Comet D/1770 L1 (Lexell's Comet), passes 0.015AU's from Earth (1.4 million miles, 2.3 million km's).
319 years ago, in 1819:
Johann Georg Tralles in Germany discovers Comet Tralles (C/1819 N1, Great Comet of 1819).
178 years ago, in 1960:
The NASA Launch Operations Center (LOC) at Cape Canaveral is established.
178 years ago, in 1960:
NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) comes into being.
177 years ago, in 1961:
Explorer 6 burns up in the atmosphere.
176 years ago, in 1962:
NASA establishes the Launch Operations Center, later renamed to Kennedy Space Center.
145 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).
125 years ago, in 2013:
The Jason-1 Earth satellite is decommissioned after its last transmitter fails.
122 years ago, in 2016:
The Dawn probe begins its extended science mission at Ceres.
2
179 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.
171 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).
153 years ago, in 1985:
The Giotto probe is launched by ESA to study Halley's Comet.
124 years ago, in 2014:
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2) satellite, designed to study atmospheric carbon dioxide, is successfully launced.
3
169 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.
164 years ago, in 1974:
Soyuz 14 is launched, the only successful spaceflight to the Salyut 3 space station.
146 years ago, in 1992:
The Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX), the first spacecraft in NASA's Small Explorer program, is launched.
143 years ago, in 1995:
The Japanese probe Sakigake makes its fourth and last Earth swingby.
133 years ago, in 2005:
Deep Impact releases an impactor aimed at Comet Tempel 1.
131 years ago, in 2007:
Stardust is given an extended mission, NExT, to re-visit Comet Tempel 1 (first visit was Deep Impact).
4
1084 years ago, in 1054:
Chinese astronomers make the first recorded observation of supernova SN 1054; its remnants are the Crab Nebula.
170 years ago, in 1968:
NASA launches Radio Astronomy Explorer A from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
156 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.
141 years ago, in 1997:
Mars Pathfinder/Sojourner lands at Ares Vallis flood plain on Mars.
140 years ago, in 1998:
Japan launches the Nozomi probe to Mars.
133 years ago, in 2005:
Deep Impact's impactor reaches the surface of Comet Tempel 1.
132 years ago, in 2006:
STS-121 with shuttle Discovery becomes the first and only Independence Day launch.
5
451 years ago, in 1687:
Isaac Newton's Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy) is first published.
172 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.
122 years ago, in 2016:
The Juno probe arrives at Jupiter and enters polar orbit.
6
200 years ago, in 1938:
Seth Barnes Nicholson discovers one of Jupiter's moons, Lysithea.
172 years ago, in 1966:
The Soviet Proton rocket makes its last flight.
172 years ago, in 1966:
The Soviet Proton-3 satellite is launched for the study of high and ultra-high energy particles.
162 years ago, in 1976:
Soyuz 21 is launched to the Salyut 5 space station.
7
150 years ago, in 1988:
The Soviet Union launches Phobos 1 to Mars.
135 years ago, in 2003:
The Delta II 7000H makes its maiden flight, launching the Mars Rover "Opportunity".
8
296 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.
162 years ago, in 1976:
Palapa A1 is launched, becoming the first Indonesian communications satellite.
159 years ago, in 1979:
Adrastea, an inner moon of Jupiter, is the first moon discovered by images from a spacecraft, Voyager 2.
144 years ago, in 1994:
Aboard the shuttle Columbia (STS-65), Chiaki Mukai becomes the first Japanese woman to go to space.
127 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
176 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.
159 years ago, in 1979:
Voyager 2 flies by Jupiter.
10
176 years ago, in 1962:
Telstar 1 is launched, becoming the first privately sponsored space launch (AT&T).
175 years ago, in 1963:
Last contact is made with Explorer 17.
146 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.
133 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.
128 years ago, in 2010:
The Rosetta probe flies by asteroid Lutetia.
11
159 years ago, in 1979:
Skylab burns up in the Earth's atmosphere.
148 years ago, in 1990:
Gamma, a Soviet/French gamma ray telescope, is launced, but the telescope fails soon after launch.
147 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.
142 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
150 years ago, in 1988:
The Soviet Union launches Phobos 2 to Mars.
138 years ago, in 2000:
The Zvezda Service Module is launched to the ISS aboard a Russian Proton-K rocket.
132 years ago, in 2006:
Genesis I, an experimental space habitat built by Bigelow Aerospace, is successfully launched from Dombarovsky Air Base, Russia.
13
169 years ago, in 1969:
Luna 15 is launched to the Moon; the second Soviet attempt to bring back soil from the surface.
143 years ago, in 1995:
The Galileo spacecraft releases its atmospheric entry probe to study Jupiters atmosphere.
