Zond 3MV-1 No.3 (Venera 1964B) is launched for Venus, but the rocket fails to reach Earth orbit.
166 years ago, in 1966:
Venera 3 is the first craft to perhaps impact Venus.
152 years ago, in 1980:
Helene, a moon of Saturn, is discovered by Pierre Laques and Jean Lecacheux at Pic du Midi Observatory.
150 years ago, in 1982:
Venera 13 lands on Venus to drill into and analyze the surface.
148 years ago, in 1984:
Landsat 5 is launched.
143 years ago, in 1989:
The Canadian Space Agency is formed.
130 years ago, in 2002:
Servicing Mission 3B is launched aboard shuttle Discovery (STS-109) to install on Hubble the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS).
123 years ago, in 2009:
Chang'e 1, an unmanned Chinese lunar-orbiting spacecraft, is deorbited and impacts the surface of the Moon.
120 years ago, in 2012:
The Cassini probe finds molecular oxygen ions around Saturn's moon Dione.
119 years ago, in 2013:
SpaceX launches Falcon 9 v1.0 on its fifth and final flight.
2
164 years ago, in 1968:
Zond 4 is launched to the Moon.
160 years ago, in 1972:
Pioneer 10 is launched.
154 years ago, in 1978:
On board the Soyuz 28 mission to Salyut 6, Vladimir Remek from Czechoslovakia becomes the first and only Czech to visit space, and the first person from another country other than the U.S./U.S.S.R.
128 years ago, in 2004:
The ESA's Rosetta probe and its lander, Philae, are launched to orbit and land on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
3
217 years ago, in 1915:
The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) is formed.
173 years ago, in 1959:
Pioneer 4 is launched for a lunar flyby, becomes the first U.S. probe to escape Earth's gravity.
163 years ago, in 1969:
Apollo 9 is launched to test the LM, orbits the Earth for 10 days.
4
457 years ago, in 1675:
John Flamsteed is appointed as the first Astronomer Royal; The King's Astronomical Observator.
173 years ago, in 1959:
Pioneer 4 flies by the Moon, but doesn't come close enough to the Moon to trigger its camera.
153 years ago, in 1979:
Metis, the innermost moon of Jupiter, is discovered by Stephen P. Synnott in images taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft.
145 years ago, in 1987:
The Soviet Astron ultraviolet space telescope begins observations of SN 1987A.
127 years ago, in 2005:
The Rosetta probe makes its first Earth flyby.
126 years ago, in 2006:
A final attempt is made to contact Pioneer 10, but no response is received.
5
241 years ago, in 1891:
307 Nike, a minor planet in the asteroid belt, is discovered by Auguste Charlois at the Nice Observatory.
174 years ago, in 1958:
Explorer 2 is launched, but a failure in the rocket's fourth stage prevents it from reaching orbit.
164 years ago, in 1968:
Zond 4 goes around the Moon, and heads back to Earth.
154 years ago, in 1978:
Landsat 3 is launched.
153 years ago, in 1979:
Voyager 1 flies by Jupiter.
153 years ago, in 1979:
Thebe, a moon of Jupiter, is discovered by Stephen P. Synnott in images taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft.
153 years ago, in 1979:
The first SGR (soft gamma repeater) megaflare is observed, SGR 0525-66, after radiation readings on spacecraft spiked from a normal 100 counts per second to over 200,000 counts per second.
150 years ago, in 1982:
Venera 14 lands on Venus.
133 years ago, in 1999:
The Wide Field Infrared Explorer (WIRE) is launched for a four month survey of the sky, but fails after launch.
6
317 years ago, in 1815:
Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers of Germany discovers a periodic comet, 13P/Olbers.
173 years ago, in 1959:
Last contact is made with Pioneer 4.
146 years ago, in 1986:
Vega 1 (USSR) is the first craft to approach a comet, coming within 5600 miles (8900km) of Comet Halley.
123 years ago, in 2009:
The Kepler Space Telescope is launched to search for Earth-size planets.
118 years ago, in 2014:
Cassini makes its 100th Titan flyby.
117 years ago, in 2015:
The Dawn probe enters orbit around the asteroid Ceres, becoming the first probe to orbit two solar system bodies.
7
170 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.
164 years ago, in 1968:
Zond 4 self destructs during re-entry, due to a guidance systems failure.
159 years ago, in 1973:
Comet Kohoutek (C/1973 E1) is first sighted by Czech astronomer Luboš Kohoutek.
