"This date in history"

[karimisss]

Dear Friends!

Be with us in this topic for reading the past activities & events in astronomy & space sciences.

Such as successes & failures in missions ,observations ,solving problems & etc.

Thank you

[stargazer]

On This Date in History - January 7

Daily Extra :

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

Asteroid Number : number assigned to an asteroid when it is discovered. It has no particular meaning except that asteroid N+1 was discovered after asteroid N.

Who Was Born Today?:

1935: Valeri Nikolayevich Kubasov, cosmonaut, Soyuz 6, 19, 36/35

1941: Frederick Drew Gregory, Washington D.C., Col USAF/astro, STS 51-B, 33, 44

1951: Talgat Amangeldyyevich Musabayev, Russian mjr/cosmonaut, TM-19, TM-27

Who Died Today?:

1994: Lewis Boddington, aerospace Engineer

Today in History:

1610: Galileo Galilei first sees Io, Europa, and Callisto. Jan 4 through 15, 1610, Galileo Galilei points his newly developed telescope at the sky and observes craters and mountains on the Moon, moving spots on the Sun, four moons revolving around Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and the almost innumerable stars of the Milky Way. These dates are called by some the most important days in the history of astronomy.

1968: Surveyor 7 - USA Lunar Soft Lander launched. Landed on the lunar surface.

1985: Sakigake - Japan Comet Flyby launched. Comet Halley flyby took place on March 1, 1986.

1998: Launch of Lunar Prospector Moon orbiter.

From: About.com

[stargazer]

On This Date in History - January 8

Daily Extra :

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

facula: A circular to subcircular region which is brighter than the surrounding area.

Who Was Born Today?:

1587: Johannes Fabricius, Denmark, astronomer, discovered sunspots

1942: Vyacheslav Dmitriyevich Zudov, U.S.S.R., cosmonaut, Soyuz 23

1942: Stephen Hawking, English physicist, Black Holes and Baby Universes

Who Died Today?:

1642: Galileo Galilei, Italian physicist/astronomer, age 77

1952: Antonia Maury, discoverer (supergiant, giant and dwarf stars)

Today in History:

1610: Galileo Galilei points his newly developed telescope at the sky and observes craters and mountains on the Moon, moving spots on the Sun, four moons revolving around Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and the almost innumerable stars of the Milky Way. Jan 4 thru 15, 1601 are called by some the most important days in the history of astronomy.

1760: Comet C/1760 A1 (Great comet) approaches within 0.0682 AUs of Earth

1973: Launch of Luna 21 carrying the Lunokhod 2 rover, the second robotic lunar rover. Made lunar landing with an automated Lunokhod 2 rover.

1985: Launch of Sakigake mission to Comet Halley.

1994: Russian manned space craft TM-18, launches into orbit.

From: About.com

[karimisss]

On This Date in History - January 9


Astronomy & Space Fact

Halley's Comet makes one orbit around the Sun every 76.1 years.

Who Was Born Today

Who Died Today?:

1843: Caroline Herschel, "1st lady of astronomy", age 98

Today in History:

1610: Galileo Galilei points his newly developed telescope at the sky and observes craters and mountains on the Moon, moving spots on the Sun, four moons revolving around Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and the almost innumerable stars of the Milky Way. Jan 4 thru 15, 1601 are called by some the most important days in the history of astronomy.

1839: South African Thomas Henderson first measures the distance to a star (Alpha Centauri) other than the Sun.

1958: In his state-of-the-Union message, President Eisenhower reported: "In recognition of the need for single control in some of our most advanced development projects, the Secretary of Defense has already decided to concentrate into one organization all antimissile and satellite technology undertaken within the Department of Defense."

1968: Surveyor 7 lands on the Moon and returns pictures of the surface.

1990: 64th U.S. manned space mission STS 32 (Columbia 10) launches into orbit

1998: Anatoly Solovyov and Pavel Vinogradov spacewalk record 3 hours 8 mins


From: About.com

[karimisss]

On This Date in History - January 10


Quote Of The Day

Space is the stature of God. Joseph Joubert (1754–1824)

Who Was Born Today?:

1638: Niels Stensen, Danish astronomer

1942: Aleksandr Yakovlevich Petrushenko, Russia, cosmonaut 1946: Robert W. Wilson, co-discoverer with Arno Penzias of the cosmic microwave (3 degree) background; 1978 Physics Nobel Laureate

Who Died Today?:

1970: Pavel Ivanovich Belyayev, U.S.S.R., cosmonaut (Voskhod II), age 44

Today in History:

1610: Galileo Galilei points his newly developed telescope at the sky and observes craters and mountains on the Moon, moving spots on the Sun, four moons revolving around Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and the almost innumerable stars of the Milky Way. Jan 4 thru 15, 1601 are called by some the most important days in the history of astronomy.

