Gerard Kuiper discovers one of Neptune's moons, Nereid.
45 years ago, in 1979:
NASA's Crawler Transporter One carries the space shuttle Enterprise, with external tank and two inert solid rocket boosters, to Launch Pad A for fit check.
28 years ago, in 1996:
The Ulysses spacecraft crosses the ion tail of Comet Hyakutake.
2
244 years ago, in 1780:
The first binary star system to be discovered, Xi Ursae Majoris, is found by William Herschel.
19 years ago, in 2005:
Boeing and Lockheed Martin announce their intention to form the United Launch Alliance.
19 years ago, in 2005:
The British Skylark sounding rocket launches on its 441st and final flight with a Swedish payload, Maser 10.
3
363 years ago, in 1661:
Christiaan Huygens observes the planet Mercury transit the Sun.
309 years ago, in 1715:
During an eclipse in England, Edmond Halley is the first to report the phenomenon later known as Baily's Beads.
43 years ago, in 1981:
2685 Masursky, a main-belt asteroid, is discovered by Edward Bowell at the Lowell Observatory.
38 years ago, in 1986:
The first NASA launch following the Challenger disaster, GEOS-G on board a Delta 3914, is destroyed by range safety after a premature engine shut down caused by a lightning strike.
4
WANING CRESCENT
57 years ago, in 1967:
NASA's Lunar Orbiter 4 is launched to photograph the Moon.
35 years ago, in 1989:
The Magellan spacecraft is brought into orbit and launched to Venus from Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-30).
17 years ago, in 2007:
An Ariane 5-ECA rocket set a new commercial payload record, lifting two satellites with a combined mass of 9.4 tonnes.
13 years ago, in 2011:
The first organized "Star Wars" Day celebration takes place in Toronto, Canada.
5
63 years ago, in 1961:
Alan Shepard is the first American to be in a suborbital flight around the Earth (Mercury/Freedom 7).
57 years ago, in 1967:
Ariel 3, the first satellite designed and constructed in the United Kingdom, is launched to measure properties of the thermosphere and measure large-scale galactic radio frequency noise.
34 years ago, in 1990:
The Russian Progress expendable cargo spacecraft makes its last flight (Progress 42).
30 years ago, in 1994:
The Clementine lunar probe leaves lunar orbit to fly by asteroid Geographos.
27 years ago, in 1997:
NASA ends the International Cometary Explorer (ICE, formerly ISEE-3) mission.
27 years ago, in 1997:
Iridium satellites 4,5,6,7 and 8 are the first ones launched to be part of the Iridium satellite constellation service.
6 years ago, in 2018:
The Insight probe and the first deep-space CubeSats, the MarCO pair, are launched to Mars for study of the planet's interior; also marking the first interplanetary mission to launch from the West Coast.
6
271 years ago, in 1753:
Charles Messier makes his first documented observation; the Mercury transit of the Sun.
106 years ago, in 1918:
The 72 inch Plaskett telescope at The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Saanich, British Columbia sees first light.
59 years ago, in 1965:
The Lincoln Calibration Sphere 1 (LCS-1), a large aluminium sphere used for radar calibration, launches with the Lincoln Experimental Satellite-2.
38 years ago, in 1986:
The ESA's EXOSAT re-enters and burns up in the Earth's atmosphere.
22 years ago, in 2002:
SpaceX is founded by Elon Musk.
19 years ago, in 2005:
The Cassini Imaging Science Tam discovers a shepherd moon of Saturn, Daphnis.
7
61 years ago, in 1963:
Telstar 2 is launched.
49 years ago, in 1975:
SAS-3, an X-ray telescope, is launched.
49 years ago, in 1975:
Canada's Anik A3 communications satellite is launched.
32 years ago, in 1992:
The shuttle Endeavour (STS-49) lifts off for its maiden flight.
30 years ago, in 1994:
The Clementine lunar probe has a computer malfunction on its way to asteroid Geographos, thus ending the mission.
11 years ago, in 2013:
The first Estonian satellite, ESTCube-1, is successfully launched, and is the first satellite to attempt to use an electric solar wind sail.
8
NEW MOON
62 years ago, in 1962:
The first Atlas-Centaur rocket is launched, but the Centaur stage ruptures at 53 seconds into the flight and disintegrates, taking the Atlas with it.
57 years ago, in 1967:
Lunar Orbiter 4 becomes the first spacecraft to go into a polar orbit around the Moon.
6 years ago, in 2018:
The Insight probe's deep-space CubeSats, the MarCO pair, set a distance record for CubeSats at 621,371 miles (1 million km) form Earth.
6 years ago, in 2018:
One of the Insight probe's deep-space CubeSats, MarCO-B, takes its first picture, and captures the Earth and Moon.