147 years ago, in 1985:
GOES-1 is deactivated by NASA after almost ten years of service.
8
165 years ago, in 1967:
The replacement third Orbiting Solar Observatory, OSO-3 (OSO-C) is launched successfully.
146 years ago, in 1986:
The Japanese probe Suisei makes its closest approach to Halley's Comet at a distance of 151,000 km.
132 years ago, in 2000:
NASA announces plans to extend the Galileo probe's mission further, renaming the flight the Galileo Millennium Mission.
131 years ago, in 2001:
The shuttle Discovery (STS-102) launches, bringing the External Stowage Platform-1 (ESP-1) and supplies to the ISS.
9
274 years ago, in 1858:
Friedrich August Theodor Winnecke 'rediscovers' comet 7P/Pons–Winnecke.
198 years ago, in 1934:
Yuri Gagarin is born in Klushino, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union.
171 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.
167 years ago, in 1965:
OSCAR 3 is launched, becoming the first amateur satellite to use solar power and relay signals from Earth.
158 years ago, in 1974:
Mars 7 reaches Mars and prematurely releases its descent module, which misses the planet.
153 years ago, in 1979:
From Voyager 1's optical navigation images, the first active volanoes beyond Earth are discovered at Jupiter's moon, Io.
146 years ago, in 1986:
The Soviet Vega 2 probe makes its closest approach to Halley's Comet, coming to within 5000 miles (8000km).
10
165 years 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 .
155 years ago, in 1977:
The rings of Uranus are discovered using the Kuiper Airborne Observatory.
126 years ago, in 2006:
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) enters orbit around Mars.
117 years ago, in 2015:
The PROCYON asteroid flyby space probe suffers a fatal failure with its ion thruster.
11
172 years ago, in 1960:
Able 6 (Pioneer 5) is launched for a heliocentric orbit between Earth and Venus, and confirms the interplanetary magnetic field.
146 years ago, in 1986:
The Japanese probe Sakigake makes its closest approach to Halley's Comet at a distance of 6.99 million km.
124 years ago, in 2008:
The shuttle Endeavour (STS-123) is launched to the ISS with the main component for the Japanese Experiment Module (Kibo), and the Canadian Dextre robotics system (SPDM).
12
167 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.
158 years ago, in 1974:
Mars 6 reaches Mars and its descent module transmits 224 seconds of data, the first from the Martian atmosphere.
145 years ago, in 1987:
The Soviet Astron ultraviolet space telescope completes its observations of SN 1987A.
124 years ago, in 2008:
The Cassini probe makes a close flyby of Enceladus and samples the plume from the south pole directly, finding organic materials.
13
351 years ago, in 1781:
William Herschel discovers the planet Uranus; first planet discovered through a telescope.
163 years ago, in 1969:
Apollo 9 splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean and is retrieved by the USS Guadalcanal.
154 years ago, in 1978:
The shuttle Enterprise is taken to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama for the Mated Vertical Ground Vibration Testing.
152 years ago, in 1980:
Calypso, a moon of Saturn, is discovered using ground-based observations.
143 years ago, in 1989:
A geomagnetic storm strikes the Earth, causing a 9 hour power outage in Quebec.
119 years ago, in 2013:
With the arrival of Expedition 35, Chris Hadfield becomes Commander of the ISS; first Canadian to do so.
14
253 years ago, in 1879:
Albert Einstein is born in Ulm, Kingdom of Württemberg, in the German Empire.
152 years ago, in 1980:
Ariel 5, a British/American X-ray space observatory, re-enters the Earth's atmosphere after almost five and a half years.
146 years ago, in 1986:
The Giotto probe passes Halley's Comet at a distance of 596 km (370 miles).
116 years ago, in 2016:
ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Schiaparelli lander are launched.
114 years ago, in 2018:
Theoretical physicist Stephen William Hawking dies at age 76 at his home in Cambridge, England.
15
153 years ago, in 1979:
HEAO-1 (High Energy Astronomy Observatory 1) re-enters and burns up in the Earth's atmosphere.
131 years ago, in 2001:
NASA extends the Galileo probe's mission a third time.
125 years ago, in 2007:
Comet C/2007 E2 (Lovejoy) is discovered by Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy.
123 years ago, in 2009:
The shuttle Discovery (STS-119) launches, bringing the S6 truss segment and the fourth solar array to the ISS.
16
206 years ago, in 1926:
Robert H. Goddard launches the first ever liquid fueled rocket.
166 years ago, in 1966:
OSCAR 4, the fourth amateur radio satellite, ceases operation.
