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توجه ! این یک نسخه آرشیو شده میباشد و در این حالت شما عکسی را مشاهده نمیکنید برای مشاهده کامل متن و عکسها بر روی لینک مقابل کلیک کنید : "This date in history"



karimisss
12-30-2011, 01:51 AM
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.

:have a nice day:Thank you

karimisss
12-30-2011, 02:13 AM
First post a little sooner .

On This Date in History - January 1


Astronomy & Space Fact

"Aerodynamics" comes from two Greek words: aerios (concerning the air) and dynamis (powerful). Aerodynamics is the study of forces and the resulting motion of objects through the air.

Who Was Born Today?:

1933 James A Abrahamson, USAF/astronaut

1962 Ravshanbek Aliyev, Kirgiz, cosmonaut

1959 Abdul Ahad Mohmand, Afghanistan, cosmonaut, Soyuz TM-6

1956 Anatoli Borisovich Polonsky, Russia, Lt-colonel/cosmonaut

1956 Sergei Vasiliyevich Avdeyev, Russian cosmonaut, Soyuz TM-15, SK:TM-28

1950 Svetlana Georgievna Beregovkina, Russia, cosmonaut

1950 Yevgeni Vladimirovich Saley, cosmonaut

1949 Nikolai Tikhonovich Moskalenko, Russia, cosmonaut

1947 Alexei Ivanovich Bobrov, Russia, cosmonaut

1947 Vladimir Georgiyevich Titov, Rus cosmonaut, Soyuz T-8, TM-4, STS 63

1942 Gennadi Vassilyevich Sarafanov, USSR, cosmonaut, Soyuz 15

1935 Valentin Nikolaevich N Benderov, Russia, cosmonaut

Who Died Today?:

1996 Arthur Rudolph, rocket Engineer, dies at 89

Today in History:


1801 : Italian Giuseppe Piazzi discovers Ceres, the first known (and largest) asteroid. He observed it until his illness stopped him February 11th. By the time he notified others of his discovery by letters sent January 24th, Ceres was too close to the Sun for observation and was not relocated when it emerged in September. It was finally be spotted again on the last day of 1801 and the first of 1802.

1958: Strategic Air Command assigned responsibility for U.S. operational ICBM capability; while the 672nd Strategic Missile Squadron, first to be equipped with USAF Douglas Thor IRBM, was activated.

1610: German astronomer Simon Marius claims to have 1st discovered the Jupiter moons, but did not officially report it, Galileo did on July 1 1610

1969: World Data Center A for Rockets and Satellites transferred to the National Space Science Data Center.

1992: International Space Year began

From: About.com

karimisss
01-02-2012, 02:11 AM
On This Date in History - January 2

Quote Of The Day

America is now a space-faring nation…. a frontier good for millions of years. The only time remotely comparable was when Columbus discovered a whole new world.

James S McDonnell, builder of Mercury and Gemini space capsules

Who Was Born Today?:

1873: Anton Pannekoek, Dutch astronomer

Who Died Today?:

1892: George B Airy, English astronomer/writer

1996: Thornton Page, astrophysicist

Today in History:

1959: Luna 1 launched, first spacecraft to leave Earth's gravity and first to fly by the Moon. It discovered the solar wind and is now in a solar orbit.

1960: John Reynolds sets age of solar system at 4,950,000,000 years

From: About.com

karimisss
01-03-2012, 02:37 AM
On This Date in History - January 3

Astronomy & Space Fact

Have you ever heard a sonic boom? When an airplane travels at a speed faster than sound, density waves of sound emitted by the plane accumulate in a cone behind the plane. When this shock wave passes, a listener hears a sonic boom. Large meteors and the Space Shuttle frequently produce audible sonic booms before they are slowed to below the sound of speed by the Earth's atmosphere.

Who Was Born Today

1932: Anatoli Petrovich Kuklin, Russia, cosmonaut
1947: Sergey Filipovich Protchenko, Russian cosmonaut

Who Died Today

1641: Jeremiah Horrocks, English astronomical prodigy

Today in History

1963: Mariner 2 - USA Venus Flyby (August 27, 1962 - January 3, 1963) went off the air. On December 14, 1962, Mariner 2 arrived at Venus at a distance of 34,800 kilometers and scanned its surface with infrared and microwave radiometers, capturing data that showed Venus's surface to be about 425°C (800°F). Three weeks after the Venus flyby Mariner 2 went off the air on January 3, 1963. It is now in a solar orbit.

1999: Launch of Mars Polar Lander and Deep Space 2 probes. The Mars Polar Lander, also known as the Mars Surveyor '98 Lander, was a companion to the Mars Climate Orbiter. It was to touch down on the southern polar layered terrain, between 73 S and 76 S, less than 1000 km from the south pole, near the edge of the carbon dioxide ice cap in Mars' late southern spring. The last telemetry from the spacecraft was sent just prior to atmospheric entry on 3 December 1999. No further signals have been received from the lander, the cause of this loss of communication is not known.

The Deep Space 2 (DS2) project is a New Millenium mission consisting of two probes which were to penetrate the surface of Mars near the south polar layered terrain and send back data on the sub-surface properties. On 3 December 1999 the probes were nearing Mars on a trajectory to enter the atmosphere and bring them to their intended landing site, but contact was never made with either probe and the mission was presumed lost.

From: About.com

karimisss
01-04-2012, 01:12 AM
On This Date in History - January 4

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

Antipodal Point : the point that is directly on the opposite side of a planet

Who Was Born Today

1797: Wilhelm Beer, Germany, amateur astronomer, constructed 1st Moon map

1935: Kenneth Money, Canada, astronaut, STS 42-alt

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.

1643: Sir Isaac Newton born in Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire, England.

1958: Sputnik 1, the first satellite, reenters the atmosphere and disintegrates.

1959: Luna 1 passes within 6000 km of Moon's surface, first spacecraft to reach the moon.

2004: Mars Exploration Rover Spirit lands in Gusev Crater on Mars.

From: About.com

karimisss
01-04-2012, 10:56 PM
On This Date in History - January 5


Quote Of The Day

Stars scribble on our eyes the frosty sagas, The gleaming cantos of unvanquished space . . .

Hart Crane 1899–1932

Who Was Born Today

1930: Edward Galven Givens, Jr., Quanah Texas, Major USAF/astronaut

Who Died Today

1960: Pavel P Parenago, Russia, cosmonaut

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 .

1969: Launch of Venera 5 spacecraft, second spacecraft to return data from Venus atmosphere. Venera 5 arrived at Venus on May 16, 1969. Along with Venera 6, 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 26 kilometers of surface and was then lost - crushed by the pressure on Venus.

1834: Kiowa Indians record this as the night the stars fell.

1905: Charles Perrine announces discovery of Jupiter's 7th satellite, Elara.

