Caroline Herschel discovers her first comet, Comet C/1786 P1 (Herschel).
7 years ago, in 1967:
The Lunar Orbiter 5 probe, the last of the Lunar Orbiter series, is launched.
3 years ago, in 1971:
Apollo 15 mission commander David R. Scott discovers the Genesis Rock.
2
841 years ago, in 1133:
King Henry's Eclipse occurs over England, with totality lasting for over four minutes, and coinciding with the death of King Henry I.
3
2405 years ago, in -431:
The oldest European record of a verifiable solar eclipse (annular) is given by the Greek historian Thucydides.
378 years ago, in 1596:
David Fabricius discovers the first known periodic variable star, Mira, in the constellation of Cetus.
4
5 years ago, in 1969:
Approaching Mars, Mariner 7 takes the first photograph of Mars' moon Phobos from space.
3 years ago, in 1971:
The Apollo 15 Particles and Fields Subsatellite (PFS-1) is launched from the scientific instrument module of the Service Module.
5
7 years ago, in 1967:
Lunar Orbiter 5 goes into a polar orbit around the Moon.
5 years ago, in 1969:
Mariner 7 makes its closest approach to Mars.
3 years ago, in 1971:
Aboard Apollo 15, Al Worden makes the first deep space EVA to retrieve a film and data recording canister from the Service Module.
1 year ago, in 1973:
The Soviet Mars 6 spacecraft is launched.
6
13 years ago, in 1961:
Aboard Vostok 2, Gherman Titov is the second person to orbit the Earth, orbiting 17 times.
12 years ago, in 1962:
The Friendship 7 spacecraft is placed on display at the Century 21 Exhibition in Seattle, Washington.
9 years ago, in 1965:
Zond 2 passes by Mars, though no data is sent due to loss of communication.
7
15 years ago, in 1959:
Explorer 6 is launched to study micrometeorites, cosmic rays, etc; it also takes the first photograph of Earth from orbit.
13 years ago, in 1961:
Vostok 2 lands back on Earth after a day in orbit.
5 years ago, in 1969:
Zond 7, an unmanned version of Soyuz 7K-L1 manned Moon-flyby spacecraft, is launched for a test flight to the Moon.
3 years ago, in 1971:
Apollo 15 splashes down in the North Pacific Ocean and is retrieved by the USS Okinawa.
8
9
5 years ago, in 1969:
The sixth Orbiting Solar Observatory, OSO-6 (OSO-G) is launched successfully.
1 year ago, in 1973:
The Soviet Mars 7 spacecraft is launched.
10
201 years ago, in 1773:
Charles Messier first observes NGC 205, also known in later years as M110.
8 years ago, in 1966:
NASA's Lunar Orbiter 1 is launched to photograph the Moon.
7 years ago, in 1967:
ATS-4 is launched by NASA to investigate the possibilities of a gravity gradient stabilization system, but fails to reach its intended orbit.
11
12 years ago, in 1962:
Vostok 3 is launched into orbit to meet up with Vostok 4; the first time that two manned spacecraft are in orbit together.
11 years ago, in 1963:
Last contact is made with Explorer 14.
5 years ago, in 1969:
The Apollo 11 astronauts are released from their three-week quarantine following their liftoff from the Moon.
5 years ago, in 1969:
Zond 7 flies past the Moon at a distance of 1232 miles (1984 km), and conducts two picture taking sessions of the lunar surface.
12
97 years ago, in 1877:
Asaph Hall, Sr., an American astronomer, discovers the first of Mars' moons, Deimos.
14 years ago, in 1960:
Echo 1A, a metalized balloon passive-communications satellite, is launched.
12 years ago, in 1962:
Vostok 4 is launched into orbit to meet up with Vostok 3.
5 years ago, in 1969:
ATS-5 is launched, but starts to spin in the wrong direction after orbit insertion, thus ending the mission.
13
76 years ago, in 1898:
433 Eros, the first discovered and second-largest near-Earth asteroid, is discovered by the German astronomer Carl Gustav Witt at the Berlin Urania Observatory.
44 years ago, in 1930:
A meteor explodes in an air burst over the Curuca River area in Brazil.
2 years ago, in 1972:
Meteoroid Technology Satellite (MTS, Explorer 46) is successfully launched to measure meteoroid penetration rates and information on meteoroid velocity.
14
177 years ago, in 1797:
Caroline Herschel and Eugene Bouvard independently discover Comet C/1797 P1 (Bouvard-Herschel).
8 years ago, in 1966:
NASA's Lunar Orbiter 1 becomes the first American craft to orbit the Moon.
5 years ago, in 1969:
Zond 7 reenters the Earth's atmosphere and makes a soft landing 50 km south of Kustanai, Kazakhstan.
15
12 years ago, in 1962:
After successful communication with each other and almost 4 days in orbit, Vostok 3 and 4 return home.
16
13 years ago, in 1961:
Explorer 12 is launched to measure the Solar Wind, Cosmic Rays, and interplanetary magnetic fields.
11 years ago, in 1963:
NASA's M2-F1 wingless aircraft prototype made its first glide flight after being towed 12,000 feet into the air by a C-47 Skytrain.
17
41 years ago, in 1933:
Under the leadership of Sergey Korolev, the Group for the Study of Reactive Motion (GIRD) launches the first Soviet liquid-fueled rocket.
16 years ago, in 1958:
Able 1 (Pioneer 0) is the world's first craft intended for launch out of Earth's orbit, but explodes 77 seconds after lift-off.