9
102 years ago, in 1922:
Tthe IAU passes a resolution to formally adopt Annie Jump Cannon's stellar classification system.
59 years ago, in 1965:
Luna 5 is launched to the Moon.
51 years ago, in 1973:
The Lunokhod 2 (USSR) moon rover rolls into a crater, where dust covers its solar panels.
21 years ago, in 2003:
The Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft is launched for asteroid Itokawa.
10
78 years ago, in 1946:
A White Sands modified V-2 rocket reaches 69 miles (111 kms).
59 years ago, in 1965:
Last contact is made with Explorer 18.
43 years ago, in 1981:
After just over 17 years in orbit, Explorer 19 reenters the Earth's atmosphere and burns up.
8 years ago, in 2016:
NASA's Kepler space telescope verifies 1,284 new exoplanets, the single largest finding of exoplanets to date.
11
WAXING CRESCENT
243 years ago, in 1781:
The Sombrero Galaxy (M104) is discovered by Pierre Méchain.
51 years ago, in 1973:
Kosmos 557, intended to be Salyut-3, is launched.
15 years ago, in 2009:
Servicing Mission 4 is launched aboard shuttle Atlantis (STS-125) to install on Hubble the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3).
6 years ago, in 2018:
The Falcon 9 Block-5 makes its successful maiden flight, placing Bangladesh's first communications satellite, Bangabandhu-1, into orbit.
12
94 years ago, in 1930:
The first planetarium in the United States, Adler Planetarium in Chicago, is opened to the public.
59 years ago, in 1965:
Luna 5 crashes into the Moon, instead of a soft landing as planned.
57 years ago, in 1967:
The Soviet Vostok-2 carrier rocket makes its final flight.
22 years ago, in 2002:
During a storm at Baikonur Cosmodrome, the MIK 112 hangar housing OK-1K1 collapses, killing 8 and destroying the Buran shuttle and Energia carrier rocket.
12 years ago, in 2012:
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter takes four images of the solar eclipse.
13
291 years ago, in 1733:
Birger Wassenius of Sweden, observing an eclipse near Göteborg, is the first to report prominences visible to the unaided eye; he incorrectly attributes them to the Moon.
163 years ago, in 1861:
John Tebbutt of Australia discovers the Great Comet of 1861 (C/1861 J1).
64 years ago, in 1960:
The original Echo 1, a metalized balloon passive-communications satellite, is launched, but the rocket explodes after lift-off.
52 years ago, in 1972:
Discovered by astronomer Charles Kowal, SN 1972E becomes the prototype for understanding type Ia supernova.
15 years ago, in 2009:
NASA's Kepler space telescope successfully completes its commissioning phase and begins science operations.
5 years ago, in 2019:
Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole in the center of our galaxy, flares to 75 times brighter than usual for two hours.
14
60 years ago, in 1964:
Communications fail for the Venus-bound Zond 1 spacecraft.
51 years ago, in 1973:
The first U.S. spacestation, Skylab, is launched, but loses one solar panel and jams the other.
43 years ago, in 1981:
The Soyuz 7K-T spacecraft makes its final flight, and is the last Soyuz mission to visit Salyut 6.
43 years ago, in 1981:
On board the Soyuz 40 mission to Salyut 6, Dumitru Prunariu becomes the first Romanian to visit space.
15 years ago, in 2009:
The Herschel infrared telescope and the Planck observatory are launched together.
14 years ago, in 2010:
The shuttle Atlantis (STS-132) is launched to the ISS with the Russian Rassvet Mini-Research Module.
11 years ago, in 2013:
The Kepler space telescope's second reaction wheel fails, ending the primary mission.
15
FIRST QUARTER
67 years ago, in 1957:
The first launch of a Soviet R-7 Semyorka leads to an unintended crash 400 km (250 mi) from the launch site.
66 years ago, in 1958:
Sputnik 3 is launched to explore the upper atmosphere and near space.
64 years ago, in 1960:
Korabl-Sputnik 1 (Sputnik 4), the first and unmanned test flight of the Vostok, is launched.
61 years ago, in 1963:
Mercury/Faith 7, the last Mercury mission, orbits the earth 22 times, with astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, Jr.
33 years ago, in 1991:
The Magellan spacecraft begins its secondary mission at Venus; filling in the gaps from the primary mapping mission.
27 years ago, in 1997:
Aboard the shuttle Atlantis (STS-84), Yelena Kondakova becomes the first Russian woman to travel on the Space Shuttle.
15 years ago, in 2009:
The Spitzer space telescope runs out of liquid helium cooland, ending the primary mission and beginning the Spitzer Warm Mission.
16
59 years ago, in 1965:
Telstar 2 is turned off.
55 years ago, in 1969:
Venera 5 reaches Venus and sends a probe into the atmosphere; it returns data for 53 minutes.
