Space History

This Week In Space History

      Monday April 23rd:

            1962 Ranger-4 control system fails. Crash far-side. First US hit on Moon.

            1967 Launch of Soyuz 1 (125 x 139 nm, 51.7 degrees, 18 orbits),
Komarov was killed when parachutes fouled after electrical malfunctions had made attitude contol impossible.

            1971 Soyuz-10 Launch. Shatalov, Yeliseyev, Rukavishnikov.
Failed manual docking with Salyut-1 due to insufficient instrumentation to provide angle and range rate data.

      Tuesday April 24th:

            1970 China-1 Launch. First Chinese satellite.

            1990 Launch of STS-31 - Shriver, Bolden, Hawley, McCandless, Sullivan.
Deployed Hubble Space Telescope.

            2005 Return of ISS Expedition 10 crew after 192 days, aboard Soyuz TMA-5
Chiao and Sharipov, with Vittori (ESA).

      Wednesday April 25th:

            1971 Soyuz-10 Lands. Rukavishnikov became unconcious due to toxic fumes during descent.

            2002 Soyuz TM-34 Launch. Gidzenko, Vittori (ESA), Shuttleworth (tourist) to ISS.

            2007 Launch of NASA's AIM (Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere) satellite on a Pegasus XL.

      Thursday April 26th:

            1993 Launch of STS-55 - Nagel, Henricks, Ross, Precourt, Harris, Walter, Schlegel (2 German PS's).
Spacelab D-2.

            1996 Priroda laboratory module docking; completion of Mir.

            2003 Soyuz TMA-2 Launch. Malenchenko and Lu to ISS (Expedition 7). First 2-person ISS crew.

      Friday April 27th:

            1972 Apollo-16 Splashdown after 11 days.

            1989 Soyuz TM-7 lands. Volkov (151 days), Krikalev (151 days).

            2012 Return of Shkaplerov, Ivanishin, and Burbank aboard Soyuz TMA-22 after 166 days.

      Saturday April 28th:

            1983 GOES-6 Launch. (Geostationary Operational Environmental Sat)

            1991 Launch of STS-39 - Coats, Hammond, Bluford, Veach, Hieb, McMonagle, Harbaugh.
Unclassified SDI paylaod.

            2001 Soyuz TM-32 Launch. Musabayev, Baturin, Tito (tourist) to ISS.

            2003 Launch of GALEX UV satellite (Pegasus XL).

            2006 Launch of Cloudsat and Calipso, joining Aqua and Aura in the "A Train" Earth observations orbit.

      Sunday April 29th:

            1965 Explorer-27 Launch. 4th in series of ionosphere exp. satellites.

            1985 Launch of STS 51-B - Overmyer, F. Gregory, Lind, Thagard, W.Thornton, van den Berg, Wang.

Space history data compiled by Jay Apt. Thanks to the following good sources:
TRW Space Log, NASA Glenn Research Center Space Calendar,
Rick von Glahn's CompuServe SpaceForum archive,
Jonathan's Space Report, and astronautix.com

Based on the today.cgi Perl script © 1998 The Puppet Master.
Formdate.pl subroutine © 1997 Craig Patchett & Matt Wright.

Schedule
Jay Apt Here

1962	Ranger-4 control system fails. Crash far-side. First US hit on Moon.
1967	Launch of Soyuz 1 (125 x 139 nm, 51.7 degrees, 18 orbits), Komarov was killed when parachutes fouled after electrical malfunctions had made attitude contol impossible.
1971	Soyuz-10 Launch. Shatalov, Yeliseyev, Rukavishnikov. Failed manual docking with Salyut-1 due to insufficient instrumentation to provide angle and range rate data.

1970	China-1 Launch. First Chinese satellite.
1990	Launch of STS-31 - Shriver, Bolden, Hawley, McCandless, Sullivan. Deployed Hubble Space Telescope.
2005	Return of ISS Expedition 10 crew after 192 days, aboard Soyuz TMA-5 Chiao and Sharipov, with Vittori (ESA).

1971	Soyuz-10 Lands. Rukavishnikov became unconcious due to toxic fumes during descent.
2002	Soyuz TM-34 Launch. Gidzenko, Vittori (ESA), Shuttleworth (tourist) to ISS.
2007	Launch of NASA's AIM (Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere) satellite on a Pegasus XL.

1993	Launch of STS-55 - Nagel, Henricks, Ross, Precourt, Harris, Walter, Schlegel (2 German PS's). Spacelab D-2.
1996	Priroda laboratory module docking; completion of Mir.
2003	Soyuz TMA-2 Launch. Malenchenko and Lu to ISS (Expedition 7). First 2-person ISS crew.

1972	Apollo-16 Splashdown after 11 days.
1989	Soyuz TM-7 lands. Volkov (151 days), Krikalev (151 days).
2012	Return of Shkaplerov, Ivanishin, and Burbank aboard Soyuz TMA-22 after 166 days.

1983	GOES-6 Launch. (Geostationary Operational Environmental Sat)
1991	Launch of STS-39 - Coats, Hammond, Bluford, Veach, Hieb, McMonagle, Harbaugh. Unclassified SDI paylaod.
2001	Soyuz TM-32 Launch. Musabayev, Baturin, Tito (tourist) to ISS.
2003	Launch of GALEX UV satellite (Pegasus XL).
2006	Launch of Cloudsat and Calipso, joining Aqua and Aura in the "A Train" Earth observations orbit.

1965	Explorer-27 Launch. 4th in series of ionosphere exp. satellites.
1985	Launch of STS 51-B - Overmyer, F. Gregory, Lind, Thagard, W.Thornton, van den Berg, Wang.