NASA launches the first weather satellite, Tiros 1.
53 years ago, in 1971:
ISIS-II, a Canadian research satellite to explore the ionosphere, is launched.
26 years ago, in 1998:
NASA launches the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE), designed to investigate the connections between fine-scale magnetic fields and the associated plasma structures on the Sun.
20 years ago, in 2004:
The Genesis spacecraft completes its sampling of the solar wind.
2
LAST QUARTER
66 years ago, in 1958:
The National Advisory Council on Aeronautics is renamed NASA.
61 years ago, in 1963:
Luna 4 is launched to the Moon.
60 years ago, in 1964:
Zond 1 is launched to Venus.
55 years ago, in 1969:
The Soviet Union launches Mars 2M No.522 (Mars 1969B), but the rocket nosedives into the ground 41 seconds after launch.
49 years ago, in 1975:
Luna 22's (USSR) primary mission ends, though it returns data and pictures from lunar orbit for another three months.
40 years ago, in 1984:
On board the Soyuz T-11 mission to Salyut 7, Rakesh Sharma becomes the first Indian to visit space.
35 years ago, in 1989:
Tele-X is launched, becoming the first communications satellite to service the Nordic countries.
26 years ago, in 1998:
The Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE), a NASA heliophysics and solar observatory, is launched.
8 years ago, in 2016:
Blue Origin's New Shepard (NS2) makes its third sub-orbital spaceflight, with a successful third time reused booster launch and landing.
6 years ago, in 2018:
After 6 years and 185 days in orbit, Tiangong-1 reenters the atmosphere and burns up over the South Pacific Ocean.
6 years ago, in 2018:
RemoveDEBRIS, a satellite for testing space debris removal technologies, is launched to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Dragon (CRS-14).
3
61 years ago, in 1963:
Explorer 17, the first of five Atmosphere Explorers, is launched to study the Earth's upper atmosphere.
58 years ago, in 1966:
Luna 10 becomes the first spacecraft to orbit the Moon.
7 years ago, in 2017:
The New Horizons probe reaches the halfway point between Pluto and its next target, 2014 MU69.
4
56 years ago, in 1968:
The final test flight of all the Apollo stages (Apollo 6 - unmanned test flight).
51 years ago, in 1973:
Salyut 2, first of a series of the highly classified Almaz military space station program, is launched.
41 years ago, in 1983:
The maiden flight of the shuttle Challenger (STS-6) launches, becoming the first shuttle mission in which an EVA is performed.
27 years ago, in 1997:
Aboard the shuttle Columbia (STS-83), Susan Still becomes the second woman to pilot the Space Shuttle.
12 years ago, in 2012:
After almost three successful years, NASA's Kepler mission is approved for extension through to 2016.
10 years ago, in 2014:
The French PICARD Solar Satellite ends its successful mission.
5
WANING CRESCENT
51 years ago, in 1973:
Pioneer 11 is launched.
49 years ago, in 1975:
Soyuz 7K-T No.39 (Soyuz 18a, Soyuz 18-1) is launched to the Salyut 4 space station, but fails to make orbit though the crew is successfully recovered.
45 years ago, in 1979:
The Uhuru X-ray Explorer Satellite burns up in the atmosphere.
34 years ago, in 1990:
Orbital Sciences Corporation launches Pegasus, becoming the first company to put a privately developed rocket into orbit.
33 years ago, in 1991:
The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory is launched from the shuttle Atlantis (STS-37).
6
64 years ago, in 1960:
Sputnik 3 burns up after reentering Earth's atmosphere.
59 years ago, in 1965:
Intelsat I (Early Bird), the first commercial communications satellite to be placed into geosynchronous orbit, is launched.
59 years ago, in 1965:
Using the Arecibo radio telescope, Gordon Pettengill and his team begin observations that result in the discovery that Mercury's day is 58.7 days long, not 88.
57 years ago, in 1967:
ATS-2 is launched by NASA, but fails to reach orbit after the second stage of the Atlas rocket fails.
7
61 years ago, in 1963:
Luna 4 misses the Moon due to a navigation fault.