1972: President Nixon signs a bill for NASA to begin research on manned shuttle 1972: NASA announces development of space shuttle

From: About.com

رخساره روشنی
01-04-2012, 11:04 PM
Hi It"s Very Good TOpic I suggest That Put THe Important Astronews TOO
Thanks alot

stargazer
01-04-2012, 11:29 PM
Hi It"s Very Good TOpic I suggest That Put THe Important Astronews TOO
Thanks alot

Hi Dear Rokhsareh


Thank you for your comment, but we have a topic for this subject. You can see it in this (http://forum.avastarco.com/forum/showthread.php?198-Astronomical-News/page10)link (http://forum.avastarco.com/forum/showthread.php?198-Astronomical-News/page10) & if you like we'll be glad to join us & help for putting *the best & the most useful Astro news* for others. :have%20a%20nice%20d

Thank You So Much

رخساره روشنی
01-04-2012, 11:37 PM
Thanks for Your Suggest I"ll be Happy To Help you

karimisss
01-06-2012, 01:14 AM
On This Date in History - January 6


Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

regio: A region

Who Was Born Today



1948: Guy Spencer Gardner, Alta Vista, Virginia, Lt Col USAF/astro, STS 27, STS 35

1957: C Michael Foale, Louth England, astronaut, STS 45, 56, 63, 84/86

1963: Philippe Perrin, Meknes Morocco, Lt Col FAF/astronaut


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.

1949: The first atomic clock was built. It was based on earlier theoretical work by Isidor Rabi and used ammonia as its pendulum

1967: The Surveyor 1 spacecraft is reactivated after almost 6 months dormancy on the lunar surface.

1987: Astronomers at University of California see 1st sight of birth of a galaxy


1998:Lunar Prospector - USA Lunar Orbiter was launched and arrived at the Moon on January 11, 1998. 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

stargazer
01-08-2012, 01:06 AM
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
01-08-2012, 01:10 AM
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
01-09-2012, 02:00 PM
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
01-10-2012, 01:39 AM
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
01-11-2012, 01:12 AM
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
01-12-2012, 01:16 AM
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
01-13-2012, 10:30 AM
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
01-14-2012, 12:52 PM
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
01-15-2012, 11:13 PM
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
01-17-2012, 11:14 PM
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

stargazer
01-17-2012, 11:18 PM
On This Date in History - January 17

Quote Of The Day

Science tells us how the heavens go. Religion tells us how to go to heaven.
Galileo Galilei


Who Died Today?

1938: William H Pickering, astronomer (predicted Pluto), age 79

1997: Clyde Tombaugh, astronomer, discovered Pluto in 1930, age 90

Today in History:

1962: A NASA civilian pilot Neil Armstrong takes X-15 to 40,690 m

1968: Soyuz 4 and 5 completed 1st docking of 2 manned spacecraft

1976: Hermes rocket launched by European Space Agency

1980: NASA launches Fltsatcom-3

1986: Voyager 2 - USA Jupiter - Saturn - Uranus - Neptune Flyby (Launched August 20, 1977) flew by Uranus[/link. Voyager 2 flew by Jupiter on July 9, 1979, Saturn on August 26, 1981, Uranus on January 24, 1986, and Neptune on August 24, 1989.

From: About.com

stargazer
01-18-2012, 12:29 AM
On This Date in History - January 18

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

ellipse: A flattened circle or oval. That the orbits of the planets are ellipses, not circles, was first discovered by Johannes Kepler based on the careful observations by Tycho Brahe. An ellipse is essentially a circle that has been stretched out of shape. When describing ellipses, the eccentricity defines how "stretched out" it is. In the case of the moon (diagram), when it is closest it is at perigee and

Who Was Born Today?

1933: Vladimir Yevgrafovich Bugrov, cosmonaut

1958: Jeffrey N Williams, Superior Wisconsin, Major Army/astronaut

Today in History:

1978: Thiokol conducts 2nd test firing of space shuttle's SRB

1986: 24th Space Shuttle (61-C) Mission-Columbia 7-returns to Earth

1989: Astronomers discover pulsar in remnants of Supernova 1987A (LMC)

2000: STARDUST, Deep Space Maneuver 1A (DSM-1), Successful

From: About.com

stargazer
01-19-2012, 04:19 PM
On This Date in History - January 19

Quote Of The Day

The beginning, middle, and end of the birth, growth, and perfection of whatever we behold is from contraries, by contraries, and to contraries; and whatever contrarity is, there is action and reaction, there is motion, diversity, multitude, and order, there are degrees, succession and vicissitude.
Giordano Bruno (1548–1600)

Who Was Born Today?

1851: Johannes C Kapteyn, Dutch astronomer

1946: Alexandr Vladimirovich Shchukin, Russian cosmonaut

Today in History

1961: Iris rocket, new solid-propellant single-stage sounding rocket, failed to attain programmed flight from Wallops Island, reaching only 86 miles' altitude instead of 160 miles.

From: About.com

stargazer
01-20-2012, 05:26 PM
On This Date in History - January 20

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

ultraviolet: Light that is so blue humans cannot see it. A band of the electromagnetic spectrum between the visible and the X-ray. Photons of ultraviolet light are more energetic than photons of visible light.

Who Was Born Today?

1920: DeForest Kelley, born in Atlanta, Georgia, actor, Dr. McCoy-Star Trek

1930: Buzz Aldrin, Montclair, New Jersey, USAF/astro, Gem 12, Ap 11

1939: Nalin Chandra Wickramasinghe, Indian astronomer

1948: Jerry Ross, Indiana, Lt Col USAF/astronaut, STS 61B, 27, 37, 55, 74,sk:88

1951: Magomed Omarovich Tolboyev, Russian cosmonaut

Today in History:

1961: Headline news in Moscow was detailed Tass announcement that Strelka, one of two female dogs recovered from orbiting Spacecraft II in August 1960, had given birth to six puppies in good health. Pravda had announced 3 weeks earlier that one of the satellite-passenger dogs had given birth. (See Dogs in Space

1965: JPL proposes modified Apollo flight to fly around Mars and return

1990: US 64th manned space mission STS 32 (Columbia 10) returns from space

1997: Comet Hale-Bopp crosses Mars' orbit

From: About.com

karimisss
01-21-2012, 01:56 AM
On This Date in History - January 21

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

geologic time: The time extending from the end of the formative period of the Earth to the beginning of human history.

Who Was Born Today

1908: Bengt Stromgren, Goteborg Sweden, astrophysicist, studied gas cloud

1930: Valentin Ignatyevich Filatyev, Russia, cosmonaut

1950: Joseph R Tanner, Danville, Illinois, astronaut, STS 66, 82, sk: 97


Today in History

1951: Westinghouse J-40 jet engine (7,500 pounds dry thrust) completed 150-hour Navy qualification test.

1979: Neptune becomes outermost planet (Pluto moves closer). Unless a new planet is discovered, Neptune will remain outermost planet since on August 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) formally downgraded Pluto from an official planet to a dwarf planet. (See Is Pluto a Planet.)

From: About.com

karimisss
01-21-2012, 02:01 AM
On This Date in History - January 22


Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

Shoemaker-Levy9 (S-L9): The comet that broke up and fell into Jupiter in June 1994.

