Comet D/1770 L1 (Lexell's Comet), passes 0.015AU's from Earth (1.4 million miles, 2.3 million km's).
311 years ago, in 1819:
Johann Georg Tralles in Germany discovers Comet Tralles (C/1819 N1, Great Comet of 1819).
170 years ago, in 1960:
The NASA Launch Operations Center (LOC) at Cape Canaveral is established.
170 years ago, in 1960:
NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) comes into being.
169 years ago, in 1961:
Explorer 6 burns up in the atmosphere.
168 years ago, in 1962:
NASA establishes the Launch Operations Center, later renamed to Kennedy Space Center.
137 years ago, in 1993:
ESA's European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA), a 4.5 tonne satellite with 15 experiments, is recovered 334 days after launch by Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-57).
117 years ago, in 2013:
The Jason-1 Earth satellite is decommissioned after its last transmitter fails.
114 years ago, in 2016:
The Dawn probe begins its extended science mission at Ceres.
2
171 years ago, in 1959:
The Soviet dogs Lisa and Ryzhik, and a rabbit named Marfusha, are launched aboard an R2-A for a sub-orbital flight, and survive.
163 years ago, in 1967:
The Vela 3 and Vela 4 satellites detect a flash of gamma radiation, later found out to be a GRB (gamma-ray burst).
145 years ago, in 1985:
The Giotto probe is launched by ESA to study Halley's Comet.
116 years ago, in 2014:
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2) satellite, designed to study atmospheric carbon dioxide, is successfully launced.
3
161 years ago, in 1969:
On the second test of the Soviet N-1 rocket booster, the Zond L1S-2 capsule is launched to be put into lunar orbit, but the rocket fails 9 seconds after liftoff.
156 years ago, in 1974:
Soyuz 14 is launched, the only successful spaceflight to the Salyut 3 space station.
138 years ago, in 1992:
The Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX), the first spacecraft in NASA's Small Explorer program, is launched.
135 years ago, in 1995:
The Japanese probe Sakigake makes its fourth and last Earth swingby.
125 years ago, in 2005:
Deep Impact releases an impactor aimed at Comet Tempel 1.
123 years ago, in 2007:
Stardust is given an extended mission, NExT, to re-visit Comet Tempel 1 (first visit was Deep Impact).
4
1076 years ago, in 1054:
Chinese astronomers make the first recorded observation of supernova SN 1054; its remnants are the Crab Nebula.
162 years ago, in 1968:
NASA launches Radio Astronomy Explorer A from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
148 years ago, in 1982:
The shuttle Columbia (STS-4) lands at Edwards Air Force Base, the fourth and final orbital test flight of the Shuttle.
133 years ago, in 1997:
Mars Pathfinder/Sojourner lands at Ares Vallis flood plain on Mars.
132 years ago, in 1998:
Japan launches the Nozomi probe to Mars.
125 years ago, in 2005:
Deep Impact's impactor reaches the surface of Comet Tempel 1.
124 years ago, in 2006:
STS-121 with shuttle Discovery becomes the first and only Independence Day launch.
5
443 years ago, in 1687:
Isaac Newton's Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy) is first published.
164 years ago, in 1966:
AS-203 is successfully launched; a test flight of the Saturn IB rocket to verify the function of the S-IVB rocket stage restart capability.
114 years ago, in 2016:
The Juno probe arrives at Jupiter and enters polar orbit.
6
192 years ago, in 1938:
Seth Barnes Nicholson discovers one of Jupiter's moons, Lysithea.
164 years ago, in 1966:
The Soviet Proton rocket makes its last flight.
164 years ago, in 1966:
The Soviet Proton-3 satellite is launched for the study of high and ultra-high energy particles.
154 years ago, in 1976:
Soyuz 21 is launched to the Salyut 5 space station.
7
142 years ago, in 1988:
The Soviet Union launches Phobos 1 to Mars.
127 years ago, in 2003:
The Delta II 7000H makes its maiden flight, launching the Mars Rover "Opportunity".
8
288 years ago, in 1842:
Francis Baily of the United Kingdom, at an eclipse in Italy, focuses attention on the corona and prominences and identifies them as part of the Sun's atmosphere.
154 years ago, in 1976:
Palapa A1 is launched, becoming the first Indonesian communications satellite.
151 years ago, in 1979:
Adrastea, an inner moon of Jupiter, is the first moon discovered by images from a spacecraft, Voyager 2.
136 years ago, in 1994:
Aboard the shuttle Columbia (STS-65), Chiaki Mukai becomes the first Japanese woman to go to space.
119 years ago, in 2011:
The final flight of the American Space Shuttle program is flown with Atlantis (STS-135 ), bringing to the ISS the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, Raffaello.