56 years ago, in 1968:
Luna 14 is launched to the Moon.
41 years ago, in 1983:
Aboard the maiden flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger, astronauts make the first American EVA since Skylab.
40 years ago, in 1984:
NASA's Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) is deployed into low Earth orbit by Space Shuttle Challenger (STS-41-C).
23 years ago, in 2001:
The Russian Proton-M rocket makes its first flight.
23 years ago, in 2001:
Mars Odyssey Orbiter is launched.
20 years ago, in 2004:
Still three months from Saturn, Cassini observes two storms merge into one large storm.
18 years ago, in 2006:
The New Horizons probe crosses the orbit of Mars on its way to Pluto.
13 years ago, in 2011:
The United Nations General Assembly declares April 12th as the International Day of Human Space Flight.
8
NEW MOON
60 years ago, in 1964:
Gemini 1 is launched for an unmanned test flight.
58 years ago, in 1966:
OAO-1 (Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 1) is launched with instruments to detect ultraviolet, X-ray and gamma ray emission, but fails after three days in orbit.
44 years ago, in 1980:
Telesto, a moon of Saturn, is discovered using ground-based observations.
31 years ago, in 1993:
Aboard the shuttle Discovery (STS-56), Ellen Ochoa becomes the first Hispanic woman to go to space.
22 years ago, in 2002:
The S0 Truss segment for the backbone of the ISS is launched aboard shuttle Atlantis (STS-110).
16 years ago, in 2008:
On board the Soyuz TMA-12 mission to the ISS, Yi So-yeon becomes the first Korean and the third woman to be the first national from their country to visit space.
15 years ago, in 2009:
The Kepler space telescope sees first light.
8 years ago, in 2016:
SpaceX mission CRS-8 (SpX-8) brings the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) for testing to the ISS, and has the first landing of a rocket booster on a ship at sea.
9
65 years ago, in 1959:
NASA introduces it's first 7 astronauts, the "Mercury Seven".
62 years ago, in 1962:
The Soviet Union declares April 12th as Cosmonautics Day.
62 years ago, in 1962:
The National Geographic Society awards the Hubbard Medal to John Glenn.
The National Geographic Society awards the Hubbard Medal to John Glenn.
60 years ago, in 1964:
After just over three years in orbit, Explorer 9 reenters the Earth's atmosphere and burns up.
49 years ago, in 1975:
GEOS-3 (Geodynamics Experimental Ocean Satellite); also known as GEOS-C, is successfully launched.
38 years ago, in 1986:
The ESA's EXOSAT mission is ended due to a failure in the attitude control system.
10
59 years ago, in 1965:
Luna E-6 No.8 (Luna 1965A) is launched to perform a soft landing on the Moon, but the third stage fails.
56 years ago, in 1968:
Luna 14 goes into orbit around the Moon.
45 years ago, in 1979:
On board the Soyuz 33 mission to Salyut 6, Georgi Ivanov Kakalov becomes the first Bulgarian to visit space.
31 years ago, in 1993:
The Japanese Hiten moon probe is deliberately crashed into the Moon.
5 years ago, in 2019:
The Event Horizon Telescope team releases the first-ever image of a black hole's shadow using radio observations of the heart of the galaxy M87.
11
54 years ago, in 1970:
Apollo 13 is launched to land on the moon.
51 years ago, in 1973:
An accident on Salyut 2 causes both solar panels to be torn loose from the space station, cutting off all power.
44 years ago, in 1980:
Viking Lander 2 makes its final contact with Earth.
40 years ago, in 1984:
The Solar Maximum Mission satellite (SolarMax) is the first satellite to be repaired by a Shuttle crew (STS-41-C).
18 years ago, in 2006:
The ESA's Venus Express arrives at Venus.
12
WAXING CRESCENT
207 years ago, in 1817:
Charles Messier dies at age 86 in Paris, France.
175 years ago, in 1849:
Annibale de Gasparis of Italy discovers the fourth largest asteroid, Hygiea.
63 years ago, in 1961:
On board Vostok 1, Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person in space and orbits the Earth once.
60 years ago, in 1964:
Gemini 1 (unmanned) is purposely destroyed during re-entry.
