Zond 3MV-1 No.3 (Venera 1964B) is launched for Venus, but the rocket fails to reach Earth orbit.
2 years ago, in 1966:
Venera 3 is the first craft to perhaps impact Venus.
2
This year:
Zond 4 is launched to the Moon.
3
53 years ago, in 1915:
The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) is formed.
9 years ago, in 1959:
Pioneer 4 is launched for a lunar flyby, becomes the first U.S. probe to escape Earth's gravity.
4
293 years ago, in 1675:
John Flamsteed is appointed as the first Astronomer Royal; The King's Astronomical Observator.
9 years ago, in 1959:
Pioneer 4 flies by the Moon, but doesn't come close enough to the Moon to trigger its camera.
5
77 years ago, in 1891:
307 Nike, a minor planet in the asteroid belt, is discovered by Auguste Charlois at the Nice Observatory.
10 years ago, in 1958:
Explorer 2 is launched, but a failure in the rocket's fourth stage prevents it from reaching orbit.
This year:
Zond 4 goes around the Moon, and heads back to Earth.
6
153 years ago, in 1815:
Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers of Germany discovers a periodic comet, 13P/Olbers.
9 years ago, in 1959:
Last contact is made with Pioneer 4.
7
6 years ago, in 1962:
The first Orbiting Solar Observatory (OSO-1, OSO-A) is launched to measure the solar electromagnetic radiation in the UV, X-ray, and gamma-ray regions.
This year:
Zond 4 self destructs during re-entry, due to a guidance systems failure.
8
1 year ago, in 1967:
The replacement third Orbiting Solar Observatory, OSO-3 (OSO-C) is launched successfully.
9
110 years ago, in 1858:
Friedrich August Theodor Winnecke 'rediscovers' comet 7P/Pons–Winnecke.
34 years ago, in 1934:
Yuri Gagarin is born in Klushino, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union.
7 years ago, in 1961:
The Soviet dog Chernushka makes one orbit on board Korabl-Sputnik-4 or Vostok-3KA No 1 (Sputnik 9) with a cosmonaut dummy, mice and a guinea pig.
3 years ago, in 1965:
OSCAR 3 is launched, becoming the first amateur satellite to use solar power and relay signals from Earth.
10
1 year ago, in 1967:
The Soviet Proton-K rocket makes its first flight, carrying the Cosmos 146 (Soyuz 7K-L1 s/n 1), a test satellite precursor to the Zond series .
11
8 years ago, in 1960:
Able 6 (Pioneer 5) is launched for a heliocentric orbit between Earth and Venus, and confirms the interplanetary magnetic field.
12
3 years ago, in 1965:
Cosmos 60 (Kosmos 60) ) is launched to perform a soft landing on the Moon, but fails to leave Earth orbit due to a power supply failure.
13
187 years ago, in 1781:
William Herschel discovers the planet Uranus; first planet discovered through a telescope.
14
89 years ago, in 1879:
Albert Einstein is born in Ulm, Kingdom of Württemberg, in the German Empire.
15
16
42 years ago, in 1926:
Robert H. Goddard launches the first ever liquid fueled rocket.
2 years ago, in 1966:
OSCAR 4, the fourth amateur radio satellite, ceases operation.
2 years ago, in 1966:
After spending 22 days in orbit, the Soviet dogs Veterok and Ugolyok successfully return to Earth.
2 years ago, in 1966:
Gemini VIII is launched; completes first docking with an unmanned Agena Target Vehicle, though control problems force an abort.
17
116 years ago, in 1852:
16 Psyche, one of the ten most massive objects in the asteroid belt, is discovered by the Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis from Naples.
69 years ago, in 1899:
Phoebe, a moon of Saturn, is the first moon to be discovered photographically (William Pickering).
10 years ago, in 1958:
Vanguard 1, the first solar powered satellite, is launched and reaches orbit.
18
3 years ago, in 1965:
Voskhod 2 is launched, and Alexei Leonov becomes the first person to leave a spacecraft in orbit, going for a 12 minute spacewalk (EVA).
19
3 years ago, in 1965:
Voskhod 2 returns to Earth.
3 years ago, in 1965:
The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex (CDSCC) is officially opened.
20
187 years ago, in 1781:
M96 (NGC 3368), an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation Leo, is discovered by Pierre Méchain.
4 years ago, in 1964:
The ESRO (European Space Research Organisation) Convention is formed.
21
284 years ago, in 1684:
Giovanni Cassini discovers one of Saturn's moons, Tethys.
5 years ago, in 1963:
The Soviet Mars 1(2MV-4) ceases communication.
4 years ago, in 1964:
Luna E-6 No.6 (Luna 1964A) is launched to perform a soft landing on the Moon, but fails to reach orbit and reenters the atmosphere.
3 years ago, in 1965:
Ranger 9, last of the Ranger series, is launched to the Moon.
22
23
128 years ago, in 1840:
John William Draper takes the first successful photograph (Daguerreotype process) of the Moon.
26 years ago, in 1942:
5535 Annefrank, a minor planet in the inner asteroid belt, is discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory.
3 years ago, in 1965:
Gemini 3 is the first manned Gemini flight; completes three orbits.
24
187 years ago, in 1781:
M105 (NGC 3379), an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Leo, is discovered by Pierre Méchain.
3 years ago, in 1965:
Ranger 9 provides real-time coverage over TV networks of its approach and crash into the Moon.
25
313 years ago, in 1655:
Christiaan Huygens discovers Saturn's largest moon, Titan.
157 years ago, in 1811:
The French astronomer Honore Flaugergues discovers the Great Comet of 1811 (C/1811 F1), visible to the naked eye for about 260 days.
7 years ago, in 1961:
The Soviet dog Zvyozdochka makes one orbit on board Korabl-Sputnik 5 or Vostok-3KA No 2 (Sputnik 10) with a wooden cosmonaut dummy.
7 years ago, in 1961:
Explorer 10 is launched to investigate Earth's magnetic fields and nearby plasma.
26
10 years ago, in 1958:
Explorer 3 is launched, and confirms the Van Allen Belts.
27
7 years ago, in 1961:
After 52 hours, Explorer 10's batteries fail, as per expectations.
7 years ago, in 1961:
Explorer 10 becomes the first satellite to measure the shock wave from a solar flare.
4 years ago, in 1964:
Ariel 2 (UK-C) is successfully launched and becomes the first satellite to be used for radio astronomy.
4 years ago, in 1964:
Cosmos 21 (Kosmos 21, Zond 3MV-1 No.3) is launched to make a flyby of Venus, but once in Earth orbit the main engine fails to start.
3 years ago, in 1965:
OSCAR 3's linear transponder fails, ending communication.
This year:
Yuri Gagarin (age 34) is killed when his MiG-15UTI jet trainer crashes near the town of Kirzhach.
28
166 years ago, in 1802:
Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers of Germany discovers the third largest asteroid, Pallas.
5 years ago, in 1963:
NASA launches the first stage booster of the Saturn 1 rocket on a fourth and final test flight.
29
161 years ago, in 1807:
Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers of Germany discovers the second largest asteroid, Vesta.
32 years ago, in 1936:
Over 10,000 people watch the 200-inch mirror blank for the Hale Telescope passing by rail through Indianapolis.
23 years ago, in 1945:
The last day of V-1 rocket bomb attacks on England occurs, only to be soon replaced by the V-2.
It's been 3962 days