133 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.
119 years ago, in 2019:
Spektr-RG, a Russian–German high-energy astrophysics space observatory, is launched.
14
171 years ago, in 1967:
Surveyor 4 is launched for the Moon.
126 years ago, in 2012:
The Kepler space telescope's first reaction wheel fails.
123 years ago, in 2015:
New Horizons becomes the first spacecraft to visit Pluto.
15
173 years ago, in 1965:
Mariner 4 makes its closest approach to Mars, taking the first photos of another planet from space.
166 years ago, in 1972:
Pioneer 10 becomes the first probe to enter the asteroid belt.
163 years ago, in 1975:
The last Apollo Command/Service Module is launched for the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (ASTP).
163 years ago, in 1975:
Soyuz 19 is launched for the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (ASTP).
129 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).
129 years ago, in 2009:
Julie Payette, aboard the shuttle Endeavour, is the first Canadian woman to return to space.
16
180 years ago, in 1958:
Congress passes the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958.
174 years ago, in 1964:
Zond 1 passes by Venus, though no data is sent due to a faulty transmitter.
173 years ago, in 1965:
The Soviet Proton rocket makes its first flight.
173 years ago, in 1965:
The Soviet Proton-1 satellite is launched for the study of high and ultra-high energy particles.
169 years ago, in 1969:
Apollo 11 is launched to land humans on the Moon.
156 years ago, in 1982:
Landsat 4 is launched.
148 years ago, in 1990:
Pakistan's first indigenously developed and manufactured satellite, Badr-1, is successfully launched.
148 years ago, in 1990:
A shepherd moon of Saturn, Pan, is discovered using data from Voyager 2 images.
144 years ago, in 1994:
The first fragment from Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 impacts Jupiter.
17
874 years ago, in 1264:
Japanese observers are the first to view the Great Comet of 1264 (C/1264 N1).
1804 years ago, in 334:
Julius Firmicus Maternus of the Roman Empire makes the first recorded observation of solar prominences during an annular eclipse
171 years ago, in 1967:
Last contact is made with NASA's Lunar Orbiter 4.
171 years ago, in 1967:
Contact is lost with Surveyor 4 just 2.5 minutes before crashing on the Moon.
169 years ago, in 1969:
Luna 15 goes into orbit around the Moon.
163 years ago, in 1975:
First USA/USSR docking of an Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft.
154 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.
153 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.
131 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.
129 years ago, in 2009:
After the shuttle Endeavour (STS-127) docks with the ISS, the station has a record thirteen people on board.
127 years ago, in 2011:
The Dawn probe goes into orbit around the asteroid Vesta.
125 years ago, in 2013:
The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) sees first light.
18
173 years ago, in 1965:
Zond 3 is launched and sent towards the orbit of Mars as a spacecraft test, passing the Moon first.
172 years ago, in 1966:
Gemini X is launched; completes rendezvous with Agena Target Vehicle from Gemini VIII, and 43 orbits.
127 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.
125 years ago, in 2013:
Cassini takes a picture of Earth from Saturn.
19
1720 years ago, in 418:
The historian Philostorgius in Asia Minor makes the first report of a comet discovered during a solar eclipse.
171 years ago, in 1967:
Explorer 35 is launched to study interplanetary space phenomena near the Moon.
164 years ago, in 1974:
Soyuz 14 leaves the Salyut 3 space station and lands on Earth.
125 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
174 years ago, in 1964:
SERT-1 is launched, and successfully tests the first electrostatic ion thruster engine design.
173 years ago, in 1965:
Zond 3 goes past the Moon, and heads for the orbit of Mars.
169 years ago, in 1969:
The Apollo 11 Lunar Module lands on the Moon, Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to step on another world.
162 years ago, in 1976:
The Viking 1 lander touches down at Chryse Planitia on Mars.
139 years ago, in 1999:
The Liberty Bell 7 capsule is recovered from the ocean floor by Oceaneering International, Inc.
21
224 years ago, in 1914:
Seth Barnes Nicholson discovers one of Jupiter's moons, Sinope.
177 years ago, in 1961:
Second U.S. suborbital flight, with astronaut Virgil I. Grissom (Mercury/Liberty Bell 7).
172 years ago, in 1966:
Gemini X lands back on Earth.
169 years ago, in 1969:
Luna 15 crashes into the Moon and contact is lost.
165 years ago, in 1973:
The Soviet Mars 4 spacecraft is launched.
163 years ago, in 1975:
Soyuz 19 returns to Earth.
137 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).
134 years ago, in 2004:
The Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) is placed into hibernation for the first time.
132 years ago, in 2006:
During a flyby of Titan, Cassini's radar discovers several lakes on the surface of the moon.
