Karl Ludwig Harding of Germany discovers the asteroid Juno.
273 years ago, in 1859:
First day of the Carrington Event; one of the most powerful geomagnetic solar storms on record.
170 years ago, in 1962:
The Sputnik 20 (Venera 2MV-1 No.2) atmospheric probe is launched for Venus, but its escape stage fails.
153 years ago, in 1979:
Pioneer 11 makes its closest approach to Saturn, at a distance of 12,800 miles (20,591 km) from the cloud tops.
127 years ago, in 2005:
The Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) is placed into hibernation for the second time.
116 years ago, in 2016:
Amos-6, an Israeli Earth communications satellite, is destroyed during the run-up to a static fire test on a SpaceX Falcon 9 at Launch Complex 40.
2
273 years ago, in 1859:
Second day of the Carrington Event; one of the most powerful geomagnetic solar storms on record.
162 years ago, in 1970:
Apollo 18 and 19 are cancelled due to budget cuts.
161 years ago, in 1971:
Luna 18 (USSR) is launched to the Moon; the seventh Soviet attempt to bring back soil from the surface.
157 years ago, in 1975:
Luna 22's (USSR) propellent is exhausted, ending its lunar orbit mission after 15 months.
144 years ago, in 1988:
The Phobos 1 probe has a computer malfunction en route to Mars, thus ending the mission.
117 years ago, in 2015:
On board the Soyuz TMA-18M mission to the ISS, Aidyn Aimbetov becomes the first Kazakh to visit space.
117 years ago, in 2015:
On board the Soyuz TMA-18M mission to the ISS, Andreas Mogensen becomes the first Dane to visit space.
3
174 years ago, in 1958:
Explorer 4's low-power transmitter fails.
156 years ago, in 1976:
The Viking 2 lander touches down at Utopia Planitia on Mars.
137 years ago, in 1995:
After 72 launches and a success rate of 100%, the Soyuz-U2 orbital carrier rocket makes its last flight.
130 years ago, in 2002:
J002E3, tentatively identified as being the S-IVB third stage of the Apollo 12 Saturn V rocket, is discovered by amateur astronomer Bill Yeung.
126 years ago, in 2006:
After a successful three year mission, SMART-1 (Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology-1) impacts the Moon as planned.
4
450 years ago, in 1682:
English astronomer Edmond Halley first observes the comet that will be named after him.
170 years ago, in 1962:
Mariner 2 performs the first rocket maneuver in deep space on its way to Venus.
168 years ago, in 1964:
NASA launches its first Orbital Geophysical Observatory (OGO-1).
131 years ago, in 2001:
NASA announces that they will extend the Chandra X-ray Observatory's current five year mission to ten years.
5
170 years ago, in 1962:
The descent module of Korabl-Sputnik 1 (Sputnik 4) re-enters Earths atmosphere.
155 years ago, in 1977:
Voyager 1 is launched.
124 years ago, in 2008:
The Rosetta probe flies by asteroid Steins.
120 years ago, in 2012:
The Dawn probe leaves the orbit of the asteroid Vesta.
6
185 years ago, in 1947:
The U.S. Navy launches a German V-2 rocket at sea from the aircraft carrier USS Midway, where it splashes down 10 km (6 miles) away.
166 years ago, in 1966:
Star Trek premieres on CTV in Canada.
7
161 years ago, in 1971:
Luna 18 (USSR) goes into orbit around the Moon.
149 years ago, in 1983:
Landsat 3 is decommissioned.
144 years ago, in 1988:
A software problem, combined with a sensor problem, causes the Soyuz TM-5 to spend an extra day in orbit after undocking with Mir.
119 years ago, in 2013:
Comet C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) is discovered by Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy.
119 years ago, in 2013:
The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) is launched on the maiden flight of the Minotaur V.
8
348 years ago, in 1784:
William Herschel discovers NGC 16, a lenticular galaxy located in the Pegasus constellation.