Who Was Born Today

1955: Thomas David Jones, born in Baltimore, Maryland, PhD/Astronaut, STS 59, 68, 80, sk: 98

Today in History

1965: U.S. launches TIROS 9 weather satellite

1969: Orbiting Solar Observatory 5 launched into earth orbit

1975: Landsat 2, an Earth Resources Technology Satellite, launched

1992: Space Shuttle STS-42 (Discovery 15) launches into space

1997: Space Shuttle Atlantis Returns to Earth, Successful

2000: Vandenburg Launch Pad Demolished

From: About.com

stargazer
01-24-2012, 11:26 AM
On This Date in History - January 23

Astronomy & Space Fact

The term "aeronautics" originated in France, and was derived from the Greek words for "air" and "to sail."

Who Was Born Today?

1930: William Reid Pogue, Okemah Oklahoma, Colonel USAF/astronaut, Skylab 4

1942: Ivan Ivanovich Bachurin, cosmonaut

1949: Robert Cabana, Minneapolis, Mjr USMC/astronaut, STS 41, 53, 68, sk:88

Who Died Today?

1976: Aleksey Vasilyevich Sorokin, Russian cosmonaut, age 44

1997: Roger John Tayler, astrophysicist, age 67

Today in History:

1930: Clyde Tombaugh photographs Pluto

1941: Ground breaking for NACA (now NASA) Lewis Research Center

1961: Final test flight of USAF Atlas D traveled 5,000 miles to target down Atlantic Missile Range, representing 35 successes, 8 partials, and 6 failures in 49 test launchings for D model.

1970: Australia's 1st amateur radio satellite (Oscar 5) launched (Calif)

1970: U.S. launches 2nd generation weather satellite, ITOS 1

1983: Russian radioactive satellite falls into Indian Ocean

1986: Columbia returns to Kennedy Space Center via Davis-Monthan AFB

From:About.com

stargazer
01-24-2012, 11:30 AM
On This Date in History - January 24

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

erosion: The process of physically removing weathered materials; the wearing away of soil and rock by weathering, mass wasting, and the action of streams, glaciers, waves, wind and groundwater.

Who Was Born Today?

1952: William F Readdy, Quonset Point, Rhode Island, astronaut, STS 42, 51, 79

1961 Krasimir Mikhailov Stoyanov, Bulgaria, cosmonaut

Today in History:

1764: Gov Winthrop Telescope, is destroyed in a Harvard fire

1925: Moving picture of a solar eclipse taken from dirigible over Long Island

1985: 15th Space Shuttle (51-C) Mission-Discovery 3 is launched

1990: Muses-A - Japan Lunar Orbiters launched. This consisted of two small orbiters but failed to send back data from their orbit around the Moon. This was the first non USA or USSR probe to reach Moon.

From: About.com

karimisss
01-25-2012, 02:25 AM
On This Date in History - January 25

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

planum: A plateau or high plain


Today in History

1964: Echo 2, U.S. communications satellite launched

1983: Infrared telescope satellite launched into polar orbit

1992: Hubble space telescope optics finds NGC3862/3C264

1994: Clementine - USA Lunar Orbiter launched. The official name for Clementine is Deep Space Probe Science Experiment (DSPSE). It was a Department of Defense program used to test new space technology. Clementine was a new design using lightweight structure and propellant systems. It spent 70 days (between February 6 and May 5, 1994) in lunar orbit. Its four cameras mapped the surface of the Moon at 125-250 meters/pixel resolution. Clementine also used a laser to gather altimeter data which will make it possible to generate the first lunar topographic map

From: About.com

karimisss
01-26-2012, 12:37 AM
On This Date in History - January 26


Astronomy & Space Fact

To communicate with distant spacecraft, NASA's Deep Space Network uses antenna with a diameter of up to 70 meters (230 feet). That is almost as big as a football field.

Who Was Born Today

1952: Mario Runco, Jr., born in Bronx, New York, Lt Cmdr USN/astronaut, STS 44, 54, 77

Today in History

1966: 5th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet

1962: Ranger 3 - USA Lunar Hard Lander launched. Lunar probe missed the moon and is now in a solar orbit

From: About.com

stargazer
01-28-2012, 01:38 PM
On This Date in History - January 27

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

zodiacal light: a faint glow from light scattered off of interplanetary dust along the plane of the ecliptic.

Who Was Born Today?

1940: Brian T O'Leary, born in Boston, Massachusetts, astronaut

Who Died Today?

1967: Edward Higgins White II, Lt Col USAF/astronaut (Gemini 4), age 36; Roger B Chaffee, astronaut, age 31; Virgil I (Gus) Grissom, astronaut, age 40 all died in Apollo I fire.

Today in History:

1908 Pasiphae, a satellite of Jupiter, discovered by Melotte

1967: Treaty banning military use of nuclear weapons in space, signed

1958: Dr. Hugh L. Dryden, Director of the NACA, in a speech to the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences, stressed the importance of a well-planned and logical space program embracing both civilian and military uses. He stated that the national space program should be under the joint control of the Department of Defense, the NACA, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Science Foundation; in addition to research flights, the NACA would coordinate and conduct research in space technology in its own laboratories and by contract in support of both military and nonmilitary projects.

1967: The crew of Apollo/Saturn 204 (more commonly known as Apollo 1 mission) were training for the first crewed Apollo flight, an Earth orbiting mission scheduled to be launched on 21 February. On board were astronaut Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, (the second American astronaut to fly into space) astronaut Edward H. White II, (the first American astronaut to "walk" in space) and astronaut Roger B. Chaffee, (a "rookie" astronaut on his first space mission). A fire broke out during the test and spread quickly through the cabin. The crew most likely perished within the first 30 seconds from smoke inhalation or burns. Resuscitation efforts were futile.

1985: 15th Space Shuttle (51-C) Mission-Discovery 3 returns to Earth

From: About.com

stargazer
01-28-2012, 02:00 PM
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

karimisss
01-30-2012, 01:35 AM
On This Date in History - January 29

Quote Of The Day

We travel together, passengers on a little space ship, dependent on its vulnerable reserves of air & soil; all committed for our safety to its security & peace; preserved from annihilation only by the care, the work, and, I will say, the love we give our fragile craft. We cannot maintain it half fortunate, half miserable, half confident, half despairing, half slave—to the ancient enemies of man—half free in a liberation of resources undreamed of until this day.
No craft, no crew can travel safely with such vast contradictions. On their resolution
depends the survival of us all.

Adlai Stevenson 1900–65

Who Was Born Today

1939: O P Kolomitsev, cosmonaut
1942: Arnaldo Tamayo-Mendez, Cuba, cosmonaut, Soyuz 38

Who Died Today

Today in History

1959: First jet passenger service across the United States begun by American Airlines with Boeing 707's.

1964: Unmanned Apollo 1 Saturn launcher test attains Earth orbit

1976: Zeiss planetarium in Hague destroyed by fire

1984: Space Shuttle 41-B (STS-11) Challenger launched

From: About.com

karimisss
01-31-2012, 01:05 AM
On This Date in History - January 30

Astronomy & Space Fact

Before NASA was formed, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was started by President Woodrow Wilson to supervise and direct the scientific study of the problems of flight. The NACA determined which problems should be experimentally worked on and discussed their solutions and their application to practical questions. The NACA also directed and conducted research and experiments in aeronautics.

Who Died Today

1948: Orville Wright died in Dayton, Ohio, at the age of 76.

Today in History

1889: John Herschel uses camera obscura to photograph 48" (120cm) telescope

1964: Ranger 6 - USA Lunar Hard Lander launched. Cameras failed; lunar probe impacted the surface of the Moon.

