Space History

This Week In Space History

      Thursday September 19th:

            1981 China-9 Launch. Balloon. Physics experiments.

            1981 China-10 Launch. Physics experiments.

            1981 China-11 Launch. Physics experiments.

            1988 Israel launches its first satellite (to the west!).

            1996 Bill Readdy docks Atlantis to Mir. 4th docking.

      Friday September 20th:

            1945 Von Braun arrives in the US under "Operation Paperclip".

            1956 Jupiter C first launch. Test for nose-cone materials.

            1957 Thor first launch.

            1966 Surveyor-2 Launch. Crashed on Moon. Decent engine malfunction.

            1992 STS-47 makes a perfect landing at KSC, with Hoot Gibson flying.

            2018 Japan's Hayabusa-2 deploys 2 rovers on the surface of asteroid Ryugu.

      Saturday September 21st:

            1974 Mariner-10 2nd flyby of Mercury (29,827 miles).

            2003 Galileo orbiter enters Jupiter atmosphere (planned destruction to avoid contaminating Jovian moons).

            2006 Landing of Atlantis, after mission STS-115, on KSC runway 33.

      Sunday September 22nd:

            1993 Frank Culbertson flies Discovery to the first night landing at Kennedy Space Center,
ending STS-51's 10-day flight.

            2014 Maven space probe enters Mars orbit to study atmospheric evolution.

      Monday September 23rd:

            1846 Neptune discovered by Galle, working from Le Verrier's calculations.

            1976 Soyuz-22 Lands.

            1999 Mars Climate Orbiter lost due to poor navigation and subsequent unplanned entry into atmosphere.

      Tuesday September 24th:

            1970 Luna-16 Lands on Earth with Lunar sample cargo.

      Wednesday September 25th:

            1973 SkyLab-3 2nd Crew Returns after 59 day mission.

            1992 Launch of Mars Observer.

            1997 Launch of STS-86 - Weatherbee, Bloomfield, Parazynski, Titov, Chretien, Lawrence,
Wolf (to Mir), Foale (return).

            2008 Shenzhou 7 launch. Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng.

            2010 Return of Skvortsov, Kornienko, and Dyson aboard Soyuz TMA-18 after 178 days.

            2013 Launch of Soyuz TMA-10M. Kotov, Ryanzanskiy, and Hopkins to join ISS Expedition 37/38.

            2014 Launch of Soyuz TMA-14M. Samokutyaev, Serova, and Wilmore to join ISS Expedition 41/42.

            2018 Arianspace's 100th Ariane 5 launch.

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

1981	China-9 Launch. Balloon. Physics experiments.
1981	China-10 Launch. Physics experiments.
1981	China-11 Launch. Physics experiments.
1988	Israel launches its first satellite (to the west!).
1996	Bill Readdy docks Atlantis to Mir. 4th docking.

1945	Von Braun arrives in the US under "Operation Paperclip".
1956	Jupiter C first launch. Test for nose-cone materials.
1957	Thor first launch.
1966	Surveyor-2 Launch. Crashed on Moon. Decent engine malfunction.
1992	STS-47 makes a perfect landing at KSC, with Hoot Gibson flying.
2018	Japan's Hayabusa-2 deploys 2 rovers on the surface of asteroid Ryugu.

1974	Mariner-10 2nd flyby of Mercury (29,827 miles).
2003	Galileo orbiter enters Jupiter atmosphere (planned destruction to avoid contaminating Jovian moons).
2006	Landing of Atlantis, after mission STS-115, on KSC runway 33.

1993	Frank Culbertson flies Discovery to the first night landing at Kennedy Space Center, ending STS-51's 10-day flight.
2014	Maven space probe enters Mars orbit to study atmospheric evolution.

1846	Neptune discovered by Galle, working from Le Verrier's calculations.
1976	Soyuz-22 Lands.
1999	Mars Climate Orbiter lost due to poor navigation and subsequent unplanned entry into atmosphere.

1973	SkyLab-3 2nd Crew Returns after 59 day mission.
1992	Launch of Mars Observer.
1997	Launch of STS-86 - Weatherbee, Bloomfield, Parazynski, Titov, Chretien, Lawrence, Wolf (to Mir), Foale (return).
2008	Shenzhou 7 launch. Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng.
2010	Return of Skvortsov, Kornienko, and Dyson aboard Soyuz TMA-18 after 178 days.
2013	Launch of Soyuz TMA-10M. Kotov, Ryanzanskiy, and Hopkins to join ISS Expedition 37/38.
2014	Launch of Soyuz TMA-14M. Samokutyaev, Serova, and Wilmore to join ISS Expedition 41/42.
2018	Arianspace's 100th Ariane 5 launch.