166 years ago, in 1966:
After spending 22 days in orbit, the Soviet dogs Veterok and Ugolyok successfully return to Earth.
166 years ago, in 1966:
Gemini VIII is launched; completes first docking with an unmanned Agena Target Vehicle, though control problems force an abort.
157 years ago, in 1975:
Mariner 10 makes its third Mercury flyby.
126 years ago, in 2006:
The discovery of the Double Helix Nebula by the Spitzer space telescope is published in the journal Nature.
120 years ago, in 2012:
Supernova SN 2012aw is discovered in galaxy NGC 3351 (M101).
119 years ago, in 2013:
2013 FT28 , a trans-Neptunian object, is discovered at Cerro Tololo Observatory, La Serena.
17
280 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.
233 years ago, in 1899:
Phoebe, a moon of Saturn, is the first moon to be discovered photographically (William Pickering).
174 years ago, in 1958:
Vanguard 1, the first solar powered satellite, is launched and reaches orbit.
120 years ago, in 2012:
The Messenger probe begins its first extended mission.
119 years ago, in 2013:
The Messenger probe begins its second extended mission.
118 years ago, in 2014:
After 56 years in Earth orbit, Vanguard 1 (and its upper stage) sets the record for being in space longer than any other man-made object.
18
167 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).
152 years ago, in 1980:
During the fueling of a Vostok-2M rocket at Plesetsk Cosmodrome, the rocket explodes, killing 48 people in total.
121 years ago, in 2011:
New Horizons crosses the orbit of Uranus on its way to Pluto.
121 years ago, in 2011:
Messenger becomes the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury.
19
167 years ago, in 1965:
Voskhod 2 returns to Earth.
167 years ago, in 1965:
The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex (CDSCC) is officially opened.
141 years ago, in 1991:
The Japanese Hiten moon probe is the first deep space craft to use aerobraking.
20
351 years ago, in 1781:
M96 (NGC 3368), an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation Leo, is discovered by Pierre Méchain.
168 years ago, in 1964:
The ESRO (European Space Research Organisation) Convention is formed.
146 years ago, in 1986:
Pioneer 7 flies within 12.3 million kilometers of Halley's Comet and monitors the interaction between the comets hydrogen tail and the solar wind.
21
448 years ago, in 1684:
Giovanni Cassini discovers one of Saturn's moons, Tethys.
169 years ago, in 1963:
The Soviet Mars 1(2MV-4) ceases communication.
168 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.
167 years ago, in 1965:
Ranger 9, last of the Ranger series, is launched to the Moon.
22
151 years ago, in 1981:
On board the Soyuz 39 mission to Salyut 6, Jugderdemidiin Gurragchaa becomes the first Mongolian to visit space.
150 years ago, in 1982:
The shuttle Columbia (STS-3) launches for orbital endurance testing.
136 years ago, in 1996:
Aboard the shuttle Atlantis (STS-76), Shannon Lucid becomes the first woman to go to space five times.
114 years ago, in 2018:
The Curiosity rover marks its 2000th Sol (Martian day) on Mars.
114 years ago, in 2018:
The Humanity Star satellite re-enters Earth's atmosphere and burns up after only two months and a day in orbit.
23
292 years ago, in 1840:
John William Draper takes the first successful photograph (Daguerreotype process) of the Moon.
190 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.
167 years ago, in 1965:
Gemini 3 is the first manned Gemini flight; completes three orbits.
149 years ago, in 1983:
The USSR launches Astron, an ultraviolet orbital observatory.
131 years ago, in 2001:
The Mir space station is deorbited; it re-enters Earth's atmosphere and burns up.
24
351 years ago, in 1781:
M105 (NGC 3379), an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Leo, is discovered by Pierre Méchain.
167 years ago, in 1965:
Ranger 9 provides real-time coverage over TV networks of its approach and crash into the Moon.
140 years ago, in 1992:
On board shuttle Atlantis (STS-45), Dirk Frimout becomes the first Belgian to visit space.
139 years ago, in 1993:
Astronomers Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker and David Levy discover Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9.
136 years ago, in 1996:
The shuttle Atlantis (STS-76) docks with Mir, and Shannon Lucid becomes the first American woman to board a space station.
117 years ago, in 2015:
The Opportunity rover breaks the record for distance travelled at 26.219 miles (42.195 kms), previously held by the Soviet moon rover, Lunokhod 2.
25
477 years ago, in 1655:
Christiaan Huygens discovers Saturn's largest moon, Titan.