166 years ago, in 1966:
Star Trek premieres on NBC in America.
165 years ago, in 1967:
Surveyor 5 is launched for the Moon.
132 years ago, in 2000:
Blue Origin, a privately funded aerospace company, is founded by Jeff Bezos.
128 years ago, in 2004:
The Genesis spacecraft releases its solar wind sample return capsule, which lands on Earth.
116 years ago, in 2016:
OSIRIS-Rex, a NASA asteroid study and sample return mission, is launched to asteroid 101955 Bennu.
9
240 years ago, in 1892:
Edward Barnard discovers the fifth moon of Jupiter, Amalthea, using the Lick 36-inch refractor.
157 years ago, in 1975:
Viking 2 is launched to Mars.
154 years ago, in 1978:
The Venera 11 probe is launched for Venus.
150 years ago, in 1982:
Conestoga I is launched by Space Services Inc. to an altitude of 192 miles (309 km), becoming the first privately owned and operated rocket to reach space.
126 years ago, in 2006:
The shuttle Atlantis (STS-115) is launched with the second port-side truss segment (P3/P4) and a pair of solar arrays (2A/4A) for the ISS.
125 years ago, in 2007:
The Cassini probe makes a flyby of one of Saturn's moons, Iapetus, and discovers one hemisphere is black and the other white.
10
348 years ago, in 1784:
William Herschel discovers NGC 23, a spiral galaxy in the Pegasus constellation.
274 years ago, in 1858:
George Mary Searle, an American astronomer and Catholic priest, discovers asteroid 55 Pandora.
127 years ago, in 2005:
At the Keck Observatory, Mike Brown and his team discover Dysnomia, a moon of the dwarf planet Eris.
121 years ago, in 2011:
The Delta II 7000H makes its last flight, launching the twin GRAIL probes to create a detailed gravity map of the Moon.
11
165 years ago, in 1967:
Surveyor 5 lands, and is the first craft to do a soil analysis on the Moon, or any other world beyond Earth.
161 years ago, in 1971:
Luna 18 (USSR) crashes into the Moon and contact is lost.
147 years ago, in 1985:
International Cometary Explorer (ICE, formerly ISEE-3) is the first craft to traverse the plasma tail of a comet (Giacobini-Zinner).
135 years ago, in 1997:
Mars Global Surveyor reaches Mars and goes into orbit.
133 years ago, in 1999:
101955 Bennu, an Apollo group asteroid, is discovered by the LINEAR Project.
123 years ago, in 2009:
Discovery (STS-128) makes the last shuttle landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
12
173 years ago, in 1959:
Luna 2 is launched to the Moon.
170 years ago, in 1962:
The Sputnik 21 (Venera 2MV-2 No.1) probe is launched for Venus, but its third stage explodes.
166 years ago, in 1966:
Gemini XI is launched; reaches record altitude of 739 miles, completes 44 orbits.
162 years ago, in 1970:
Luna 16 (USSR) is launched to the Moon; the third Soviet attempt to bring back soil from the surface.
140 years ago, in 1992:
Aboard shuttle Endeavour (STS-47), Mae Jemison becomes the first African-American woman to fly in space.
140 years ago, in 1992:
Jan Davis and Mark Lee are the first married couple in space together, launching aboard the shuttle Endeavour (STS-47).
127 years ago, in 2005:
The Yohkoh (Solar-A) Solar Observatory burns up during reentry over South Asia.
13
155 years ago, in 1977:
The shuttle Enterprise makes its second Approach and Landing Test (ALT-13) after being releasd from the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
141 years ago, in 1991:
The Yohkoh (Solar-A) Solar Observatory takes its first picture of the Sun.
125 years ago, in 2007:
Japan launches its second lunar orbiter, SELENE (Kaguya).
125 years ago, in 2007:
The Google Lunar XPRIZE is announced during NextFest.
14
173 years ago, in 1959:
Luna 2 is the first craft to impact into the Moon.