60 years ago, in 1964:
The Soviet Polyot, an orbital carrier rocket, makes its second of two flights to test ASAT (Anti-satellite) spacecraft.
51 years ago, in 1973:
On approach to NAS Moffett airfield, the Galileo Convair 990 flying laboratory collides with a P-3 Orion, killing 16.
48 years ago, in 1976:
OSCAR 4, the fourth amateur radio satellite, burns up in re-entry.
43 years ago, in 1981:
The first orbital flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program is launched with shuttle Columbia (STS-1).
39 years ago, in 1985:
Canada's Anik C1 communications satellite is deployed from shuttle Discovery (STS-51-D).
23 years ago, in 2001:
Yuri's Night, a world space party, is inaugurated.
13
64 years ago, in 1960:
A Thor-Ablestar launches Transit 1B, the first experimental satellite of what will eventually become the Global Navigation Satellite System.
54 years ago, in 1970:
Apollo 13 malfunction, "Houston, we have a problem…".
50 years ago, in 1974:
Launched by Western Union and NASA, Westar 1 is America's first domestic & commercially launched geostationary communication satellite.
14 years ago, in 2010:
NASA's Swift space observatory detects its 500th GRB.
14
66 years ago, in 1958:
Sputnik 2 burns up after reentering Earth's atmosphere.
60 years ago, in 1964:
The second Orbiting Solar Observatory (OSO-2, OSO-B) accidentally ignites its third stage while undergoing a spin test, killing 3 and injuuring 8 more.
43 years ago, in 1981:
After a successful mission, the shuttle Columbia (STS-1) returns to Earth.
15
FIRST QUARTER
64 years ago, in 1960:
Luna E-3 No.1 (Luna 1960A), a Soviet spacecraft intended to fly around the Moon on a circumlunar trajectory, fails to make it out of Earth orbit.
25 years ago, in 1999:
Landsat 7 is launched.
19 years ago, in 2005:
NASA launches DART (Demonstration for Autonomous Rendezvous Technology), but the spacecraft hits the satellite it was supposed to rendezvous with.
16
64 years ago, in 1960:
Luna E-3 No.2 (Luna 1960B), a Soviet spacecraft intended to fly around the Moon on a circumlunar trajectory, loses the boosters from the rocket and crashes.
52 years ago, in 1972:
Apollo 16 launch to land on the moon.
44 years ago, in 1980:
2696 Magion, a dark background asteroid, is discovered by Slovak astronomer Ladislav Brožek at the Kleť Observatory in former Czechoslovakia.
17
150 years ago, in 1874:
The French astronomer Jerome Coggia discovers Comet Coggia (C/1874 H1, the Great Comet of 1874).
69 years ago, in 1955:
Albert Einstein dies of a rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm, in Princeton, New Jersey.
57 years ago, in 1967:
Surveyor 3 is launched for the Moon.
54 years ago, in 1970:
Apollo 13 splashes down in the South Pacific Ocean and is retrieved by the USS Iwo Jima.
48 years ago, in 1976:
The Helios-B (Helios 2) solar probe flies to a record distance of 26,987,000 miles ( 43.432 million km) from the Sun.
43 years ago, in 1981:
Last contact is made with the Einstein Observatory (HEAO-2) X-ray telescope.
17 years ago, in 2007:
The first Columbian satellite, Libertad 1, is successfully launched.
12 years ago, in 2012:
The retired shuttle Discovery is flown atop a 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft to Dulles airport in Washington.
10 years ago, in 2014:
NASA's Kepler space telescope discovers the first Earth-size exoplanet orbiting a star in the habitable zone, Kepler-186f.
10 years ago, in 2014:
The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) makes a planned impact on the Moons surface.
18
234 years ago, in 1790:
Caroline Herschel discovers her fourth comet, Comet C/1790 H1 (Herschel).
22 years ago, in 2002:
Stardust reaches its aphelion, and at 407 million kms (253 million miles) from the Sun, the furthest distance so far by a solar-powered craft.
16 years ago, in 2008:
The first Vietnamese satellite, Vinasat-1, is successfully launched.