26 years ago, in 1998:
The ISO (Infrared Space Observatory) mission is officially ended.
13 years ago, in 2011:
The 25th and final flight of Endeavour (STS-134) launches to the ISS with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02), and the final ExPRESS Logistics Carrier.
10 years ago, in 2014:
By using the radiation pressure from the Sun to make up for its failed reaction wheels, NASA extends the Kepler mission to a new mission named K2.
17
142 years ago, in 1882:
On an expedition in Egypt , Dr. Arthur Schuster sees a comet (Tewfik) near the Sun during a total eclipse.
55 years ago, in 1969:
Venera 6 reaches Venus and sends a probe into the atmosphere; it returns data for 51 minutes.
50 years ago, in 1974:
SMS-1, the first of two predecessors to the GOES series of satellites, is launched.
6 years ago, in 2018:
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), flies past the Moon for a gravity assist to reach its final orbit.
18
55 years ago, in 1969:
Apollo 10 is launched; the first with the complete spacecraft (LM & CM).
51 years ago, in 1973:
The maiden flight of the Soyuz-U rocket takes place, carrying the satellite Kosmos 559 to orbit.
51 years ago, in 1973:
The first Soyuz-U orbital carrier rocket is launched, placing Kosmos 559, a Zenit military surveillance satellite, into orbit.
33 years ago, in 1991:
On board the Soyuz TM-12 mission to Mir, Helen Sharman becomes the first British astronaut and the first woman to visit Mir.
6 years ago, in 2018:
A memory card ontaining the names of over 1.1 million people and photos of Eugene Parker is mounted to the Parker Solar Probe.
19
WAXING GIBBOUS
63 years ago, in 1961:
Venera 1 is the first craft to fly by Venus, though contact is lost.
53 years ago, in 1971:
The Soviet Mars 2 spacecraft is launched.
28 years ago, in 1996:
Marc Garneau, aboard the shuttle Endeavour (STS-77), is the first Canadian to return to space.
20
46 years ago, in 1978:
The Pioneer Venus Orbiter is launched.
29 years ago, in 1995:
The Spektr (Power Module) is launched to be a part of the Mir space station.
24 years ago, in 2000:
The Galileo spacecraft flies by Jupiters moon Ganymede at a range of 809 km (503 miles).
23 years ago, in 2001:
The Soyuz-FG orbital carrier rocket is launched on its maiden flight, carrying Progress M1-6 to the ISS.
21 years ago, in 2003:
The Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne makes its first captive carry test flight.
14 years ago, in 2010:
The Japanese Venus Climate Orbiter, Akatsuki, and the first ever solar sail craft, IKAROS, are launched together from the Tanegashima Space Center.
21
240 years ago, in 1784:
William Herschel discovers NGC 6287, a globular cluster in the constellation Ophiuchus.
55 years ago, in 1969:
Apollo 10 enters lunar orbit, circles the Moon 31 times, tests LM separation.
49 years ago, in 1975:
The Kuiper Airborne Observatory is dedicated at NASA's Ames Research Center.
7 years ago, in 2017:
Comet C/2017 K2 is discovered by PANSTARRS, and becomes the farthest active inbound comet seen.
22
240 years ago, in 1784:
William Herschel discovers NGC 6284, a globular cluster in the constellation Ophiuchus.
78 years ago, in 1946:
A White Sands WAC Corporal reaches the then-defined edge of space, 50 miles (80 kms).
51 years ago, in 1973:
Kosmos 557, intended to be Salyut-3, fails after 11 days in orbit and burns up in Earth's atmosphere.
12 years ago, in 2012:
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft's second test mission (COTS Demo Flight 2+) is launched to the ISS.
23
FULL MOON
66 years ago, in 1958:
Explorer 1 makes its final transmission.
7 years ago, in 2017:
Astronauts Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer take an unplanned spacewalk to replace a broken data relay box outside of the ISS.
5 years ago, in 2019:
SpaceX launches 60 Starlink satellites on a third-time used Falcon 9.
24
481 years ago, in 1543:
Nicolaus Copernicus dies at age 70 in Frauenburg, Royal Prussia, Kingdom of Poland.
189 years ago, in 1835:
John Herschel discovers NGC 6325, a globular cluster in the constellation Ophiuchus.
62 years ago, in 1962:
Mercury/Aurora 7 orbits the earth with astronaut Scott M. Carpenter.
56 years ago, in 1968:
Echo 1A re-enters Earth's atmosphere and burns up.
49 years ago, in 1975:
Soyuz 18 is launched to the Salyut 4 space station.
48 years ago, in 1976:
Ariel 1, the first British satellite, burns up in the atmosphere.
43 years ago, in 1981:
Larissa, a moon of Neptune, is discovered by ground-based stellar occultation observations.