161 years ago, in 1971:
Controllers have the last communication with the Lunokhod 1 moon rover.
158 years ago, in 1974:
Charles Kowal discovers one of Jupiter's moons, Leda.
154 years ago, in 1978:
The Venera 12 probe is launched for Venus.
131 years ago, in 2001:
Pirs, a Russian docking and airlock module for the ISS, is launched aboard a Soyuz-U/Progress M-SO1.
119 years ago, in 2013:
Japan launches Hisaki (SPRINT-A), an ultraviolet astronomy satellite, aboard the maiden flight of a four-stage Epsilon rocket.
117 years ago, in 2015:
The first observation of gravitational waves are made by the twin Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors.
15
166 years ago, in 1966:
Gemini XI lands back on Earth.
164 years ago, in 1968:
Zond 5 is launched to circle the Moon and return to Earth; on board are 2 tortoises, flies, worms, plants, and other life.
142 years ago, in 1990:
The Magellan spacecraft begins its primary mission at Venus; mapping the surface with radar.
121 years ago, in 2011:
The Cassini probe captures five of Saturn's moons in one picture: Janus, Pandora, Enceladus, Mimas and Rhea.
121 years ago, in 2011:
The Kepler space telescope discovers the first planet around a double-star system, Kepler-16b.
116 years ago, in 2016:
China launches the Tiangong-2 space laboratory as a test platform for the planned large modular space station.
115 years ago, in 2017:
Cassini ends its mission at Saturn by diving into the planets atmosphere.
114 years ago, in 2018:
ICESat-2 is launched on the last flight of the Delta II, also marking the 100th successful launch of the Delta II in a row.
16
284 years ago, in 1848:
William Bond, his son George, and William Lassell co-discover one of Saturn's moons, Hyperion.
183 years ago, in 1949:
Aboard a US-launched V-2, Albert III, a long-tailed macaque, dies when the rocket explodes ten seconds after launch.
136 years ago, in 1996:
Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-79) is the first shuttle mission to dock at the fully assembled Mir Space Station.
17
343 years ago, in 1789:
William Herschel discovers a moon of Saturn, Mimas.
162 years ago, in 1970:
Luna 16 (USSR) goes into orbit around the Moon.
156 years ago, in 1976:
The shuttle Enterprise is rolled out for a dedication ceremony with most of the original Star Trek cast on hand.
18
346 years ago, in 1786:
William Herschel discovers NGC 14, an irregular galaxy in the Pegasus constellation.
168 years ago, in 1964:
AS-102 (SA-7), is successfully launched, carrying the second 'boilerplate' version of the Apollo spacecraft.
167 years ago, in 1965:
Comet Ikeya–Seki (C/1965 S1, Great Comet of 1965) is discovered independently by Kaoru Ikeya and Tsutomu Seki.
164 years ago, in 1968:
Zond 5 circles the Moon and heads back to Earth.
155 years ago, in 1977:
Voyager 1 returns the first spacecraft photo of Earth and the Moon.
152 years ago, in 1980:
On board the Soyuz 38 mission to Salyut 6, Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez becomes the first Cuban, the first person of African heritage, and the first Latin American to visit space.
126 years ago, in 2006:
Supernova SN 2006gy is discovered in the galaxy NGC 1260.
126 years ago, in 2006:
On board the Soyuz TMA-9 mission to the ISS, Anousheh Ansari becomes the first Iranian and the first female space tourist to visit space.
126 years ago, in 2006:
The Large Binocular Telescope's (LBT) secondary mirror sees first light.
119 years ago, in 2013:
Orbital Sciences' Cygnus resupply ship demonstration mission is successfully launched to the ISS.
19
164 years ago, in 1968:
The first of the Intelsat III series of satellites, Intelsat III-1, is launched, but is destroyed by range safety after a gyroscope failure.
144 years ago, in 1988:
The first Israli satellite, Ofeq (Ofek) 1, is successfully launched.