1989: Phobos 2 - USSR Phobos Flyby/Lander (July 12, 1988) arrived at Mars and was inserted into orbit. The orbiter moved within 800 kilometers of Phobos and then failed. The lander never made it to Phobos.

1992: Space Shuttle STS-42 (Discovery 15) lands

From: About.com

karimisss
02-01-2012, 02:41 AM
On This Date in History - January 31

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

radiation: Energy that is emitted in the form of electromagnetic waves. The electronics of spacecraft camera system are sensitive to radiation. Radiation can affect the images a spacecraft sends - similar to "snow" on a television with poor reception - which is referred to as "noise."

Today in History

1862: Telescope maker Alvin Clark discovers dwarf companion of Sirius

1958: Explorer 1, the first U.S. Earth-orbiting satellite, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The launch vehicle was an Army Jupiter-C rocket. Explorer 1 orbited the Earth every 115 minutes. Its orbit carried it from a low of about 220 miles to a high of nearly 1,600 miles.

1961: Ham is 1st primate in space (158 miles) aboard Mercury/Redstone 2

1961: USAF launches Samos spy satellite to replace U-2 flights

1966: Luna 9 - USSR Lunar Soft Lander launched. Luna 9 landed on the lunar surface and retuned the first photographs from the surface.

1971: Apollo 14 - USA Lunar Manned Lander (January 31 to February 8, 1971) launched. Crew: Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell, Stuart A. Roosa. Shepard and Mitchell landed on the moon on February 5, 1971, in the Fra Mauro highlands, located at 3°40' S and longitude 17°28' E. They collected 42.9 kilograms of lunar samples and used a hand-held cart to transport rocks and equipment.

1972: US launches HEOS A-2 for interplanetary observations (396/244,998)

From: About.com

karimisss
02-01-2012, 02:46 AM
On This Date in History - February 1

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

Undae: Dunes (literally 'waves').

Who Was Born Today

1935: Vladimir Viktorovich Aksyonov, U.S.S.R., cosmonaut, Soyuz 22, T-2

1961: Daniel M Tani, Ridley Park, Maryland, astronaut

Who Died Today

2003 David Brown, astronaut, mission specialist; Ilan Ramon, astronaut, first Israeli in space, mission specialist, age 48; Kalpana Chawla, astronaut, first Asian Indian woman in space, payload specialist, age 41; Laurel Clark, astronaut, physician, age 41; Michael Anderson, astronaut, payload specialist, age 42; Rick Husband, astronaut, commander; William McCool, astronaut, pilot, age 41; Michael P. Anderson, American Astronaut die aboard Space Shuttle Columbia, STS-107

Today in History

1949: 200" (5.08-m) Hale telescope 1st used

1971: Apollo 14 - USA Lunar Manned Lander (January 31 to February 8, 1971) Crew: Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell, Stuart A. Roosa. Shepard and Mitchell landed on the moon on February 5, 1971, in the Fra Mauro highlands, located at 3°40' S and longitude 17°28' E. They collected 42.9 kilograms of lunar samples and used a hand-held cart to transport rocks and equipment.

1989: Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 at perihelion

2003: The day started on a bright note for the crew of STS-107 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. They were awakened by a rousing rendition of Scotland the Brave in honor of mission specialist Laurel Clark’s Scottish heritage. Mission Control followed the wake-up tune with news the astronauts had been waiting for. It was time to come home. The seven members of the crew (commander Rick Husband, pilot Willie McCool and mission specialists Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, Mike Anderson, David Brown and Israeli payload specialist Ilan Ramon) were coming to the end of a 16 day mission of scientific experimentation.

Shortly after 9:00AM EST, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated in the skies above Texas, killing all crew members aboard.

From: About.com

stargazer
02-02-2012, 10:17 PM
On This Date in History - February 2

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

Crater Density: The number of craters on a surface per unit area.

Today in History:

1962: 8 of 9 planets align for 1st time in 400 years (Note: In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided that Pluto is not a planet, reducing the number of known planets in our solar system to 8.)

1971: Apollo 14 - USA Lunar Manned Lander (January 31 to February 8, 1971) Crew: Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell, Stuart A. Roosa. Shepard and Mitchell landed on the moon on February 5, 1971, in the Fra Mauro highlands, located at 3°40' S and longitude 17°28' E. They collected 42.9 kilograms of lunar samples and used a hand-held cart to transport rocks and equipment.

1977: Burn up of Salyut 4 Space Station (U.S.S.R.)

1995: U.S. space shuttle Discovery launched

From: About.com

karimisss
02-05-2012, 02:46 AM
On This Date in History - February 3


Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

Photosphere: The visible surface of the Sun; sunspots and faculae are observed in the photosphere.

Who Was Born Today

1938: Vladimir Grigoryevich Fartushny, Russia, cosmonaut
1939: Vladimir Yevgenyevich Preobrazhensky, Russian cosmonaut
1958: Joe Frank Edwards, Jr., Richmond, Virginia, Cmdr USN/astronaut, STS 89

Who Died Today

1862: Jean-Baptiste Biot, French physicist/astronomer, dies at 87

Today in History

1965: Orbiting Solar Observatory 2 launches into Earth orbit (552/636 km)

1966: 1st operational weather satellite, ESSA-1 launched US

1966: 1st soft landing on Moon (Soviet Luna 9)

1971: Apollo 14 - USA Lunar Manned Lander (January 31 to February 8, 1971) Crew: Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell, Stuart A. Roosa. Shepard and Mitchell landed on the moon on February 5, 1971, in the Fra Mauro highlands, located at 3°40' S and longitude 17°28' E. They collected 42.9 kilograms of lunar samples and used a hand-held cart to transport rocks and equipment.

1984: 10th Space Shuttle Mission (41B)-Challenger 4 launched

1994: STS-60 (Discovery) launches into orbit

1995: STS 63 (Discovery 19), launches into orbit

From: About.com

karimisss
02-05-2012, 02:52 AM
On This Date in History - February 4


Quote Of The Day

Every formula which expresses a law of nature is a hymn of praise to God.
Maria Mitchell(1818–1889)

Who Was Born Today

1906: Clyde William Tombaugh, U.S., astronomer, discovered Pluto

Who Died Today

Today in History

1961: Sputnik 7 launches into Earth orbit; probable Venus probe failure

1967: U.S. launches Lunar Orbiter 3

1971: Apollo 14 - USA Lunar Manned Lander (January 31 to February 8, 1971) Crew: Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell, Stuart A. Roosa. Shepard and Mitchell landed on the moon on February 5, 1971, in the Fra Mauro highlands, located at 3°40' S and longitude 17°28' E. They collected 42.9 kilograms of lunar samples and used a hand-held cart to transport rocks and equipment.

1993: Russian space agency tests a 82' wide space mirror

From: About.com

karimisss
02-05-2012, 03:04 AM
On This Date in History - February 5



Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

Aurora Borealis :The "Northern Lights"; caused by the interaction between the solar wind, the Earth's magnetic field and the upper atmosphere. A similar effect happens in the southern hemisphere where it is known as the aurora australis.

