched to land on Venus, but fails to leave low Earth orbit.
33 years ago, in 1985:
On board shuttle Discovery (STS-51-G), Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud becomes the first Arab, first Muslim, and the first member of a royal family to visit space; also the youngest person (28) to fly on the shuttle.
33 years ago, in 1985:
Mexico's first communications satellite, Morelos I, is launched from shuttle Discovery (STS-51-G).
18
59 years ago, in 1959:
Intended for a lunar impact, the Soviets launch Luna E-1A No.1 (Luna 1959A), but the guidance system fails and the rocket is destroyed by ground command 152 seconds after launch.
42 years ago, in 1976:
Gravity Probe A (GP-A) is launched into space for 1 hour and 55 minutes to test the equivalence principle, a feature of Einstein's theory of relativity.
41 years ago, in 1977:
The shuttle Enterprise makes its first crewed captive flight atop a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
35 years ago, in 1983:
Canada's Anik C2 communications satellite is deployed from shuttle Challenger (STS-7).
35 years ago, in 1983:
Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space aboard the shuttle Challenger (STS-7).
16 years ago, in 2002:
2002 MS4, a large classical Kuiper belt object, is discovered by Chad Trujillo and Michael Brown.
9 years ago, in 2009:
The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) are launched together aboard an Atlas V.
6 years ago, in 2012:
Controlled from the ground, Shenzhou 9 docks with Tiangong-1, becoming China's first manned spacecraft rendezvous and docking.
19
55 years ago, in 1963:
The Soviet Mars 1(2MV-4)makes its closest approach to Mars.
55 years ago, in 1963:
After successful communication with each other, Vostok 5 and 6 return home.
48 years ago, in 1970:
After 18 days in orbit, Soyuz 9 returns to Earth.
42 years ago, in 1976:
Viking 1 arrives at Mars.
14 years ago, in 2004:
99942 Apophis, a near-Earth asteroid, is discovered at the Kitt Peak National Observatory.
9 years ago, in 2009:
NASA's Kepler space telescope sends its first science data back to Earth.
2 years ago, in 2016:
Blue Origin's New Shepard (NS2) makes its fourth sub-orbital spaceflight, with a successful fourth time reused booster launch and landing.
20
FIRST QUARTER
74 years ago, in 1944:
A German V-2 rocket becomes the first vehicle to cross the Kármán line, the border at which outer space begins.
56 years ago, in 1962:
OSCAR 2, the second amateur radio satellite, ceases communication.
This year:
RemoveDEBRIS, a satellite for testing space debris removal technologies, is deployed from the ISS, becoming the heaviest satellite ever deployed from the station.
21
56 years ago, in 1962:
OSCAR 2, the second amateur radio satellite, burns up in re-entry.
43 years ago, in 1975:
The eighth and last Orbiting Solar Observatory, OSO-8 (OSO-I) is launched successfully to investigate the Sun and other celestial X-ray sources brighter than a few milliCrab.
14 years ago, in 2004:
The Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne achieves its first spaceflight, becoming the first privately funded human spaceflight.
8 years ago, in 2010:
NASA's Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) takes its last image after 12 successful years in orbit.
22
58 years ago, in 1960:
SOLRAD 1, the world's first orbiting astronomical observatory, and GRAB 1, America's first intelligence satellite, are launched together.
45 years ago, in 1973:
The three Skylab 2 astronauts become the first space station occupants ever to return safely to Earth.
42 years ago, in 1976:
Salyut 5, third and last of a series of the highly classified Almaz military space station program, is launched.
40 years ago, in 1978:
James W. Christy discovers Pluto's largest moon, Charon.
23
9 years ago, in 2009:
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) goes into orbit around the moon.
5 years ago, in 2013:
Shenzhou 10 undocks from Tiangong-1 and performs a manual re-docking.
24
WAXING GIBBOUS
45 years ago, in 1973:
Explorer 35 is shut down after six years of successful operation studying space beyond the Moon.
36 years ago, in 1982:
On board the Soyuz T-6 mission to Salyut 7, Jean-Loup Chretien becomes the first Frenchman and the first western European to visit space.
19 years ago, in 1999:
The Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) space-based telescope is launched.
19 years ago, in 1999:
Cassini makes its second pass by Venus for a gravity assist to Saturn.
6 years ago, in 2012:
Shenzhou 9 undocks with Tiangong-1 for the first time after a stay of 3 days and 21 hours.
6 years ago, in 2012:
Shenzhou 9 redocks manually with Tiangong-1 one hour and 30 minutes after undocking, and becomes the first manual docking for China.
5 years ago, in 2013:
The French Space Agency, CNES, announces that the CoRoT exoplanet-hunting space telescope has been retired and will be lowered in orbit to burn up in the atmosphere.
