The Soviet Vostok-2 carrier rocket makes its maiden flight, only to come down and blow up 1.8 seconds into launch.
171 years ago, in 1968:
After just over three years in orbit, Explorer 10 reenters the Earth's atmosphere and burns up.
169 years ago, in 1970:
Soyuz 9 is launched for an 18 day mission in orbit.
149 years ago, in 1990:
Germany's X-ray satellite, ROSAT, is launched.
134 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.
131 years ago, in 2008:
Cassini completes its primary mission at Saturn.
2
281 years ago, in 1858:
The Italian astronomer Giovanni Donati discovers Comet Donati (C/1858 L1), the first comet to be photographed.
185 years ago, in 1954:
The Soviet dogs Lisa and Ryzhik are launched aboard an R1 to an altitude of 100km (60mi), and survive.
177 years ago, in 1962:
OSCAR 2, the second amateur radio satellite, is launched.
173 years ago, in 1966:
Surveyor 1 is the first craft to make a soft landing on the Moon.
165 years ago, in 1974:
Luna 22 (USSR) goes into orbit around the Moon, returning data for the next 15 months.
160 years ago, in 1979:
Ariel 6, a British and American satellite, is launched for X-ray astronomy and the detection of cosmic rays.
156 years ago, in 1983:
Venera 15 is launched to Venus to map its surface using radar.
136 years ago, in 2003:
The European Mars Express and Beagle 2 lander are launched from the Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan.
3
174 years ago, in 1965:
Gemini IV is launched and orbits for three days; first EVA by an American, Ed White for 22 minutes.
173 years ago, in 1966:
Gemini IX-A is launched; completes three types of rendezvous, two hours of EVA, and 44 orbits.
170 years ago, in 1969:
The final episode of Star Trek is broadcast.
166 years ago, in 1973:
The Soviet news agency (TAS) announces the Lunokhod 2 moon rover mission to be over.
126 years ago, in 2013:
10199 Chariklo, a centaur, is the first minor planet discovered to have rings.
125 years ago, in 2014:
The Mars rover Curiosity observes the planet Mercury transiting the Sun.
122 years 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).
122 years 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
175 years ago, in 1964:
Molniya-1 No.2 (Zond 1964A) is the first Soviet communications satellite to be launched, but fails to reach orbit.
165 years ago, in 1974:
Contruction begins on the shuttle Enterprise (OV-101).
143 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).
139 years ago, in 2000:
The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory burns up in Earth's atmosphere.
129 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
159 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.
148 years ago, in 1991:
Millie Hughes-Fulford becomes the first female payload specialist, aboard the shuttle Columbia (STS-40).
148 years ago, in 1991:
The eleventh launch of the shuttle Columbia, STS-40, is the first spaceflight with three women astronauts aboard.
137 years ago, in 2002:
The shuttle Endeavour (STS-111) is launched with the Mobile Base System (MBS) for the Canadarm2 on the ISS.
132 years ago, in 2007:
Messenger makes its second Venus flyby.
126 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
173 years ago, in 1966:
Gemini IX-A lands back on Earth.
168 years ago, in 1971:
Soyuz 11 is launched to Salyut 1, where it docks for 23 days.
137 years ago, in 2002:
At the Palomar Observatory, Chad Trujillo and Michael Brown discover 50000 Quaoar, a non-resonant trans-Neptunian object.
121 years ago, in 2018:
NASA announces that the Juno mission at Jupiter will be extended through to at least July 2021.
7
174 years ago, in 1965:
Gemini IV lands back on Earth.
170 years ago, in 1969:
Echo 2 re-enters Earth's atmosphere and burns up.
156 years ago, in 1983:
Venera 16 is launched to Venus to map its surface using radar.
151 years ago, in 1988:
Soyuz TM-5, the fifth cosmonaut-carrying spacecraft to visit the Mir Space Station, is launched.
147 years ago, in 1992:
NASA's Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE), a space telescope for short-wave ultraviolet astronomy, is launched.
8
174 years ago, in 1965:
Luna 6 is launched to the Moon, but misses it by 161,000 km (100,040 miles).
166 years ago, in 1973:
SAS-2 (Explorer 48), a gamma ray telescope, completes its observations.
164 years ago, in 1975:
Venera 9 is launched for Venus.
132 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.
131 years ago, in 2008:
New Horizons passes the orbit of Saturn on its way to Pluto.
128 years ago, in 2011:
Chang'e 2, an unmanned Chinese lunar probe, leaves lunar orbit for the Earth–Sun L2 Lagrangian point.
9
187 years ago, in 1952:
The Abee meteorite lands in Alberta, Canada; the only enstatite chondrite with petrologic type 4 ever found.