9
168 years ago, in 1962:
Starfish Prime, a high-altitude nuclear test conducted by the U.S. with a W49 thermonuclear warhead, becomes the largest man-made nuclear explosion in outer space.
151 years ago, in 1979:
Voyager 2 flies by Jupiter.
10
168 years ago, in 1962:
Telstar 1 is launched, becoming the first privately sponsored space launch (AT&T).
167 years ago, in 1963:
Last contact is made with Explorer 17.
138 years ago, in 1992:
The Giotto probe passes Comet Grigg-Skjellerup at a distance of 200 km (124 miles); the first craft to do a close flyby of two comets.
125 years ago, in 2005:
JAXA's fifth cosmic X-ray satellite, Suzaku (ASTRO-E2) is launched successfully, and carries a new type of X-ray spectrometer, the X-ray micro-calorimeter.
120 years ago, in 2010:
The Rosetta probe flies by asteroid Lutetia.
11
151 years ago, in 1979:
Skylab burns up in the Earth's atmosphere.
140 years ago, in 1990:
Gamma, a Soviet/French gamma ray telescope, is launced, but the telescope fails soon after launch.
139 years ago, in 1991:
Astronomers observe the total eclipse from Mauna Kea on Hawaii, making sensitive radio and infrared measurements of the solar chromosphere and obtaining high-resolution optical images of the corona and prominences.
134 years ago, in 1996:
After 35 years, Pioneer 6 is commanded to switch to its backup primary transmitter, and the signal is re-acquired.
12
142 years ago, in 1988:
The Soviet Union launches Phobos 2 to Mars.
130 years ago, in 2000:
The Zvezda Service Module is launched to the ISS aboard a Russian Proton-K rocket.
124 years ago, in 2006:
Genesis I, an experimental space habitat built by Bigelow Aerospace, is successfully launched from Dombarovsky Air Base, Russia.
13
161 years ago, in 1969:
Luna 15 is launched to the Moon; the second Soviet attempt to bring back soil from the surface.
135 years ago, in 1995:
The Galileo spacecraft releases its atmospheric entry probe to study Jupiters atmosphere.
125 years ago, in 2005:
The Cassini probe discovers the south pole of Enceladus is almost crater free, with warm fractures in the surface and a cloud of water vapour extending into space.
111 years ago, in 2019:
Spektr-RG, a Russian–German high-energy astrophysics space observatory, is launched.
14
163 years ago, in 1967:
Surveyor 4 is launched for the Moon.
118 years ago, in 2012:
The Kepler space telescope's first reaction wheel fails.
115 years ago, in 2015:
New Horizons becomes the first spacecraft to visit Pluto.
15
165 years ago, in 1965:
Mariner 4 makes its closest approach to Mars, taking the first photos of another planet from space.
158 years ago, in 1972:
Pioneer 10 becomes the first probe to enter the asteroid belt.
155 years ago, in 1975:
The last Apollo Command/Service Module is launched for the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (ASTP).
155 years ago, in 1975:
Soyuz 19 is launched for the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (ASTP).
121 years ago, in 2009:
The shuttle Endeavour (STS-127) is launched to the ISS with the Exposed Facility and the Exposed Section for the Japanese Experiment Module (Kibo).
121 years ago, in 2009:
Julie Payette, aboard the shuttle Endeavour, is the first Canadian woman to return to space.
16
172 years ago, in 1958:
Congress passes the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958.
166 years ago, in 1964:
Zond 1 passes by Venus, though no data is sent due to a faulty transmitter.
165 years ago, in 1965:
The Soviet Proton rocket makes its first flight.
165 years ago, in 1965:
The Soviet Proton-1 satellite is launched for the study of high and ultra-high energy particles.
161 years ago, in 1969:
Apollo 11 is launched to land humans on the Moon.
148 years ago, in 1982:
Landsat 4 is launched.
140 years ago, in 1990:
Pakistan's first indigenously developed and manufactured satellite, Badr-1, is successfully launched.
140 years ago, in 1990:
A shepherd moon of Saturn, Pan, is discovered using data from Voyager 2 images.
136 years ago, in 1994:
The first fragment from Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 impacts Jupiter.
17
866 years ago, in 1264:
Japanese observers are the first to view the Great Comet of 1264 (C/1264 N1).
1796 years ago, in 334:
Julius Firmicus Maternus of the Roman Empire makes the first recorded observation of solar prominences during an annular eclipse
163 years ago, in 1967:
Last contact is made with NASA's Lunar Orbiter 4.
163 years ago, in 1967:
Contact is lost with Surveyor 4 just 2.5 minutes before crashing on the Moon.
161 years ago, in 1969:
Luna 15 goes into orbit around the Moon.
155 years ago, in 1975:
First USA/USSR docking of an Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft.
146 years ago, in 1984:
With the launching of Soyuz T-12 to Salyut 7, Svetlana Savitskaya becomes the first woman to go to space twice.
