Space History

This Week In Space History

      Wednesday October 20th:

            1970 Zond-8 Launch. Circumnavigation of Moon and return. No Moon orbit.

            1995 Launch of STS-73 - Bowersox, Rominger, K. Thornton, Lopez-Alegria, Coleman, Sacco, Leslie. USML-2.

            2018 Launch of BepiColombo to Mercury.

            2020 OSIRIS-REx retrieves sample from minor planet Bennu.

      Thursday October 21st:

            1968 Apollo-7 Splashdown First live TV from a piloted spacecraft.

            1985 China-17 Launch. Recon mission.

            2001 Soyuz TM-33 Launch. Afanaseev, Kozeev, Haigmere (Fr.) to ISS.

            2007 Return of ISS Expediton 15 crew after 197 days, aboard Soyuz TMA-10
Yurchikin and Kotov with Al Masrie (Mayaysia). Soyuz explosive bolt failed to fire; ballistic entry.

      Friday October 22nd:

            1966 Luna-12 Launch. Third Lunar orbiting satellite.

            1975 Venera-9 Arrives Venus orbit. Lander decends. First images of the surface.

            1992 Launch of STS-52 - Weatherbee, M. Baker, Shepherd, Veach, Jernigan, Maclean (Canadian).
Lageos deploy, SVS tests.

            2008 Launch of India's first lunar probe, Chandrayaan-1.

            2020 Return of Ivanishin, Vagner, and Cassidy after 196 days, aboard Soyuz MS-16.

      Saturday October 23rd:

            1968 Soyuz-2 Launch. Unpiloted target for Soyuz 3.

            1975 Venera-10 Arrives Venus orbit. Lander decends to surface and radios images.

            2007 Launch of STS-120, Discovery to ISS with Harmony Node-2.
Melroy, Zamka, Parazynski, Wilson, Wheelock, Nespoli (ESA) and Tani (joining Expedition 16).
Unscheduled EVA to repair tears and jam in SAW-4B solar array.

            2012 Launch of Soyuz TMA-06M. Novitskiy, Tarekin, and Ford to join ISS Expedition 33/34.

      Sunday October 24th:

            2004 Return of ISS Expedition 9 crew after 187 days, aboard Soyuz TMA-4
Padalka and Fincke, with Shargin (RSA).

            2007 Launch of Chang'e-1 Chinese lunar orbiter.

            2008 Return of ISS Expedition 17 crew after 200 days aboard Soyuz TMA-12
Volkov and Kononenko with R. Garriott (tourist).

      Monday October 25th:

      Tuesday October 26th:

            1968 Launch of Soyuz 3, recovered the Soyuz program 18 months after Komarov's death.
Georgi Bergovoi rendezvoused to within 650' of target Soyuz 2. (127 x 140 nm, 51.4 degrees, 64 orbits).

            1973 Explorer-50 Launch. 10th in series of IMPs.

            1985 China-17 Re-entry vehicle recovered.

            2006 Launch of NASA STEREO solar observation satellites.

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

1970	Zond-8 Launch. Circumnavigation of Moon and return. No Moon orbit.
1995	Launch of STS-73 - Bowersox, Rominger, K. Thornton, Lopez-Alegria, Coleman, Sacco, Leslie. USML-2.
2018	Launch of BepiColombo to Mercury.
2020	OSIRIS-REx retrieves sample from minor planet Bennu.

1968	Apollo-7 Splashdown First live TV from a piloted spacecraft.
1985	China-17 Launch. Recon mission.
2001	Soyuz TM-33 Launch. Afanaseev, Kozeev, Haigmere (Fr.) to ISS.
2007	Return of ISS Expediton 15 crew after 197 days, aboard Soyuz TMA-10 Yurchikin and Kotov with Al Masrie (Mayaysia). Soyuz explosive bolt failed to fire; ballistic entry.

1966	Luna-12 Launch. Third Lunar orbiting satellite.
1975	Venera-9 Arrives Venus orbit. Lander decends. First images of the surface.
1992	Launch of STS-52 - Weatherbee, M. Baker, Shepherd, Veach, Jernigan, Maclean (Canadian). Lageos deploy, SVS tests.
2008	Launch of India's first lunar probe, Chandrayaan-1.
2020	Return of Ivanishin, Vagner, and Cassidy after 196 days, aboard Soyuz MS-16.

1968	Soyuz-2 Launch. Unpiloted target for Soyuz 3.
1975	Venera-10 Arrives Venus orbit. Lander decends to surface and radios images.
2007	Launch of STS-120, Discovery to ISS with Harmony Node-2. Melroy, Zamka, Parazynski, Wilson, Wheelock, Nespoli (ESA) and Tani (joining Expedition 16). Unscheduled EVA to repair tears and jam in SAW-4B solar array.
2012	Launch of Soyuz TMA-06M. Novitskiy, Tarekin, and Ford to join ISS Expedition 33/34.

2004	Return of ISS Expedition 9 crew after 187 days, aboard Soyuz TMA-4 Padalka and Fincke, with Shargin (RSA).
2007	Launch of Chang'e-1 Chinese lunar orbiter.
2008	Return of ISS Expedition 17 crew after 200 days aboard Soyuz TMA-12 Volkov and Kononenko with R. Garriott (tourist).

1968	Launch of Soyuz 3, recovered the Soyuz program 18 months after Komarov's death. Georgi Bergovoi rendezvoused to within 650' of target Soyuz 2. (127 x 140 nm, 51.4 degrees, 64 orbits).
1973	Explorer-50 Launch. 10th in series of IMPs.
1985	China-17 Re-entry vehicle recovered.
2006	Launch of NASA STEREO solar observation satellites.