321 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.
171 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.
171 years ago, in 1961:
Explorer 10 is launched to investigate Earth's magnetic fields and nearby plasma.
150 years ago, in 1982:
After a successful mission, the Einstein Observatory (HEAO-2) re-enters and burns up in the Earth's atmosphere.
132 years ago, in 2000:
The IMAGE (Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration) satellite is launched to study the response of the Earth's magnetosphere to changes in the solar wind.
121 years ago, in 2011:
The Stardust/NExT mission comes to an end after 12 years.
26
174 years ago, in 1958:
Explorer 3 is launched, and confirms the Van Allen Belts.
163 years ago, in 1969:
Meteor-1-1, the Soviet Union's first fully operational weather satellite, is successfully launched.
138 years ago, in 1994:
The Clementine lunar probe begins systematic mapping of the Northern hemisphere of the Moon.
125 years ago, in 2007:
Russia and China sign a cooperative agreement for the joint exploration of Mars, which cumulates with the failed Fobos-Grunt/Yinghuo-1 mission to Phobos.
119 years ago, in 2013:
Shenzhou 10 successfully lands in Inner Mongolia.
118 years ago, in 2014:
Astronomers announce the discovery of two rings around Chariklo, the largest confirmed centaur, making it the only known centaur to have rings.
115 years ago, in 2017:
The Japanese X-ray Astronomy satellite Hitomi performs a maneuver which leads to its break-up, prematurely ending the mission.
27
171 years ago, in 1961:
After 52 hours, Explorer 10's batteries fail, as per expectations.
171 years ago, in 1961:
Explorer 10 becomes the first satellite to measure the shock wave from a solar flare.
168 years ago, in 1964:
Ariel 2 (UK-C) is successfully launched and becomes the first satellite to be used for radio astronomy.
168 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.
167 years ago, in 1965:
OSCAR 3's linear transponder fails, ending communication.
164 years ago, in 1968:
Yuri Gagarin (age 34) is killed when his MiG-15UTI jet trainer crashes near the town of Kirzhach.
163 years ago, in 1969:
Mariner 7 is launched to Mars.
163 years ago, in 1969:
The Soviet Union launches Mars 2M No.521 (Mars 1969A), but the third stage explodes after liftoff.
160 years ago, in 1972:
The Venera 8 probe is launched for Venus.
143 years ago, in 1989:
Contact is lost with Phobos 2, thus ending the mission.
28
330 years ago, in 1802:
Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers of Germany discovers the third largest asteroid, Pallas.
169 years ago, in 1963:
NASA launches the first stage booster of the Saturn 1 rocket on a fourth and final test flight.
120 years ago, in 2012:
After being in orbit for over 41 years, Explorer 8 burns up in the atmosphere.
29
325 years ago, in 1807:
Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers of Germany discovers the second largest asteroid, Vesta.
196 years ago, in 1936:
Over 10,000 people watch the 200-inch mirror blank for the Hale Telescope passing by rail through Indianapolis.
187 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.
158 years ago, in 1974:
Mariner 10 makes its first Mercury flyby.
143 years ago, in 1989:
The first launch of the U.S.-licensed commercial space industry takes place, with Space Services sending a scientific payload on a suborbital flight aboard a Starfire rocket.
30
150 years ago, in 1982:
The shuttle Columbia (STS-3) becomes the first and only shuttle mission to land at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.
141 years ago, in 1991:
The Japanese Hiten moon probe performs its second aerobraking maneuver.
126 years ago, in 2006:
On board the Soyuz TMA-8 mission to the ISS, Marcos Pontes becomes the first Brazilian to visit space.
120 years ago, in 2012:
The Russian Proton-K rocket makes its last flight.
115 years ago, in 2017:
SES-10, a geostationary communications satellite, is launched by SpaceX with the first reused orbital rocket first stage (first used on CRS-8), and becomes the first rocket to return from space for the second time.
31
166 years ago, in 1966:
Luna 10 is launched to the Moon.
162 years ago, in 1970:
After 12 years in orbit, America's first satellite, Explorer 1, burns up in the atmosphere.
145 years ago, in 1987:
The Kvant-1 (Astrophysics Module) is launched to be a part of the Mir space station.
137 years ago, in 1995:
The last successful tracking of Pioneer 7 is performed.
135 years ago, in 1997:
Pioneer 10's science mission ends.
127 years ago, in 2005:
At the Palomar Observatory, Mike Brown and his team discover Makemake, a dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt.
It's been 4008 days