1946: The US Army's Signal Corps successfully bounces the first radar waves off the Moon.

1969: Launch of Venera 6 atmospheric probe to Venus. Venera 6 arrived at Venus on May 17, 1969. Along with Venera 5, atmospheric data was returned indicating an atmosphere composed of 93-97% carbon dioxide, 2-5% nitrogen, and less than 4% oxygen. The probe returned data down to within 11 kilometers of surface and was then lost - crushed by the pressure on Venus.

1997: 1st Comet of 1997 Discovered: Comet 1997 A1

1978: Soyuz 27 carring 2 cosmonauts to Salyut 6 space station, launched



From: About.com

[stargazer]

On This Date in History - January 11

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

shepherd satellite: (Also 'shepherd moon') A satellite which constrains the extent of a planetary ring through gravitational forces.

Who Was Born Today?:

1865: Johannes Franz Hartmann in Erfurt, Germany

1926: Lev Stepanovich Demin, Russia, cosmonaut, Soyuz 15

Who Died Today?:

Today in History:

1610: Galileo Galilei discovered Jupiter's moon Ganymede. Jan 4 thru 15, 1601, Galileo Galilei points his newly developed telescope at the sky and observes craters and mountains on the Moon, moving spots on the Sun, four moons revolving around Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and the almost innumerable stars of the Milky Way. These days are called by some the most important days in the history of astronomy

1787: Uranus' moons Titania and Oberon discovered by William Herschel.

1975: Soyuz 17 carries 2 cosmonauts to space station Salyut 4

1978: Soyuz 27 links with Salyut 6 and Soyuz 26 (1st time 3 spacecraft link)

1996: Space Shuttle STS 72 (Endeavour 10), launches into space

1997: Telstar 401 Satellite Fails

1998: Lunar Prospector - USA Lunar Orbiter arrived at the Moon. It is designed for a low polar orbit investigation of the Moon, including the mapping of surface composition and possible ice deposits, the measuring of magnetic and gravity fields, and the study of lunar outgassing events. This data could help scientists plan a potential lunar base and develop theories of the formation of the Moon, Earth and Solar System. Its mission is scheduled to last one to three years.

From: About.com

[karimisss]

On This Date in History - January 12


Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

synchronous rotation: If the period of a satellite's rotation about its axis is the same as the period of its orbit around its primary. This implies that the satellite always keeps the same hemisphere facing its primary (e.g. the Moon). It also implies that one hemisphere (the leading hemisphere) always faces in the direction of the satellite's motion while the other (trailing) one always faces backward. Most satellites in the solar system rotate synchronously.

Who Was Born Today

1871: Paul Guthnick, German astronomer

1942: Vladimir Sergeyevich Kozelsky, cosmonaut, Soyuz 24 backup

Who Died Today

Today in History

1610: Galileo Galilei points his newly developed telescope at the sky and observes craters and mountains on the Moon, moving spots on the Sun, four moons revolving around Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and the almost innumerable stars of the Milky Way. Jan 4 thru 15, 1601 are called by some the most important days in the history of astronomy.

1830: The founding of a new organization, which in 1831 would become the Royal Astronomical Society, by John Herschel, Charles Babbage, James South, and several others. The RAS has published it's Monthly Notices continuously since 1831.

1866: The Royal Aeronautical Society founded in London.

1958: President Eisenhower calls on U.S.S.R. to dedicate outer space "to the peaceful uses of mankind".

1961: First Italian launching of scientific sounding rocket in cooperative program with United States, a Nike-Cajun launched from a range in Sardinia to a height of over 100 miles, and released a cloud of sodium vapor visible for many miles.

1986: 24th space shuttle (61-C) mission-Columbia 7-launched

1997: Space Shuttle STS 81 (Atlantis 18), launches into space

2005: Deep Impact spacecraft is launched from Cape Canaveral

From: About.com

[stargazer]

On This Date in History - January 13

Quote Of The Day

There is very little difference between men and women in space

Helen Sharman (b. 1963)

Who Was Born Today?