25
44 years ago, in 1974:
Salyut 3, second of a series of the highly classified Almaz military space station program, is launched.
28 years ago, in 1990:
Spherical aberration is discovered in Hubble's primary mirror.
21 years ago, in 1997:
While under manual control, Progress M-34 collides with the Mir space station, damaging the Spektr module and a solar panel.
5 years ago, in 2013:
Shenzhou 10 undocks with Tiangong-1 and heads back to Earth.
2 years ago, in 2016:
The Long March 7 makes a successful maiden flight.
26
288 years ago, in 1730:
Charles Messier is born in Badonviller, France.
91 years ago, in 1927:
Comet 7P/Pons–Winnecke approaches within 0.0394 AUs of Earth.
45 years ago, in 1973:
A Kosmos 3M explodes on the pad at Plesetsk Cosmodrome during a propellant loading accident, killing nine people.
4 years ago, in 2014:
2014 MU69 (Ultima Thule) is discovered by Marc Buie using the Hubble Space Telescope.
27
60 years ago, in 1958:
Explorer 3 burns up in the atmosphere.
40 years ago, in 1978:
On board the Soyuz 30 mission to Salyut 6, Miroslaw Hermaszewski become the first and only Polish national to visit space.
36 years ago, in 1982:
The shuttle Columbia (STS-4) launches with the first Department of Defense mission.
23 years ago, in 1995:
The launch of Atlantis (STS-71) to Mir marks the 100th human space launch from Cape Canaveral by the U.S.
22 years ago, in 1996:
Galileo is the first probe to visit Ganymede, one of Jupiters moons.
21 years ago, in 1997:
The NEAR Shoemaker probe flies by asteroid 253 Mathilde on its way to NEA Eros.
5 years ago, in 2013:
The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), a NASA solar observation satellite, is launched.
This year:
The Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 successfully reaches the asteroid Ryugu.
28
FULL MOON
107 years ago, in 1911:
The Nakhla meteorite, the prototypical example of the Nakhlite type meteorite of the SNC Group of Mars meteorites, falls to Earth in the Abu Hommos district in Egypt.
53 years ago, in 1965:
Intelsat I (Early Bird), begins commercial service.
6 years ago, in 2012:
Shenzhou 9 undocks with Tiangong-1 for the last time and heads for Earth.
5 years ago, in 2013:
The GALEX ultraviolet space telescope is decommissioned by NASA.
3 years ago, in 2015:
SpaceX CRS-7 (SpX-7), a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the ISS, is launched but disintegrates 139 seconds into the flight.
29
57 years ago, in 1961:
Transit 4A is launched, becoming the first satellite to use a radioactive power source.
57 years ago, in 1961:
Two hours after separating from the Transit 4-A satellite, the Able Star upper stage becomes the first known artificial object to break up unintentionally in space.
42 years ago, in 1976:
The Soviet Voskhod carrier rocket makes its final flight.
35 years ago, in 1983:
After over 19 years in orbit, Explorer 23 reenters the Earth's atmosphere and burns up.
23 years ago, in 1995:
The shuttle Atlantis (STS-71) becomes the first shuttle to dock to the Mir space station.
6 years ago, in 2012:
Shenzhou 9 successfully lands with its three astronauts (taikonauts) in Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia.
30
110 years ago, in 1908:
The 'Tunguska Event' occurs when a meteor explodes over the Tunguska River in Siberia, Russia.
47 years ago, in 1971:
Soyuz 11 leaves Salyut 1 and lands on Earth; but the cabin depressurises during re-entry, killing all three cosmonauts.
45 years ago, in 1973:
During a total solar eclipse, scientists use a Concorde supersonic passenger jet flying at 1,250 mph (2,000 kph) over Africa to extend the duration of solar eclipse totality to 74 minutes.
17 years ago, in 2001:
The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) is launched to study the CMB.
15 years ago, in 2003:
Canada's first space telescope, MOST (Microvariability and Oscillations of STars), is launched from Plesetsk Cosmodrome for the study of asteroseismology.
14 years ago, in 2004:
Cassini arrives at Saturn, becoming the first ever probe to go into orbit around the ringed planet.
13 years ago, in 2005:
At the Keck Observatory, a Caltech team discovers Namaka, the smaller moon of the dwarf planet Haumea.
9 years ago, in 2009:
Communications with the Ulysses spacecraft cease after almost 19 years.
3 years ago, in 2015:
The first official Asteroid Day is held.
2 years ago, in 2016:
The Dawn probe finishes its primary science mission at Vesta and Ceres.
This year:
Interstellar Technologies, a Japanese private rocket spacelaunch company, launches their second rocket, MOMO-2, but it comes down and explodes seconds after liftoff.
It's been 3207 days