159 years ago, in 1980:
Soyuz T-2 undocks from Salyut 6 and returns to Earth.
154 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
163 years ago, in 1976:
MARISAT F2, the second of three maritime telecommunications satellites for commercial shipping and the U.S. Navy, is launched.
136 years ago, in 2003:
Mars Rover "Spirit" is launched.
135 years ago, in 2004:
Saturn's moon Phoebe becomes the first moon flyby of the Cassini probe.
130 years ago, in 2009:
After a successful mission, Japan's second lunar orbiter, SELENE (Kaguya), is deliberately crashed into the moon .
121 years ago, in 2018:
The Opportunity rover falls silent as a planet-wide dust storm encircles Mars.
11
191 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.
154 years ago, in 1985:
The Soviet Vega 1 probe lander touches down successfully on Venus; the balloon travels 11,600 km (7200 miles).
131 years ago, in 2008:
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (FGST) is launched.
126 years ago, in 2013:
Shenzhou 10, the final mission to Tiangong-1, is launched aboard a Long March 2Frocket.
12
320 years ago, in 1819:
Jean Louis Pons is the first 'discoverer' of comet 7P/Pons–Winnecke.
177 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.
176 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.
172 years ago, in 1967:
Venera 4 is launched for Venus.
13
156 years ago, in 1983:
Pioneer 10 crosses the orbit of Neptune.
154 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.
129 years ago, in 2010:
The Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft releases its sample from asteroid Itokawa before burning up in Earth's atmosphere.
127 years ago, in 2012:
The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) is launched to study the universe in high energy X-rays.
126 years ago, in 2013:
Shenzhou 10 successfully docks with Tiangong-1.
14
369 years ago, in 1770:
Charles Messier discovers Comet D/1770 L1, also known as Lexell's Comet after its orbit computer, Anders Lexell.
190 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.
176 years ago, in 1963:
Vostok 5 is launched into orbit to meet up with Vostok 6.
172 years ago, in 1967:
Mariner 5 is launched to Venus.
164 years ago, in 1975:
Venera 10 is launched for Venus.
146 years ago, in 1993:
The Japanese probe Sakigake makes its second Earth swingby.
122 years ago, in 2017:
The Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT, Insight), a Chinese X-ray space observatory, is launched.
15
179 years ago, in 1960:
Communication is lost with Tiros 1.
154 years ago, in 1985:
The Soviet Vega 2 probe lander touches down successfully on Venus; the balloon travels 11,100 km (7200 miles).
129 years ago, in 2010:
The French PICARD Solar Satellite is launched from Dombarovskiy Cosmodrome, Russia, to study the Sun.
16
333 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.
176 years ago, in 1963:
Aboard Vostok 6, Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space, orbiting Earth 48 times.
150 years ago, in 1989:
Neptune's second largest moon, Proteus, is discovered by Voyager 2.
127 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
172 years ago, in 1967:
Cosmos 167 (Kosmos 167) is launched to land on Venus, but fails to leave low Earth orbit.
154 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.
154 years ago, in 1985:
Mexico's first communications satellite, Morelos I, is launched from shuttle Discovery (STS-51-G).
18
180 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.
163 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.
162 years ago, in 1977:
The shuttle Enterprise makes its first crewed captive flight atop a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
156 years ago, in 1983:
Canada's Anik C2 communications satellite is deployed from shuttle Challenger (STS-7).
156 years ago, in 1983:
Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space aboard the shuttle Challenger (STS-7).
137 years ago, in 2002:
2002 MS4, a large classical Kuiper belt object, is discovered by Chad Trujillo and Michael Brown.
130 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.
127 years ago, in 2012:
Controlled from the ground, Shenzhou 9 docks with Tiangong-1, becoming China's first manned spacecraft rendezvous and docking.
19
176 years ago, in 1963:
The Soviet Mars 1(2MV-4)makes its closest approach to Mars.
176 years ago, in 1963:
After successful communication with each other, Vostok 5 and 6 return home.
169 years ago, in 1970:
After 18 days in orbit, Soyuz 9 returns to Earth.
163 years ago, in 1976:
Viking 1 arrives at Mars.
135 years ago, in 2004:
99942 Apophis, a near-Earth asteroid, is discovered at the Kitt Peak National Observatory.
130 years ago, in 2009:
NASA's Kepler space telescope sends its first science data back to Earth.
123 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
195 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.
177 years ago, in 1962:
OSCAR 2, the second amateur radio satellite, ceases communication.
121 years ago, in 2018:
RemoveDEBRIS, a satellite for testing space debris removal technologies, is deployed from the ISS, becoming the heaviest satellite ever deployed from the station.
21
177 years ago, in 1962:
OSCAR 2, the second amateur radio satellite, burns up in re-entry.