10 years ago, in 2014:
The SpaceX CRS-3 mission successfully completes its Resupply Service mission to the ISS, as well as the first controlled landing of the first stage on the ocean.
9 years ago, in 2015:
FRB 150418 is detected by the Parkes observatory in New South Wales, Australia.
6 years ago, in 2018:
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is launched by NASA aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.
19
WAXING GIBBOUS
62 years ago, in 1962:
NASA announces that the Friendship 7 spacecraft will be lent to the U.S. Information Agency for a world tour, known as the "fourth orbit of Friendship 7".
53 years ago, in 1971:
The USSR launches the first space station, Salyut 1.
49 years ago, in 1975:
India launches the nations first satellite, Aryabhata.
23 years ago, in 2001:
The shuttle Endeavour (STS-100) launches, bringing Canadarm2 to the ISS.
23 years ago, in 2001:
Chris Hadfield, aboard the ISS, is the first Canadian to perform a spacewalk.
12 years ago, in 2012:
The retired shuttle Discovery is delivered to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Virginia for public display.
20
60 years ago, in 1964:
Luna E-6 No.5 (Luna 1964B) is launched to perform a soft landing on the Moon, but the upper stage malfunctions 340 seconds into the flight, causing the engine to shut down before reaching orbit.
57 years ago, in 1967:
Surveyor 3 is the second craft to make a soft landing on the Moon.
52 years ago, in 1972:
Apollo 16 lands on the moon.
51 years ago, in 1973:
Canada's Anik A2 communications satellite is launched.
20 years ago, in 2004:
Gravity Probe B (GP-B) is successfully launched by NASA to measure spacetime curvature near the Earth.
7 years ago, in 2017:
Tianzhou 1, the test mission of China's new unmanned cargo spacecraft, is launched to dock with the Tiangong-2 space laboratory.
21
60 years ago, in 1964:
The U.S. launches the nuclear-powered Transit 5BN3 navigation satellite, but the Scout launch vehicle fails and it scatters radioactive materials over the Indian Ocean.
30 years ago, in 1994:
The Clementine lunar probe finishes its systematic mapping of the Moon.
27 years ago, in 1997:
The Low Energy Gamma-Ray Imager (LEGRI), a payload for the first mission of the Spanish MINISAT platform, is launched.
11 years ago, in 2013:
Orbital ATK's Antares rocket makes its maiden flight.
22
338 years ago, in 1686:
Giovanni Cassini discovers one of Saturn's moons, Dione.
53 years ago, in 1971:
Soyuz 10 is launched to Salyut 1, but fails to dock.
7 years ago, in 2017:
The Cassini probe makes its 127th and last Titan flyby.
7 years ago, in 2017:
Tianzhou 1, the test mission of China's new unmanned cargo spacecraft, successfully docks with the Tiangong-2 space laboratory.
23
FULL MOON
62 years ago, in 1962:
Ranger 4 is launched to the Moon.
57 years ago, in 1967:
Soyuz 1 is launched for its maiden flight.
56 years ago, in 1968:
Zond 1968A is launched as an uncrewed lunar test flight, but the second stage fails prematurely, ending the mission.
17 years ago, in 2007:
The Italian Space Agency's AGILE, an X-ray and Gamma ray satellite, is launched from Sriharikota, India.
24
57 years ago, in 1967:
First space casualty when Vladimir Komarov dies during re-entry of Soyuz 1 due to a parachute malfunction.
57 years ago, in 1967:
At the request of the astronauts' widows, Manned Space Flight Administrator Dr. George E. Mueller announces AS-204 will be recorded as Apollo 1.
54 years ago, in 1970:
The first Chinese satellite, Dongfanghong I, is successfully launched.
53 years ago, in 1971:
After a failed docking attempt, Soyuz 10 leaves Salyut 1 and lands on Earth.
52 years ago, in 1972:
The Apollo 16 Particles and Fields Subsatellite (PFS-2) is launched from the scientific instrument module of the Service Module.
49 years ago, in 1975:
Contact is lost with India's first satellite, Aryabhata.