13 years ago, in 2011:
NASA announces The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (Orion MPCV).
25
63 years ago, in 1961:
President Kennedy makes his famous "Moon speech".
59 years ago, in 1965:
AS-104 (SA-8), is successfully launched, carrying the fourth 'boilerplate' version of the Apollo spacecraft and the second Pegasus micrometeroid detection satellite.
51 years ago, in 1973:
Skylab 2, the first manned mission to Skylab, is launched to repair the solar panels.
36 years ago, in 1988:
After almost 26 years in orbit, Explorer 14 reenters the Earth's atmosphere and burns up.
25 years ago, in 1999:
The International Astrophysical Observatory 'Granat' reenters the Earth's atmosphere and burns up.
23 years ago, in 2001:
The Galileo spacecraft flies by the surface of Jupiters moon Calisto at 138 km (86 miles), closer than any previous encounter.
16 years ago, in 2008:
Phoenix Mars Mission lands at Green Valley in Vastitas Borealis, near the north polar cap.
13 years ago, in 2011:
Mars Rover "Spirit" mission ends after 7 years.
12 years ago, in 2012:
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft's second test mission (COTS Demo Flight 2+) docks with the ISS, becoming the first private spacecraft to do so.
7 years ago, in 2017:
Rocket Lab's first Electron rocket is launched from New Zealand, becoming the first space launch for the country.
26
55 years ago, in 1969:
Apollo 10 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean and is retrieved by the USS Princeton.
44 years ago, in 1980:
On board the Soyuz 36 mission to Salyut 6, Bertalan Farkas becomes the first Hungarian to visit space.
41 years ago, in 1983:
The ESA's EXOSAT (European X-ray Observing Satellite) is launched.
17 years ago, in 2007:
Comet C/2007 K5 (Lovejoy) is discovered by Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy.
14 years ago, in 2010:
The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) sees "first light".
27
WANING GIBBOUS
34 years ago, in 1990:
The last Russian Progress expendable cargo spacecraft, Progress 42, deorbits and breaks up over the Pacific Ocean.
32 years ago, in 1992:
9969 Braille, an asteroid classified as a Mars-crosser and slow rotator, is discovered by E. F. Helin and K. J. Lawrence at the Palomar observatory.
25 years ago, in 1999:
Julie Payette, aboard the shuttle Discovery (STS-96), is the first Canadian to visit the ISS.
15 years ago, in 2009:
Frank De Winne of Belgium become the first astronaut from the ESA to command the ISS (Expedition 21).
15 years ago, in 2009:
Robert Thirsk is the first Canadian to go to space on a Russian vehicle; Soyuz TMA-15 to the ISS.
28
65 years ago, in 1959:
Launched aboard a Jupiter ICBM, Able and Baker became the first monkeys to survive spaceflight.
60 years ago, in 1964:
AS-101 (SA-6), is successfully launched, carrying the first 'boilerplate' version of the Apollo spacecraft.
53 years ago, in 1971:
The Soviet Mars 3 spacecraft is launched.
51 years ago, in 1973:
The Salyut 2 space station burns up in Earth's atmosphere after 54 days in orbit.
29
105 years ago, in 1919:
Arthur Eddington confirms Einstein's theory of general relativity during a total solar eclipse.
52 years ago, in 1972:
After only 35 days and 425 orbits after its release, the Apollo 16 Particles and Fields Subsatellite (PFS-2) crashes into the Moon.
50 years ago, in 1974:
Luna 22 (USSR) is launched to the Moon.
30
LAST QUARTER
58 years ago, in 1966:
Surveyor 1 is launched for the Moon.
53 years ago, in 1971:
Mariner 9 is launched to Mars.
50 years ago, in 1974:
ATS-6 (Applications Technology Satellite-6) is launched, becoming the world's first experimental Direct Broadcast Satellite.
9 years ago, in 2015:
Cassini makes its last flyby of Saturn's moon Hyperion.
6 years ago, in 2018:
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) performs the last engine burn to reach its final orbit.
31
89 years ago, in 1935:
The David Dunlap Observatory in Richmond Hill, Ontario, housing a 74-inch (1.88 m) reflector telescope (still the largest in Canada), has its official opening .
34 years ago, in 1990:
The Kristall (Technology Module) is launched to be a part of the Mir space station.
20 years ago, in 2004:
Cassini discovers two new moons around Saturn, Methone and Pallene.
16 years ago, in 2008:
The shuttle Discovery (STS-124) is launched to the ISS with the Pressurized Module and the Remote Manipulator System for the Japanese Experiment Module (Kibo).
12 years ago, in 2012:
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft's second test mission (COTS Demo Flight 2+) returns to Earth and is successfully recovered.
It's been 3233 days