132 years ago, in 2006:
Actaea, a moon of the TNO Salacia, is discovered using images acquired by the Hubble telescope.
22
187 years ago, in 1951:
Dezik and Tsygan, launched aboard a Soviet R1, are the first dogs to make a sub-orbital flight (both survived).
176 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.
166 years ago, in 1972:
The Venera 8 probe lands on Venus, where it survives for 50 minutes.
151 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.
144 years ago, in 1994:
The last fragment from Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 impacts Jupiter.
128 years ago, in 2010:
The French PICARD Solar Satellite takes its first image of the Sun.
23
176 years ago, in 1962:
Telstar 1 broadcasts the first live television transmissions from the United States and France.
166 years ago, in 1972:
The Earth Resources Technology Satellite (Landsat 1) is launched.
158 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.
146 years ago, in 1992:
The Giotto probe's mission is ended.
143 years ago, in 1995:
Comet Hale–Bopp (C/1995 O1) is discovered separately by Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp.
139 years ago, in 1999:
The Chandra X-ray Observatory is launched aboard shuttle Columbia (STS-93).
123 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
169 years ago, in 1969:
Apollo 11 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean and is retrieved by the USS Hornet .
169 years ago, in 1969:
The Soviet Proton-4 satellite, designed to study the interaction of elementary particles, ends its mission.
163 years ago, in 1975:
The last Apollo Command/Service Module returns to Earth.
146 years ago, in 1992:
The Delta II 6000 makes its last flight, launching the Geotail satellite for observing the Earth's magnetosphere.
25
171 years ago, in 1967:
The Soviet R-7A Semyorka ICBM makes its final flight.
165 years ago, in 1973:
The Soviet Mars 5 spacecraft is launched.
160 years ago, in 1978:
Viking Orbiter 2 ends its mission at Mars.
154 years ago, in 1984:
On her second trip to Salyut 7, Svetlana Savitskaya becomes the first woman to perform a spacewalk.
26
529 years ago, in 1609:
Thomas Harriot becomes the first person to make a drawing of the Moon through a telescope.
180 years ago, in 1958:
Explorer 4 is launched for further study of the Van Allen Belts.
175 years ago, in 1963:
Syncom 2 is launched, becoming the first successful geosynchronous communications satellite.
167 years ago, in 1971:
Apollo 15 launch to land on the moon.
163 years ago, in 1975:
After 63 days, Soyuz 18 leaves the Salyut 4 space station and lands on Earth.
138 years ago, in 2000:
The Zvezda Service Module is docked with the Zarya module, making the ISS inhabitable.
133 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
127 years ago, in 2011:
The WISE space telescope discovers the first Earth trojan asteroid.
124 years ago, in 2014:
Mission data from Cassini's flybys of Saturn's moon Enceladus reveal 101 distinct geysers erupting at the surface.
122 years ago, in 2016:
The Rosetta probe shuts off communication with the Philae lander.
28
287 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.
219 years ago, in 1919:
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is founded at the Constitutive Assembly of the International Research Council .
178 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.
174 years ago, in 1964:
Ranger 7 is launched to the Moon.
165 years ago, in 1973:
Skylab 3, the second manned mission to Skylab, is launched.
29
180 years ago, in 1958:
The National Aeronautics and Space Act (NASA) is signed into a law by President Eisenhower.
166 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.
139 years ago, in 1999:
Deep Space 1 flies within 17 miles of asteroid 9969 Braille.
30
222 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.
200 years ago, in 1938:
Seth Barnes Nicholson discovers one of Jupiter's moons, Carme.
173 years ago, in 1965:
After 10 launches and no failures, the Saturn I is retired.
173 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.
167 years ago, in 1971:
Apollo 15 lands on the moon.
167 years ago, in 1971:
The moon rover is driven on the moon for the first time.
121 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
174 years ago, in 1964:
Ranger 7 sends back 4,316 pictures before crashing into the lunar surface.
169 years ago, in 1969:
Mariner 6 makes its closest approach to Mars.
167 years ago, in 1971:
The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) is used for the first time on the Moon.
146 years ago, in 1992:
On board shuttle Atlantis (STS-46), Franco Malerba becomes the first Italian citizen to visit space.
146 years ago, in 1992:
On board shuttle Atlantis (STS-46), Claude Nicollier becomes the first Swiss citizen to visit space.
139 years ago, in 1999:
After a successful mission, NASA's Lunar Prospector is deliberately crashed near the south lunar pole.
130 years ago, in 2008:
The Phoenix lander directly samples water ice in the Martian soil.
119 years ago, in 2019:
The David Dunlap Observatory in Richmond Hill, Ontario, is made a National Historic Site of Canada.
It's been 4012 days