1949: Rakesh Sharma, India, cosmonaut, Soyuz T-11

Who Died Today?

Today in History:

1610: Galileo Galilei first sees Ganymede. Jan 4 thru 15, 1610, Galileo Galilei points his newly developed telescope at the sky and observes craters and mountains on the Moon, moving spots on the Sun, four moons revolving around Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and the almost innumerable stars of the Milky Way. These days are called by some the most important days in the history of astronomy.

1961: Convair B-58 Hustler, jet bomber powered by four GE J-79 engines, broke six world speed records, Maj. H. J. Deutschendorf, U.S. Air Force, as pilot. On first closed-course run, the Hustler averaged 1,200.194 miles per hour, and it averaged 1,061.808 miles per hour on both runs carrying a payload of 4,408 pounds and a crew of three.

From:About.com

[stargazer]

On This Date in History - January 14

Quote Of The Day

In a chaotic universe, God fits naturally into the role of riverboat gambler.
Joseph Ford

Who Was Born Today?

1943: Shannon Lucid, born in Shanghai, China, astronaut, STS 51G, 34, 43, 58, 76/79

Who Died Today?

1742: Edmund Halley

1966: Sergei Korolev, leader of Soviet space program and Russian space station constructor, age 59, from a failed hemorrhoid operation.

Today in History:

1610: Galileo Galilei points his newly developed telescope at the sky and observes craters and mountains on the Moon, moving spots on the Sun, four moons revolving around Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and the almost innumerable stars of the Milky Way. Jan 4 thru 15, 1610 are called by some the most important days in the history of astronomy.

1958: Sen. L.B. Johnson urges U.S. to ask all nations to join "this adventure into outer space" in radio address.

1961: Final assembly of first Saturn flight vehicle (SA-1) was completed.

From:About.com

[karimisss]

On This Date in History - January 15


Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

compression: A packing or reduction in the amount of data being transmitted, using a mathematical formula similar to averaging, in order to optimize the transmission of data from the spacecraft. Once received, these data are "unpacked" (decompressed) to reconstruct the full image. However, if noise (see Radiation) is present it may cause incorrect values for the picture elements it was averaged with, which also affects the resulting image.

Who Was Born Today

Who Died Today

Today in History

1610: Galileo Galilei points his newly developed telescope at the sky and observes craters and mountains on the Moon, moving spots on the Sun, four moons revolving around Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and the almost innumerable stars of the Milky Way. Jan 4 thru 15, 1610 are called by some the most important days in the history of astronomy.
1958: 4751st Air Defense Missile Wing to develop and conduct training program for Bomarc units, and the 864th Strategic Missile Squadron to be equipped with Jupiter IRBM, were both activated.

1973: Luna 21 lands on the Moon, carrying the Lunokhod 2 rover, the second robotic lunar rover.

1976: US-German Helios B solar probe launched into solar orbit

1997: Space Shuttle Atlantis docks with Mir Space Station

1998: NASA announces John Glenn, 76, may fly in space again

2006: Stardust space mission returns dust from a comet to earth

From: About.com

[stargazer]

On This Date in History - January 16

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

planetesimals: Primordial bodies of intermediate size that accreted into planets or asteroids.

Who Was Born Today?

1933: Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov, U.S.S.R., cosmonaut, Soyuz 12, 18A, 27, T-3

1946: Michael L Coats, Sacramento California, Capt USN/astr, STS 41-D, 29, 39

1948: Anatoli Yakovlevich Solovyov, Riga, cosmonaut, TM-5,9,15,26, STS 71

1952: Lloyd Blaine Hammond, Jr., Savannah, Georgia, Major USAF/astr, STS 39, 64

1955: Jerry M Linenger, Mt Clemens, Michigan, PhD/Cmdr USN/astronaut, STS 81/84

1956: James Newman, American Astronaut

Who Died Today?

Today in History:

1969: Soviet Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 perform 1st transfer of crew in space

1976: Helios 2 - USA & West Germany Solar Probe launched. Solar probe came within 43 million kilometers of the Sun.

1989: U.S.S.R. announces plan for 2-yr manned mission to Mars

From: About.com