Who Was Born Today

1947: Mary Louise Cleave, Southampton, New York, PhD/astronaut, STS 61-B, STS 30
1949: Maidarjabyn Ganzorig, Mongolia, cosmonaut, Soyuz 39 backup

Who Died Today

Today in History

1958: Vanguard TV-3 back-up launches into Earth orbit; reaches 6 km

1962: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn within 16 degrees

1963: Soviet lunar probe failure

1967: Lunar Orbiter 3 - USA Lunar Orbiter launched. Orbited the moon, photographed the far side for potential Apollo 12 landing sites, then impacted on command.

1971: Apollo 14 - USA Lunar Manned Lander (January 31 to February 8, 1971) Crew: Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell, Stuart A. Roosa. Shepard and Mitchell landed on the moon on February 5, 1971, in the Fra Mauro highlands, located at 3°40' S and longitude 17°28' E. They collected 42.9 kilograms of lunar samples and used a hand-held cart to transport rocks and equipment.

1974: Mariner 10 - USA Mercury/Venus Flyby - 526 kg - (November 3, 1973 - March 24, 1975) flew past Venus for a gravity assist to the planet Mercury. Mariner 10 was the first dual planet mission. Mariner 10 was the first spacecraft to have an imaging system. It recorded circulation in the Venusian atmosphere and showed the temperature of the cloud tops to be -23°C. Mariner 10 flew past Mercury 3 times on March 29, 1974, September 21, 1974, and March 16, 1975. These three encounters produced over 10,000 pictures with 57% planet coverage. It recorded surface temperatures ranging from 187°C to -183°C on the day and night sides. A weak magnetic field was detected but it failed to detect an atmosphere. Mariner 10 is now in a solar orbit.

1987: Soyuz TM-2 launches

1994: Clementine - USA Lunar Orbiter - (launched January 25, 1994) spent 70 days (between February 6 and May 5, 1994) in lunar orbit. The official name for Clementine is Deep Space Probe Science Experiment (DSPSE). It was a Department of Defense program used to test new space technology. Clementine was a new design using lightweight structure and propellant systems. Its four cameras mapped the surface of the Moon at 125-250 meters/pixel resolution. Clementine also used a laser to gather altimeter data which will make it possible to generate the first lunar topographic map

From: About.com

stargazer
02-06-2012, 11:04 AM
On This Date in History - February 6

Quote Of The Day

We should take care not to make the intellect our god it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality.
Albert Einstein

Who Was Born Today?

1961: Yuri Ivanovich Onufriyenko, Russian major/cosmonaut, Mir, Soyuz TM-23

Who Died Today?

1923: Edward E Barnard, U.S. astronomer (5th moon Jupiter), age 65

1973: Ira S Bowen, U.S. physicist/astronomer (Mt Wilson/Palomar), age 74

Today in History:

1971: Apollo 14 - USA Lunar Manned Lander (January 31 to February 8, 1971) Crew: Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell, Stuart A. Roosa. Shepard and Mitchell landed on the moon on February 5, 1971, in the Fra Mauro highlands, located at 3°40' S and longitude 17°28' E. They collected 42.9 kilograms of lunar samples and used a hand-held cart to transport rocks and equipment.

1994: Clementine - USA Lunar Orbiter - (launched January 25, 1994) spent 70 days (between February 6 and May 5, 1994) in lunar orbit. The official name for Clementine is Deep Space Probe Science Experiment (DSPSE). It was a Department of Defense program used to test new space technology. Clementine was a new design using lightweight structure and propellant systems. Its four cameras mapped the surface of the Moon at 125-250 meters/pixel resolution. Clementine also used a laser to gather altimeter data which will make it possible to generate the first lunar topographic map.

From: About.com

karimisss
02-06-2012, 08:17 PM
On This Date in History - February 7


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
02-08-2012, 08:33 PM
On This Date in History - February 8

Astronomy & Space Fact

Did you know that there are 6 gyroscopes on the Hubble Space Telescope? The gyroscopes are used to point the telescope.

Who Was Born Today?

1950: Jose Armando Lopez-Falcon, Cuba, cosmonaut

Who Died Today?

1957: John Von Neumann, astronomer, age 53

1974: Fritz Zwicky, Swiss/US astronomer (supernova), age 75

1995: B G Hooghoudt, radiotelescope build (Dwingeloo/Westerbork), age 70

Today in History:

1743: Comet C/1743 C1 approaches within 0.0390 AUs of Earth

1971: Apollo 14 - USA Lunar Manned Lander (January 31 to February 8, 1971) splashed down safely. Crew: Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell, Stuart A. Roosa. Shepard and Mitchell landed on the moon on February 5, 1971, in the Fra Mauro highlands, located at 3°40' S and longitude 17°28' E. They collected 42.9 kilograms of lunar samples and used a hand-held cart to transport rocks and equipment.

1974: Skylab 4's astronauts land

1984: 1st time 8 people in space

1984: Soyuz T-10 launches with crew of 3 to Salyut 7

1988: NASA launches DOD-2

1992: Ulysses - USA & Europe Solar Flyby made a Jupiter flyby. The Ulysses spacecraft is an international project to study the poles of the Sun and interstellar space above and below the poles. It used Jupiter for a gravity assist to swing out of the ecliptic plane and onward to the poles of the Sun. The first solar polar passage was in June 1994. The spacecraft passed the solar equator in February 1995 and passed over the north pole in June 1995.

1994: Clementine - USA Lunar Orbiter - (launched January 25, 1994) spent 70 days (between February 6 and May 5, 1994) in lunar orbit. The official name for Clementine is Deep Space Probe Science Experiment (DSPSE). It was a Department of Defense program used to test new space technology. Clementine was a new design using lightweight structure and propellant systems. Its four cameras mapped the surface of the Moon at 125-250 meters/pixel resolution. Clementine also used a laser to gather altimeter data which will make it possible to generate the first lunar topographic map.

From: About.com

stargazer
02-10-2012, 12:27 AM
On This Date in History - February 9

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day:

Ammonia : A colorless gas made of nitrogen and hydrogen. It has a sharp smell. It can be mixed with water and used for household cleaning.

Who Was Born Today?

1954: Ulrich Walter, German FR, cosmonaut

1960: Peggy A. Whitson, Mt Ayr Iowa, PhD/astronaut

Who Died Today?

1811: Nevil Maskelyne, 5th Astronomer Royal of England (1765-1811)

Today in History:

1497: Nicolaus Copernicus observed the Moon eclipse the star Aldebaran.

1986: Halley's Comet reaches 30th perihelion (closest approach to Sun)

1990: Galileo flies by Venus

1994: Clementine, a US Lunar Orbiter (launched January 25, 1994), spent 70 days (between February 6 and May 5, 1994) in lunar orbit. The official name for Clementine is Deep Space Probe Science Experiment (DSPSE). It was a Department of Defense program used to test new space technology. Clementine was a new design using lightweight structure and propellant systems. Its four cameras mapped the surface of the Moon at 125-250 meters/pixel resolution. Clementine also used a laser to gather altimeter data which will make it possible to generate the first lunar topographic map.

1995: Bernard Harris became the first African American astronaut to take a spacewalk.