164 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.
135 years ago, in 2004:
The Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne achieves its first spaceflight, becoming the first privately funded human spaceflight.
129 years ago, in 2010:
NASA's Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) takes its last image after 12 successful years in orbit.
22
179 years ago, in 1960:
SOLRAD 1, the world's first orbiting astronomical observatory, and GRAB 1, America's first intelligence satellite, are launched together.
166 years ago, in 1973:
The three Skylab 2 astronauts become the first space station occupants ever to return safely to Earth.
163 years ago, in 1976:
Salyut 5, third and last of a series of the highly classified Almaz military space station program, is launched.
161 years ago, in 1978:
James W. Christy discovers Pluto's largest moon, Charon.
23
130 years ago, in 2009:
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) goes into orbit around the moon.
126 years ago, in 2013:
Shenzhou 10 undocks from Tiangong-1 and performs a manual re-docking.
24
166 years ago, in 1973:
Explorer 35 is shut down after six years of successful operation studying space beyond the Moon.
157 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.
140 years ago, in 1999:
The Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) space-based telescope is launched.
140 years ago, in 1999:
Cassini makes its second pass by Venus for a gravity assist to Saturn.
127 years ago, in 2012:
Shenzhou 9 undocks with Tiangong-1 for the first time after a stay of 3 days and 21 hours.
127 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.
126 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
165 years ago, in 1974:
Salyut 3, second of a series of the highly classified Almaz military space station program, is launched.
149 years ago, in 1990:
Spherical aberration is discovered in Hubble's primary mirror.
142 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.
126 years ago, in 2013:
Shenzhou 10 undocks with Tiangong-1 and heads back to Earth.
123 years ago, in 2016:
The Long March 7 makes a successful maiden flight.
26
409 years ago, in 1730:
Charles Messier is born in Badonviller, France.
212 years ago, in 1927:
Comet 7P/Pons–Winnecke approaches within 0.0394 AUs of Earth.
166 years ago, in 1973:
A Kosmos 3M explodes on the pad at Plesetsk Cosmodrome during a propellant loading accident, killing nine people.
125 years ago, in 2014:
2014 MU69 (Ultima Thule) is discovered by Marc Buie using the Hubble Space Telescope.
27
181 years ago, in 1958:
Explorer 3 burns up in the atmosphere.
161 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.
157 years ago, in 1982:
The shuttle Columbia (STS-4) launches with the first Department of Defense mission.
144 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.
143 years ago, in 1996:
Galileo is the first probe to visit Ganymede, one of Jupiters moons.
142 years ago, in 1997:
The NEAR Shoemaker probe flies by asteroid 253 Mathilde on its way to NEA Eros.
126 years ago, in 2013:
The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), a NASA solar observation satellite, is launched.
121 years ago, in 2018:
The Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 successfully reaches the asteroid Ryugu.
28
228 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.
174 years ago, in 1965:
Intelsat I (Early Bird), begins commercial service.
127 years ago, in 2012:
Shenzhou 9 undocks with Tiangong-1 for the last time and heads for Earth.
126 years ago, in 2013:
The GALEX ultraviolet space telescope is decommissioned by NASA.
124 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
178 years ago, in 1961:
Transit 4A is launched, becoming the first satellite to use a radioactive power source.
178 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.
163 years ago, in 1976:
The Soviet Voskhod carrier rocket makes its final flight.
156 years ago, in 1983:
After over 19 years in orbit, Explorer 23 reenters the Earth's atmosphere and burns up.
144 years ago, in 1995:
The shuttle Atlantis (STS-71) becomes the first shuttle to dock to the Mir space station.
127 years ago, in 2012:
Shenzhou 9 successfully lands with its three astronauts (taikonauts) in Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia.
30
231 years ago, in 1908:
The 'Tunguska Event' occurs when a meteor explodes over the Tunguska River in Siberia, Russia.
168 years ago, in 1971:
Soyuz 11 leaves Salyut 1 and lands on Earth; but the cabin depressurises during re-entry, killing all three cosmonauts.
166 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.
138 years ago, in 2001:
The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) is launched to study the CMB.
136 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.
135 years ago, in 2004:
Cassini arrives at Saturn, becoming the first ever probe to go into orbit around the ringed planet.
134 years ago, in 2005:
At the Keck Observatory, a Caltech team discovers Namaka, the smaller moon of the dwarf planet Haumea.
130 years ago, in 2009:
Communications with the Ulysses spacecraft cease after almost 19 years.
124 years ago, in 2015:
The first official Asteroid Day is held.
123 years ago, in 2016:
The Dawn probe finishes its primary science mission at Vesta and Ceres.
121 years ago, in 2018:
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 4012 days