8 years ago, in 1966:
Pioneer 7 is launched to obtain measurements of interplanetary phenomena.
4 years ago, in 1970:
Venera 7 is launched for Venus.
18
106 years ago, in 1868:
French astronomer Pierre Jules César Janssen discovers an unknown element, now known as helium, in the spectrum of the sun during a total eclipse.
97 years ago, in 1877:
Asaph Hall, Sr., an American astronomer, discovers the second of Mars' moons, Phobos.
8 years ago, in 1966:
Lunar Orbiter 1 begins taking photos of the Moon.
19
16 years ago, in 1958:
Thomas Keith Glennan becomes the first Administrator of NASA.
14 years ago, in 1960:
Korabl-Sputnik 2 (Sputnik 5) is the first to return plants and animals (2 dogs; Belka and Strelka, 2 rats & 40 mice) alive from Earth orbit.
10 years ago, in 1964:
Syncom 3 is launched, becoming the first successful geostationary communication satellite.
20
89 years ago, in 1885:
Ernst Hartwig, at the Dorpat Observatory in Estonia, discovers supernova SN 1885A in Andromeda, the first Type Ia detected outside our galaxy.
10 years ago, in 1964:
The International Satellite Telecommunication Organization (Intelsat) is created in Washington, D.C.
21
17 years ago, in 1957:
A Soviet R-7 Semyorka is launched and flies 6000 km (3700 mi) to become the world's first ICBM.
9 years ago, in 1965:
Gemini V is launched; first week-long flight, completes 120 orbits.
2 years ago, in 1972:
OAO-3 (Copernicus) is launched with an X-ray detector and an 80 cm UV telescope.
22
11 years ago, in 1963:
U.S. Air Force Captain Joe Walker flies an X-15 space plane higher than ever flown before, at an altitude of over 67 miles (108 kilometers).
23
13 years ago, in 1961:
Ranger 1 is launched to be placed in an eliptical orbit around the Moon, but burns up in low orbit four days later.
8 years ago, in 1966:
Lunar Orbiter 1 returns the first ever image of Earth taken from the Moon.
24
16 years ago, in 1958:
Explorer 5 is launched, but fails when the rocket's first stage collides with its second stage after separation.
13 years ago, in 1961:
Last contact is made with Explorer 7.
8 years ago, in 1966:
Luna 11 is launched to the Moon.
25
109 years ago, in 1865:
The Shergotty meteorite, the first example of the shergottite Mars meteorite family, falls to Earth in Shergotty (now Sherghati) in the Gaya district, India.
13 years ago, in 1961:
Explorer 13 is launched to study the effects of micrometeoroids on the spacecraft systems, but enters a lower than planned orbit.
12 years ago, in 1962:
The Sputnik 19 (Venera 2MV-1 No.1) atmospheric probe is launched for Venus, but its escape stage fails.
10 years ago, in 1964:
Explorer 20 is launched to measure electron distribution, ion density and temperature, and to estimate cosmic noise levels.
9 years ago, in 1965:
What was supposed to have been the third Orbiting Solar Observatory, OSO-3 (OSO-C) is launched, but fails to reach orbit when the Delta rocket exploded shortly after the second stage burn.
8 years ago, in 1966:
AS-202 is successfully launched; the second flight of the Apollo spacecraft and the third test of the Saturn IB launch vehicle.
26
7 years ago, in 1967:
NASA's Crawler Transporter One is used for the first time for transport, bringing the Saturn V to the launchpad for Apollo 4.
This year:
Soyuz 15 is launched, but is unable to dock to the Salyut 3 space station because of a faulty automated docking system.
27
201 years ago, in 1773:
Caroline Herschel independently discovers NGC 205, also known in later years as M110.
12 years ago, in 1962:
Mariner 2 is launched to Venus.
8 years ago, in 1966:
Luna 11 goes into orbit around the Moon, though its TV transmitter fails.
5 years ago, in 1969:
Pioneer E is launched, but is destroyed by range safety after hydraulics in the first stage fail.
28
185 years ago, in 1789:
William Herschel discovers a moon of Saturn, Enceladus.
13 years ago, in 1961:
After just over two days in orbit, Explorer 13 reenters the Earth's atmosphere and burns up.
10 years ago, in 1964:
The Soviet Vostok-2M carrier rocket is launched on its maiden flight, placing Kosmos 44, a Meteor weather satellite, into orbit.
This year:
Soyuz 15 leaves the Salyut 3 space station and lands on Earth.
29
9 years ago, in 1965:
Gemini V lands back on Earth.
30
8 years ago, in 1966:
Lunar Orbiter 1 returns its last picture of the Moon.
This year:
The first Dutch satellite, ANS (Astronomical Netherlands Satellite), a space-based X-ray and ultraviolet telescope, is successfully launched.
31
42 years ago, in 1932:
G. G. Cillié of the United Kingdom and Donald H. Menzel of the United States use eclipse spectra to show that the Sun's corona has a higher temperature than the photosphere.
24 years ago, in 1950:
The first mouse is sent into space aboard a U.S. launched V-2, but dies when the rocket disintegrates due to parachute failure.
12 years ago, in 1962:
President Kennedy signs the Communications Satellite Act of 1962, which gives the framework for private companies in the United States to own and operate their own satellites.
9 years ago, in 1965:
NASA's Super Guppy cargo plane makes its first test flight.
It's been 3959 days