From: About.com

stargazer
02-10-2012, 12:29 AM
On This Date in History - February 10

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

exponential notation: 1.23e4 means "1.23 times 10 to the fourth power" or 12,300; "5.67e -8" means "5.67 divided by 10 to the eighth power" or 0.0000000567.

Today in History:

1720: Edmund Halley appointed 2nd Astronomer Royal of England

Galileo - USA & Europe Jupiter Orbiter/Atmospheric Probe - 2,222 kg - (October 18, 1989) used gravity assist techniques to pick up speed by flying past Venus. Galileo was designed to study Jupiter's atmosphere, satellites and surrounding magnetosphere for 2 years. It then flew past the Earth & Moon on December 8, 1990 and then again on December 8, 1992. It has made encounters with asteroid 951 Gaspra on October 29, 1991, and asteroid 243 Ida on August 28, 1993.

1994: Clementine - USA Lunar Orbiter - (launched January 25, 1994) spent 70 days (between February 6 and May 5, 1994) in lunar orbit. The official name for Clementine is Deep Space Probe Science Experiment (DSPSE). It was a Department of Defense program used to test new space technology. Clementine was a new design using lightweight structure and propellant systems. Its four cameras mapped the surface of the Moon at 125-250 meters/pixel resolution. Clementine also used a laser to gather altimeter data which will make it possible to generate the first lunar topographic map.

1997: Comet Shoemaker-Holt 2 Closest Approach to Earth (1.9245 AU)

1997: Soyuz TM-25 launches to the MIR

From: About.com

stargazer
02-12-2012, 12:51 AM
On This Date in History - February 11

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

topography: The general configuration of a land surface.

Who Was Born Today?

1953: Stephen D. Thorne, Frankfurt-on-Main, German FR, Lt Cmdr USN/astronaut

1960: Richard A. Mastracchio, Waterbury, Connecticut, astronaut

Today in History:

1970: Japan becomes 4th nation to put a satellite, Osumi, in orbit

1974: Titan-Centaur Test launch fails

1984: 10th space shuttle mission (41-B)-Challenger 4-returns to Earth

1994: Clementine - USA Lunar Orbiter - (launched January 25, 1994) spent 70 days (between February 6 and May 5, 1994) in lunar orbit. The official name for Clementine is Deep Space Probe Science Experiment (DSPSE). It was a Department of Defense program used to test new space technology. Clementine was a new design using lightweight structure and propellant systems. Its four cameras mapped the surface of the Moon at 125-250 meters/pixel resolution. Clementine also used a laser to gather altimeter data which will make it possible to generate the first lunar topographic map.

1994: Space shuttle STS-60 (Discovery 18), lands

1995: Space shuttle STS-63 (Discovery 19), lands

1997: STS 82 (Discovery 22) launches

From: About.com

stargazer
02-12-2012, 12:54 AM
On This Date in History - February 12

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

chromophores: Groups of atoms or molecules that are responsible for pigmentation (color).

Who Was Born Today?

1893: Marcel G J Minnaert, Dutch astronomer

1933: Ivan Nikolayevich Anikeyev, cosmonaut

1936: Fang Lizhi, Chinese astrophysicist/dissident

Who Died Today?

1787: Ruggiero Boscovich, Ital physicist/astronomer/philosopher, dies at 75

Today in History:

1955: Soviets decide space center to be built in Baikonur, Kazachstan

1961: Venera 1 - USSR Venus Flyby launched. Now in a solar orbit.

1974: Mars 5 - USSR Mars Orbiter entered into orbit around Mars. It acquired imaging data for the Mars 6 and 7 missions.

1979: Kosmos 1076, 1st Soviet oceanographic satellite, launched

1994: Clementine - USA Lunar Orbiter - (launched January 25, 1994) spent 70 days (between February 6 and May 5, 1994) in lunar orbit. The official name for Clementine is Deep Space Probe Science Experiment (DSPSE). It was a Department of Defense program used to test new space technology. Clementine was a new design using lightweight structure and propellant systems. Its four cameras mapped the surface of the Moon at 125-250 meters/pixel resolution. Clementine also used a laser to gather altimeter data which will make it possible to generate the first lunar topographic map.

From: About.com

karimisss
02-13-2012, 01:00 AM
On This Date in History - February 13

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

Sun: The star closest to Earth. The center of our solar system. A ball of hot, glowing gases which gives Earth heat and light.

Who Was Born Today?:

1852: Johan L E Dreyer, Danish astronomer, New gen catalogue of nebulae

1937: Sigmund Jaehn, German DR, cosmonaut, Soyuz 31/29

1939: Valery Illych Rozhdestvensky, U.S.S.R., cosmonaut, Soyuz 23

1942: Donald E Williams, Lafayette, Indiana, Capt USN/astronaut, STS 51D, STS 34

Today in History

1578: Tycho Brahe 1st sketches "Tychonic system" of solar system

1633: Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome for trial before Inquisition for professing belief that earth revolves around the Sun

1961: Soviet Union fires a rocket from Sputnik V to Venus

1994: Clementine - USA Lunar Orbiter - (launched January 25, 1994) spent 70 days (between February 6 and May 5, 1994) in lunar orbit. The official name for Clementine is Deep Space Probe Science Experiment (DSPSE). It was a Department of Defense program used to test new space technology. Clementine was a new design using lightweight structure and propellant systems. Its four cameras mapped the surface of the Moon at 125-250 meters/pixel resolution. Clementine also used a laser to gather altimeter data which will make it possible to generate the first lunar topographic map.

1997: Discovery captures Hubble Space Telescope

From: About.com

karimisss
02-13-2012, 01:14 AM
On This Date in History - February 14


Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

solar nebula: The cloud of gas and dust that began to collapse about 5 billion years ago to form the solar system.

Who Was Born Today

1898: Fritz Zwicky, Swiss astronomer, super nova
1947: Pham Tuan, Vietnam, cosmonaut, Soyuz 37/36

Who Died Today

1950: Karl G Jansky, Czech discoverer of cosmic radio sources, age 44

Today in History

1894: Venus is both a morning star and evening star

1972: Luna 20 - USSR Lunar Lander launched. Landed on the moon and returned samples to the Earth. Landed on February 21, 1972 at Apollonius highlands located at latitude 3°32' N and longitude 56°33' E. 30 grams of lunar samples were returned to the Earth.

1963: U.S. launches communications satellite Syncom 1

1980: U.S. launches Solar Maximum Mission Observatory to study solar flares

1990: Space probe Voyager 1 takes photograph of entire solar system

2001: Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft becomes first vehicle to land on an asteroid (433 Eros)

From: About.com

stargazer
02-16-2012, 10:29 AM
On This Date in History - February 15

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

shooting star: A meteor.

Who Was Born Today?