145 years ago, in 1985:
The Galileo II Convair 990 flying laboratory is destroyed in a fire as a result of runway overrun during take-off.
123 years ago, in 2007:
2007 OR10 (Gonggong), a trans-Neptunian object, is discovered by Megan Schwamb, Michael Brown, and David Rabinowitz at the Palomar Observatory.
121 years ago, in 2009:
After the shuttle Endeavour (STS-127) docks with the ISS, the station has a record thirteen people on board.
119 years ago, in 2011:
The Dawn probe goes into orbit around the asteroid Vesta.
117 years ago, in 2013:
The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) sees first light.
18
165 years ago, in 1965:
Zond 3 is launched and sent towards the orbit of Mars as a spacecraft test, passing the Moon first.
164 years ago, in 1966:
Gemini X is launched; completes rendezvous with Agena Target Vehicle from Gemini VIII, and 43 orbits.
119 years ago, in 2011:
Spektr-R (RadioAstron), a Russian satellite with a radio telescope, is launched to study radio sources inside and outside of our galaxy.
117 years ago, in 2013:
Cassini takes a picture of Earth from Saturn.
19
1712 years ago, in 418:
The historian Philostorgius in Asia Minor makes the first report of a comet discovered during a solar eclipse.
163 years ago, in 1967:
Explorer 35 is launched to study interplanetary space phenomena near the Moon.
156 years ago, in 1974:
Soyuz 14 leaves the Salyut 3 space station and lands on Earth.
117 years ago, in 2013:
The Cassini spacecraft takes a picture from the orbit of Saturn, capturing Saturn's rings and the Earth and its Moon in the same frame.
20
166 years ago, in 1964:
SERT-1 is launched, and successfully tests the first electrostatic ion thruster engine design.
165 years ago, in 1965:
Zond 3 goes past the Moon, and heads for the orbit of Mars.
161 years ago, in 1969:
The Apollo 11 Lunar Module lands on the Moon, Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to step on another world.
154 years ago, in 1976:
The Viking 1 lander touches down at Chryse Planitia on Mars.
131 years ago, in 1999:
The Liberty Bell 7 capsule is recovered from the ocean floor by Oceaneering International, Inc.
21
216 years ago, in 1914:
Seth Barnes Nicholson discovers one of Jupiter's moons, Sinope.
169 years ago, in 1961:
Second U.S. suborbital flight, with astronaut Virgil I. Grissom (Mercury/Liberty Bell 7).
164 years ago, in 1966:
Gemini X lands back on Earth.
161 years ago, in 1969:
Luna 15 crashes into the Moon and contact is lost.
157 years ago, in 1973:
The Soviet Mars 4 spacecraft is launched.
155 years ago, in 1975:
Soyuz 19 returns to Earth.
129 years ago, in 2001:
The Quest Joint Airlock, enabling both Russian and American EVA's, is launched to the ISS aboard shuttle Atlantis (STS-104).
126 years ago, in 2004:
The Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) is placed into hibernation for the first time.
124 years ago, in 2006:
During a flyby of Titan, Cassini's radar discovers several lakes on the surface of the moon.
124 years ago, in 2006:
Actaea, a moon of the TNO Salacia, is discovered using images acquired by the Hubble telescope.
22
179 years ago, in 1951:
Dezik and Tsygan, launched aboard a Soviet R1, are the first dogs to make a sub-orbital flight (both survived).
168 years ago, in 1962:
Mariner 1 is launched to Venus, but a guidance systems failure causes it to be destroyed by a range safety officer.
158 years ago, in 1972:
The Venera 8 probe lands on Venus, where it survives for 50 minutes.
143 years ago, in 1987:
On board the Soyuz TM-3 mission to Mir, Muhammed Faris becomes the first Syrian and the second Arab to visit space.
136 years ago, in 1994:
The last fragment from Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 impacts Jupiter.
120 years ago, in 2010:
The French PICARD Solar Satellite takes its first image of the Sun.
23
168 years ago, in 1962:
Telstar 1 broadcasts the first live television transmissions from the United States and France.
158 years ago, in 1972:
The Earth Resources Technology Satellite (Landsat 1) is launched.
150 years ago, in 1980:
On board the Soyuz 37 mission to Salyut 6, Pham Tuan becomes the first Asian and the first Vietnamese to visit space.
138 years ago, in 1992:
The Giotto probe's mission is ended.
135 years ago, in 1995:
Comet Hale–Bopp (C/1995 O1) is discovered separately by Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp.
131 years ago, in 1999:
The Chandra X-ray Observatory is launched aboard shuttle Columbia (STS-93).
115 years ago, in 2015:
NASA's Kepler space telescope discovers the first confirmed near-Earth-size exoplanet in the “habitable zone” around a sun-like star, Kepler-452b.