117 years ago, in 2015:
The Long March 6 makes a successful maiden flight.
20
166 years ago, in 1966:
Surveyor 2 is launched for the Moon.
162 years ago, in 1970:
Luna 16 (USSR) lands on the Moon's surface and successfully collects a soil sample.
153 years ago, in 1979:
HEAO-3 (High Energy Astronomy Observatory 3) is lauched, carrying a high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometer and two cosmic-ray instruments.
21
162 years ago, in 1970:
Luna 16 's upper stage lifts off from the Moon, and heads to Earth with its soil sample.
158 years ago, in 1974:
Mariner 10 makes its second Mercury flyby.
129 years ago, in 2003:
The Galileo spacecraft ends its mission and is sent into Jupiter, where it is crushed by atmospheric pressure.
120 years ago, in 2012:
The retired shuttle Endeavour is flown atop a 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft to Los Angeles International Airport.
120 years ago, in 2012:
Comet ISON (C/2012 S1) is discovered by Vitaly Nevsky and Artyom Novichonok using the 0.4-meter reflector of the International Scientific Optical Network near Kislovodsk, Russia.
114 years ago, in 2018:
Hayabusa2 deploys two rovers, MINERVA-II1's 1a & 1b, to the surface of asteroid Ryugu.
22
164 years ago, in 1968:
The Zond 5 reentry capsule lands on Earth; becoming the first spacecraft to circle the Moon and return to Earth, and all its cargo survives.
131 years ago, in 2001:
Deep Space 1 flies by Comet Borrelly.
128 years ago, in 2004:
Salacia, a trans-Neptunian object, is discovered by Henry Roe, Michael Brown and Kristina Barkume.
126 years ago, in 2006:
Japan launches Hinode (Solar-B), a Solar Observatory spacecraft.
118 years ago, in 2014:
The MAVEN probe goes into orbit around Mars.
114 years ago, in 2018:
JAXA confirms that Hayabusa2's two rovers, MINERVA-II1's 1a & 1b, landed successfully and are operational on asteriod Ryugu.
23
286 years ago, in 1846:
Johann Galle discovers the planet Neptune, based on calculations by Urbain Le Verrier.
174 years ago, in 1958:
Intended for a lunar impact, the Soviets launch Luna E-1 No.1 (Luna 1958A), but the rocket disintegrates 92 seconds after launch.
166 years ago, in 1966:
Surveyor 2 loses control due to a malfunctioning thruster and crashes into the Moon.
155 years ago, in 1977:
The shuttle Enterprise makes its third Approach and Landing Test (ALT-14) after being releasd from the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
123 years ago, in 2009:
The first Swiss satellite, SwissCube-1, is successfully launched.
24
162 years ago, in 1970:
Luna 16 successfully returns the capsule with the lunar soil sample to Earth.
124 years ago, in 2008:
The ESO (European Southern Observatory) announces the first optically active magnetar-candidate yet discovered, SWIFT J195509+261406, using the ESO's Very Large Telescope.
118 years ago, in 2014:
Using the data from three of NASA's space telescopes; Hubble, Spitzer and Kepler, astronomers discover clear skies and steamy water vapor on exoplanet HAT-P-11b.
118 years ago, in 2014:
India's Mars Orbiter Mission, Mangalyaan, is successfully inserted into orbit around Mars.
25
172 years ago, in 1960:
Pioneer P-30 (Atlas-Able 5A, Pioneer Y) is launched for a lunar orbit, but the mission fails due to a second stage malfunction.
159 years ago, in 1973:
After 59 and a half days in orbit, the crew of Skylab 3 return to Earth.
140 years ago, in 1992:
The Mars Observer is launched from Cape Canaveral.
117 years ago, in 2015:
The Long March 11 makes a successful maiden flight.
116 years ago, in 2016:
The first test firing on a ground test stand for the SpaceX Raptor engine for the BFR takes place.
26
139 years ago, in 1993:
The first Portuguese satellite, PoSAT-1, is successfully launched.