34 years ago, in 1990:
The Hubble Space Telescope is launched aboard the shuttle Discovery (STS-31).
11 years ago, in 2013:
NASA's Swift space observatory detects an X-ray flare from the Galactic Center, later found to be a previously unknown magnetar.
25
42 years ago, in 1982:
After just over six and a half years, the European Space Research Organisation's COS-B satellite ends is mission of the study of cosmic gamma ray sources.
41 years ago, in 1983:
Pioneer 10 crosses the orbit of Pluto, which was closer to the Sun than Neptune, due to its irregular orbit.
31 years ago, in 1993:
The Array of Low Energy X-ray Imaging Sensors (ALEXIS) X-ray telescope is launched scan for EUV transients.
22 years ago, in 2002:
On board the Soyuz TM-34 mission to the ISS, Mark Shuttleworth becomes the first citizen of an independent African country, and the second space tourist to visit space.
26
104 years ago, in 1920:
The Great Debate (Shapley–Curtis) about the size of the universe takes place at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.
62 years ago, in 1962:
Ranger 4 crashes into the far side of the Moon, becoming the first American craft to reach another celestial body.
62 years ago, in 1962:
Ariel 1, the first British satellite, is launched, making Britain the third country in the world to do so.
28 years ago, in 1996:
The Priroda (Earth Sensing Module), last of seven modules, is launched to be a part of the Mir space station.
26 years ago, in 1998:
Cassini makes its first pass by Venus for a gravity assist to Saturn.
17 years ago, in 2007:
The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) completes its first test flight.
11 years ago, in 2013:
NEE-01 Pegaso becomes Ecuador's first satellite to be launched.
7 years ago, in 2017:
The Cassini probe makes its first-ever trip between Saturn and its rings.
6 years ago, in 2018:
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) takes its first test image, focusing on the constellation Centaurus.
27
WANING GIBBOUS
63 years ago, in 1961:
Explorer 11 is launched, carrying the first space-based gamma-ray telescope.
52 years ago, in 1972:
Apollo 16 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean and is retrieved by the USS Ticonderoga.
22 years ago, in 2002:
The last successful reception of telemetry is received from Pioneer 10, at a distance of 80.22 AU's.
28
26 years ago, in 1998:
Egypt launchs Nilesat 101, becoming the first African country with its own direct TV broadcast satellite.
23 years ago, in 2001:
On board the Soyuz TM-32 mission to the ISS, Dennis Tito becomes the first "space tourist".
23 years ago, in 2001:
Canadarm2 is used for the first time after being installed on the ISS.
21 years ago, in 2003:
NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), an ultraviolet space telescope, is launched.
9 years ago, in 2015:
The second failure of a Progress (M-27M, ISS-59P) resupply mission to the ISS occurs when attitude and telemetry are lost in orbit.
8 years ago, in 2016:
Mikhailo Lomonosov (MVL-300, Mikhailo), a satellite operated by Moscow State University to observe gamma-ray bursts, high-energy cosmic rays and transient phenomena, is launched.
29
21 years ago, in 2003:
The BeppoSAX X-ray astronomy satellite re-enters Earth's atmosphere and falls into the Pacific Ocean.
11 years ago, in 2013:
The first SpaceShipTwo spaceplane, VSS Enterprise, makes its first powered flight.
11 years ago, in 2013:
The Herschel infrared telescope runs out of coolant and is decommissioned.
9 years ago, in 2015:
Blue Origin's New Shepard (NS1) makes its first flight to just over 58 miles (93.5km), and the capsule recovered, but the booster crashs on landing.
30
58 years ago, in 1966:
The Saturn I SA-5 second stage reenters the atmosphere and spreads some debris over the Rio Negro District of Brazil.
28 years ago, in 1996:
BeppoSAX, an Italian–Dutch X-ray astronomy satellite, is launched.
22 years ago, in 2002:
The BeppoSAX X-ray astronomy satellite is deactivated, due to a decaying orbit.
11 years ago, in 2013:
The Messenger probe ends its mission and crashes into Mercury.
6 years ago, in 2018:
NASA’s decommissioned Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) satellite re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere and burns up.
It's been 3200 days