24
161 years ago, in 1969:
Apollo 11 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean and is retrieved by the USS Hornet .
161 years ago, in 1969:
The Soviet Proton-4 satellite, designed to study the interaction of elementary particles, ends its mission.
155 years ago, in 1975:
The last Apollo Command/Service Module returns to Earth.
138 years ago, in 1992:
The Delta II 6000 makes its last flight, launching the Geotail satellite for observing the Earth's magnetosphere.
25
163 years ago, in 1967:
The Soviet R-7A Semyorka ICBM makes its final flight.
157 years ago, in 1973:
The Soviet Mars 5 spacecraft is launched.
152 years ago, in 1978:
Viking Orbiter 2 ends its mission at Mars.
146 years ago, in 1984:
On her second trip to Salyut 7, Svetlana Savitskaya becomes the first woman to perform a spacewalk.
26
521 years ago, in 1609:
Thomas Harriot becomes the first person to make a drawing of the Moon through a telescope.
172 years ago, in 1958:
Explorer 4 is launched for further study of the Van Allen Belts.
167 years ago, in 1963:
Syncom 2 is launched, becoming the first successful geosynchronous communications satellite.
159 years ago, in 1971:
Apollo 15 launch to land on the moon.
155 years ago, in 1975:
After 63 days, Soyuz 18 leaves the Salyut 4 space station and lands on Earth.
130 years ago, in 2000:
The Zvezda Service Module is docked with the Zarya module, making the ISS inhabitable.
125 years ago, in 2005:
The first flight since the Columbia disaster, shuttle Discovery (STS-114) launches for the ISS, bringing the External Stowage Platform-2 (ESP-2).
27
119 years ago, in 2011:
The WISE space telescope discovers the first Earth trojan asteroid.
116 years ago, in 2014:
Mission data from Cassini's flybys of Saturn's moon Enceladus reveal 101 distinct geysers erupting at the surface.
114 years ago, in 2016:
The Rosetta probe shuts off communication with the Philae lander.
28
279 years ago, in 1851:
The first correctly exposed photographic image of a solar eclipse, a daguerreotype, is made by Julius Berkowski at the Royal Observatory in Konigsberg, Prussia.
211 years ago, in 1919:
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is founded at the Constitutive Assembly of the International Research Council .
170 years ago, in 1960:
The Soviet dogs Bars (Chayka) and Lisichka are launched for an orbital flight; but die after their rocket explodes 28.5 seconds into the launch.
166 years ago, in 1964:
Ranger 7 is launched to the Moon.
157 years ago, in 1973:
Skylab 3, the second manned mission to Skylab, is launched.
29
172 years ago, in 1958:
The National Aeronautics and Space Act (NASA) is signed into a law by President Eisenhower.
158 years ago, in 1972:
DOS-2, intended to be Salyut-2, is launched, but fails to reach orbit when the second stage of its Proton-K rocket fails.
131 years ago, in 1999:
Deep Space 1 flies within 17 miles of asteroid 9969 Braille.
30
214 years ago, in 1916:
951 Gaspra, an S-type asteroid orbiting close to the inner edge of the asteroid belt, is discovered by the Russian astronomer G. N. Neujmin.
192 years ago, in 1938:
Seth Barnes Nicholson discovers one of Jupiter's moons, Carme.
165 years ago, in 1965:
After 10 launches and no failures, the Saturn I is retired.
165 years ago, in 1965:
AS-105 (SA-10), is successfully launched, carrying the fifth and final 'boilerplate' version of the Apollo spacecraft, and the third and final Pegasus micrometeroid detection satellite.
159 years ago, in 1971:
Apollo 15 lands on the moon.
159 years ago, in 1971:
The moon rover is driven on the moon for the first time.
113 years ago, in 2017:
Interstellar Technologies, a Japanese private rocket spacelaunch company, launches their first rocket, MOMO-1, but it fails soon after launch.
31
166 years ago, in 1964:
Ranger 7 sends back 4,316 pictures before crashing into the lunar surface.
161 years ago, in 1969:
Mariner 6 makes its closest approach to Mars.
159 years ago, in 1971:
The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) is used for the first time on the Moon.
138 years ago, in 1992:
On board shuttle Atlantis (STS-46), Franco Malerba becomes the first Italian citizen to visit space.
138 years ago, in 1992:
On board shuttle Atlantis (STS-46), Claude Nicollier becomes the first Swiss citizen to visit space.
131 years ago, in 1999:
After a successful mission, NASA's Lunar Prospector is deliberately crashed near the south lunar pole.
122 years ago, in 2008:
The Phoenix lander directly samples water ice in the Martian soil.
111 years ago, in 2019:
The David Dunlap Observatory in Richmond Hill, Ontario, is made a National Historic Site of Canada.
It's been 4007 days