134 years ago, in 1998:
25143 Itokawa, classified as near-Earth object and a potentially hazardous asteroid, is discovered by the LINEAR project.
132 years ago, in 2000:
TiungSAT-1, the first Malaysian microsatellite, is successfully launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.
125 years ago, in 2007:
Deep Impact's orbit is adjusted toward Comet Hartley 2.
27
165 years ago, in 1967:
Soyuz 7K-L1 No.4L (Zond 1967A) is launched to perform a circumlunar flyby, but fails to achieve Earth orbit.
159 years ago, in 1973:
Soyuz 12, a manned test flight of the newly redesigned 2-person Soyuz 7K-T (in wake of the Soyuz 11 tragedy), is launched.
135 years ago, in 1997:
Mars Pathfinder/Sojourner sends its last data transmission.
129 years ago, in 2003:
SMART-1 (Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology-1), is launched by the ESA to orbit the Moon.
125 years ago, in 2007:
NASA's solar powered ion engined Dawn spacecraft is launched to the asteroids Vesta and Ceres.
124 years ago, in 2008:
China becomes the third country to independently carry out an EVA during the Shenzhou 7 mission by Chinese astronaut Zhai Zhigang.
122 years ago, in 2010:
Cassini begins the Solstice Mission extension.
28
181 years ago, in 1951:
Seth Barnes Nicholson discovers on of Jupiter's moons, Ananke.
170 years ago, in 1962:
Alouette I makes Canada the third nation to build and the fourth nation to launch a satellite (and still orbiting).
163 years ago, in 1969:
The Murchison meteorite, a carbonaceous chondrite, falls to Earth near the town of Murchison, Victoria, in Australia.
161 years ago, in 1971:
Luna 19 (USSR) is launched to the Moon.
124 years ago, in 2008:
SpaceX's fifth launch of Falcon 1 becomes the first privately developed liquid fueled rocket to reach Earth orbit.
117 years ago, in 2015:
India launches their first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory, Astrosat.
29
248 years ago, in 1884:
243 Ida, a minor planet in the inner asteroid belt, is discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa at the Vienna Observatory.
161 years ago, in 1971:
The seventh Orbiting Solar Observatory, OSO-7 (OSO-H) is launched successfully to investigate the Sun in the UV spectrum.
159 years ago, in 1973:
Soyuz 12 lands on Earth after a successful mission.
155 years ago, in 1977:
The Salyut 6 space station is launched.
144 years ago, in 1988:
The shuttle Discovery (STS-26R) lifts off, the first shuttle flight since the Challenger disaster.
128 years ago, in 2004:
Asteroid 4179 Toutatis passes within 932,000 miles (1.5 million km) of Earth.
128 years ago, in 2004:
The Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne makes its first flight for the Ansari X PRIZE.
123 years ago, in 2009:
Messenger makes its third Mercury flyby.
121 years ago, in 2011:
China launches its first prototype space station, Tiangong-1, with a Long March 2F/G rocket.
119 years ago, in 2013:
Orbital Sciences' Cygnus resupply ship demonstration mission is docked with the ISS.
119 years ago, in 2013:
SpaceX's Falcon 9 v1.1 launches from Vandenberg AFB on its maiden flight, successfully releasing the Canadian satellite CASSIOPE.
119 years ago, in 2013:
2013 SY99, a trans-Neptunian object, is discovered by the Outer Solar System Origins Survey using the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope at Mauna Kea Observatory.
30
252 years ago, in 1880:
Using an 11 inch Clark Brothers photographic refractor, Henry Draper is the first person to photograph the Orion Nebula.
137 years ago, in 1995:
NASA terminates routine contact with Pioneer 11.
122 years ago, in 2010:
The Russian (previously Soviet) Molniya-M carrier rocket makes its final flight.
116 years ago, in 2016:
The Rosetta probe ends its mission by landing on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
It's been 4009 days