1564: Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa (now in Italy)., Pisa Italy, astronomer/physicist

http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/G/6/R/galileo.jpg
Galileo Galilei
Public Domain

1858: William Pickering, Boston, astronomer, 9th and 10th moons of Saturn

1935: Roger B Chaffee, Grand Rapids Michigan, Lt Cmdr USN/astronaut

1944: Aleksandr A. Serebrov, U.S.S.R., cosmonaut, Soyuz T-7, T-8, TM-8, TM-17

1950: Nikolai Sergeivich Grekov, Russia, cosmonaut

Today in History:

1973: U.S.S.R. launches Prognoz 3 to study sun (589/200,300 km)

1985: STS 51-E vehicle moves to launch pad

1994: Clementine - USA Lunar Orbiter - (launched January 25, 1994) spent 70 days (between February 6 and May 5, 1994) in lunar orbit. The official name for Clementine is Deep Space Probe Science Experiment (DSPSE). It was a Department of Defense program used to test new space technology. Clementine was a new design using lightweight structure and propellant systems. Its four cameras mapped the surface of the Moon at 125-250 meters/pixel resolution. Clementine also used a laser to gather altimeter data which will make it possible to generate the first lunar topographic map.

From: About.com

stargazer
02-16-2012, 10:32 AM
On This Date in History - February 16

Astronomy & Space Fact:

Hurricane names are chosen from a list selected by the World Meteorological Organization. Each name on the list starts with a different letter; for example, the name of the first hurricane of the season starts with A, the next starts with B, and so on. The letters Q, U, X, Y and Z are not used.

Who Was Born Today?

1514: Rhaticus, [Rheticus], Austrian astronomer/mathematician

1937: Valentin Vasilyevich Bondarenko, cosmonaut

Today in History:

374: 9th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet

http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/G/k/3/1/halray.gif
Ray Structure - Halley's Comet
NASA/JPL

1961: U.S. satellite Explorer 9 is launched

1965: Pegasus 1 launched to detect micro-meteors

1982: Assembled STS-3 vehicle moves from Vandenberg AFB to launch pad

1994: Clementine - USA Lunar Orbiter - (launched January 25, 1994) spent 70 days (between February 6 and May 5, 1994) in lunar orbit. The official name for Clementine is Deep Space Probe Science Experiment (DSPSE). It was a Department of Defense program used to test new space technology. Clementine was a new design using lightweight structure and propellant systems. Its four cameras mapped the surface of the Moon at 125-250 meters/pixel resolution. Clementine also used a laser to gather altimeter data which will make it possible to generate the first lunar topographic map.

From: About.com

stargazer
02-18-2012, 09:12 AM
On This Date in History - February 17

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

vastitas: Widespread lowlands.

Who Died Today?:

1874: Lambert Adolphe J Quetelet, Belgian astronomer/sociologist, age 77

Today in History:

1959: 1st weather satellite launched, Vanguard 2, 9.8 kg

1965: Ranger 8 - USA Lunar Hard Lander launched. Ranger 8 arrived at the moon on February 20, 1965. It sent back high-resolution pictures until it impacted in Mare Tranquillitatis.

[/URL][URL="http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/G/2/j/miss-ranger.gif"]http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/G/2/j/miss-ranger.gif (http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/G/2/j/miss-ranger.gif)
Ranger 8 Lunar Spacecraft. NASA


1966: French satellite Diapason D-1A launch into Earth orbit

1967: Kosmos 140 (Soyuz Test) launches into Earth orbit

1996: NEAR - USA Asteroid Orbiter launched. The main scientific purpose of NEAR (Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous) is to orbit near Earth asteroid 433 Eros. The spacecraft is scheduled to study the asteroid for one year after entering orbit in February 1999. NEAR imaged Comet Hyakutake in March 1996 and will fly within 1,200 kilometers of asteroid 253 Mathilde on June 27, 1997. This is the first of NASA's Discovery missions.

From: About.com

stargazer
02-18-2012, 09:18 AM
On This Date in History - February 18


Who Was Born Today?:

1677: Jacques Cassini, French astronomer, rings of Saturn

1930: Theodore C. Freeman, Haverford Penn, capt USAF/astronaut

Who Died Today?:

1966: Grigori Grigoyevich Nelyubov, Russian cosmonaut, age 31

Today in History:

1930: US astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto. Originally considered the ninth planet of our solar system, in August of 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided that Pluto is not a planet.

[/URL][URL="http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/G/f/f/pluto.jpg"]http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/G/f/f/pluto.jpg (http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/G/f/f/pluto.jpg)
Pluto. NASA

1974: NASA launches Italian satellite San Marcos C-2 (235/843 km)

1977: Space Shuttle above a Boeing 747 goes on it's maiden flight

1979: NASA launches space vehicle S-202

From: About.com

stargazer
02-20-2012, 12:28 AM
On This Date in History - February 19

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

weathering: The chemical and physical alteration of materials exposed to the environment on or near the surface of a planetary body.

Who Was Born Today?

1473: Nicolaus Copernicus, Torun, Poland, astronomer, heliocentrism

1932: Joseph P Kerwin, born in Oak Park, Illinois, Capt Med Corps USN/astronaut, Skylab 2

1948: Byron K Lichtenburg, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, astronaut, STS 9, STS 45

1952: Rudolfo Neri-Vida, Mexico, PHD/astronaut, STS 23

1956: George David Low, born in Cleveland, Ohio, astronaut, STS 32, STS 43

Today in History:

1970: U.S.S.R. launches Sputnik 52 and Molniya 1-13 communications satellite

1986: U.S.S.R. launches Mir space station into Earth orbit

[/URL][URL="http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/G/q/P/discoveryfrommir.jpg"]http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/G/q/P/discoveryfrommir.jpg (http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/G/q/P/discoveryfrommir.jpg)
Discovery seen from Mir - Spacehab module Visible in payload bay
NASA Andy Thomas

From:About.com

karimisss
02-23-2012, 12:55 AM
On This Date in History - February 21


Astronomy & Space Word of The Day


rotation: The turning or spinning of a body about an axis running through it.


Who Was Born Today


1964: Mark E Kelly, Orange, New Jersey, Lt USN/astronaut
1964: Scott J Kelly, Orange, New Jersey, Lt USN/astronaut


Who Died Today


1938: George Ellery Hale, astronomer
1992: Franc Holden, British astronomer (Binary Stars)


Today in History


1969: 1st launching of heavy N-1 rocket at Baikonur Kazachstan (explodes)
1972: Luna 20 - USSR Lunar Lander launched. Landed on the moon and returned samples to the Earth. Landed on February 21, 1972 at Apollonius highlands located at latitude 3°32' N and longitude 56°33' E. 30 grams of lunar samples were returned to the Earth.


1979: Japan launches Hakucho x-ray satellite and Corsa-B (550/580 km)
1981: NASA launches Comstar D-4
1981: Japan launches Hinotori satellite to study solar flares (580/640 k)
1996: Soyuz TM-23, launched into orbit


From: About.com

karimisss
02-23-2012, 01:00 AM
On This Date in History - February 21


Astronomy & Space Word of The Day


Accretion Disk : The whirling disk of gas that form around a compact object such as a white dwarf, neutron star or black hole as matter is drawn in.


Who Was Born Today


1796: Adolphe Quetelet, Belgium, mathematician/astronomer/statistician
1952: James Philip Bagian, Philadelphia, MDPE/astronaut, STS 29, STS 40



Today in History


1965: USSR launches Kosmos 57 into earth orbit (Voskhod Test)
1966: USSR launches Kosmos 110 with Veterok and Ugolek, 1st 2-dog crew (See Dogs in Space)


1996: STS 75 (Columbia 19), launches into orbit


From:About.com

karimisss
02-23-2012, 01:05 AM
On This Date in History - February 23

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day


silicate: A compound containing silicon and oxygen (e.g. olivine). A group of minerals constituting about 95% of the Earth's crust, and containing silicon and oxygen combined with one or more other elements.


