On This Date in History - January 28
Astronom & Space Word of The Day
Chicxulub crater: a very large impact crater near the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The effects of this particular impact may have been responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.
Who Was Born Today?
1608: Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, Naples, mathematician/astronomer
1611: Johannes Hevelius, Danzig, astronomer, star cataloger
1884: Lucien H d'Azambuja, France, astronomer, chromosome of sun
1939: John M Fabian, Goosecreek, Texas, Col USAF/astronaut, STS 7, STS 51G
1948: Mamoru Mohri, Yoichi-machi Hokkaido Japan, astronaut, STS 47
1950: David Carl Hilmers, Iowa, Col USMC/astronaut, STS 51-J, 26, 36, 42
1951: Leonid Konstantinovich Kadenyuk, Kkishkov Ukraine, astronaut, STS 87
Who Died Today?
1687: Johannes Hevelius, astronomer (star cataloger), dies on 76th birthday
1986: Christa McAuliffe, astronaut; Ellison S Onizuka, Hawaii, Mjr USAF/ast; Francis R Scobee, Wash, USAF/astronaut; Judith Arlene Resnik, Akron Oh, astronaut; Michael J Smith, Beaufort NC, Cmdr USN, astronaut; Ronald E McNair, Lake City SC, astronaut die in Challenger disaster
Today in History:
1613: Galileo may have unknowingly viewed undiscovered planet Neptune
1959: Nike-Cajun successfully launched 12-foot-diameter test inflatable sphere to a height of 75 miles over NASA Wallops Island, the sphere inflating satisfactorily.
1986: The Space Shuttle Challenger flew nine successful missions before that fateful day. Shuttle mission 51L was much like most other missions. The Challenger crew consisted of mission commander Francis R. Scobee; pilot Michael J. Smith; mission specialists Ronald E. McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka, and Judith A. Resnik; and payload specialists Gregory B. Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe, the first of a new program, TISP, the Teacher In Space Program. Seventy three seconds into the mission, the Challenger exploded, killing the entire crew.
From: About.com