Who Was Born Today


1928: Vasily Grigoryevich Lazarev, Siberia U.S.S.R., cosmonaut, Soyuz 12, 18A

1949: Marc Garneau, Quebec City Canada, PhD/astronaut, STS 13, 77

1953: Sallie L Baliunas, astrophysicist


Today in History


1987: Supernova 1987A in LMC 1st seen; 1st naked-eye supernova since 1604


From:About.com

karimisss
02-26-2012, 08:29 PM
On This Date in History - February 24

Astronomy & Space Fact

Sailors were the first to use nautical miles. One nautical mile is equal to one minute of latitude. Maps were drawn to follow this standard and world aviation standards still use the nautical mile. A nautical mile is equivalent to 1.1508 miles, or 6,076 feet, in the English measurement system. To convert nautical miles into kilometers multiply the nautical miles by 1.8520.

Who Was Born Today

1931: Lev Vasilyevich Vorobyov, Russia, cosmonaut

Today in History

1949: V-2/WAC-Corporal 1st rocket to outer space, White Sands, NM, 400 km

1969: Mariner 6 - USA Mars Flyby launched. Mariner 6 and 7 took measurements of the surface and atmospheric temperature, surface molecular composition, and pressure of the atmosphere. In addition, over 200 pictures were taken. Mariner 6 is now in a solar orbit.

From:About.com

karimisss
02-26-2012, 08:32 PM
On This Date in History - February 25

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

Doppler Effect: The apparent change in wavelength of sound or light caused by the motion of the source, observer or both.

Who Was Born Today

1723: Christopher Wren, England, astronomer/architect, age 90

Today in History

1979: Soyuz 32 carries 2 cosmonauts to Salyut 6 space station is launched

From:About.com

karimisss
02-29-2012, 01:31 AM
On This Date in History - February 26

Astronomy & Space Fact

To communicate with distant spacecraft, NASA's Deep Space Network uses antenna with a diameter of up to 70 meters (230 feet). That is almost as big as a football field.

Who Was Born Today

1952: Mario Runco, Jr., born in Bronx, New York, Lt Cmdr USN/astronaut, STS 44, 54, 77

Who Died Today

Today in History

66: 5th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet


From:About.com

karimisss
02-29-2012, 01:33 AM
On This Date in History - February 27

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day


zodiacal light: a faint glow from light scattered off of interplanetary dust along the plane of the ecliptic.

Who Was Born Today

1940: Brian T O'Leary, born in Boston, Massachusetts, astronaut

Who Died Today

1967: Edward Higgins White II, Lt Col USAF/astronaut (Gemini 4), age 36; Roger B Chaffee, astronaut, age 31; Virgil I (Gus) Grissom, astronaut, age 40 all died in Apollo I fire.

Today in History

1908 Pasiphae, a satellite of Jupiter, discovered by Melotte

1967: Treaty banning military use of nuclear weapons in space, signed

1958: Dr. Hugh L. Dryden, Director of the NACA, in a speech to the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences, stressed the importance of a well-planned and logical space program embracing both civilian and military uses. He stated that the national space program should be under the joint control of the Department of Defense, the NACA, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Science Foundation; in addition to research flights, the NACA would coordinate and conduct research in space technology in its own laboratories and by contract in support of both military and nonmilitary projects.

1967: The crew of Apollo/Saturn 204 (more commonly known as Apollo 1 mission) were training for the first crewed Apollo flight, an Earth orbiting mission scheduled to be launched on 21 February. On board were astronaut Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, (the second American astronaut to fly into space) astronaut Edward H. White II, (the first American astronaut to "walk" in space) and astronaut Roger B. Chaffee, (a "rookie" astronaut on his first space mission). A fire broke out during the test and spread quickly through the cabin. The crew most likely perished within the first 30 seconds from smoke inhalation or burns. Resuscitation efforts were futile.

1985: 15th Space Shuttle (51-C) Mission-Discovery 3 returns to Earth

From:About.com

karimisss
02-29-2012, 01:36 AM
On This Date in History - February 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

karimisss
03-06-2012, 12:35 AM
On This Date in History - February 29

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

photometry: The accurate quantitative measurement of the amount of light received from an object or area.

Who Was Born Today

1796: Lambert Adolphe J Quetelet, Belgian astronomer/meteorology
1936: Jack R Lousma, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Col USMC/astronaut, Skylab 3, STS-3

Who Died Today

Today in History

1504: Columbus uses a lunar eclipse to frighten hostile Jamaican Indians

From:About.com

karimisss
03-06-2012, 12:40 AM
On This Date in History - March 1



Astronomy & Space Fact

There is no set number of people in an astronaut candidate class; NASA selects candidates on an as-needed basis.

Who Was Born Today

1924: Donald "Deke" Kent Slayton, born in Sparta, Wisconsin, Major USAF/astro, Apollo 18
1941: Michael L. Lampton, born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, astronaut

Who Died Today

Today in History

1966: Venera 3 becomes 1st man-made object to impact on a planet (Venus)

1982: Venera 13 landed on Venus.

1986: Sakigake, Japan Comet Flyby made its comet flyby.

1996: NEAR, USA Asteroid Orbiter (Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous) imaged Comet Hyakutake.


1984: Landsat 5 and ham satellite Oscar 11 launched into polar orbit

1989: Comet du Toit at perihelion

From:About.com

karimisss
03-14-2012, 01:36 AM
On This Date in History - March 2


Astronomy & Space Fact


Oceans cover almost three-quarters of the Earth. If all the ice in glaciers and ice sheets melted, the sea level would rise by about 80 meters -- about the height of a 26-story building.

Who Was Born Today

1931: Duane E. Graveline, born in Newport, Vermont, astronaut

Who Died Today

1840: Heinrich Olbers, German astronomer (comets and asteroids), age 81

Today in History

1968: USSR launches space probe Zond 4; fails to leave Earth orbit

1972: Pioneer 10 launched for Jupiter flyby

1978: Soyuz 28 carries 2 cosmonauts (1 Czechoslovakian) to Salyut 6

1995: Space shuttle STS-67 (Endeavour 8), launches

1996: NEAR, USA Asteroid Orbiter (Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous) imaged Comet Hyakutake.

From:About.com

karimisss
03-14-2012, 01:39 AM
On This Date in History - March 3


Astronomy & Space Fact


Landsat was the series of revolutionary satellites that were first launched in 1972 for the purpose of systematically photographing the surface of the Earth from space.

Who Was Born Today

1838: George W. Hill, U.S. astronomer, Moon orbit
1942: Vladimir Vasilyevich Kovolyonok, USR, cosmonaut, Soyuz 25, 29/31, T-4
1946: James C. Adamson, born Warsaw New York, Lt. Col. U.S. astronaut on STS 28, STS 43
1949: Bonnie J. Dunbar, born Sunnyside, Washington, PhD/astronaut, STS 61-A, 32, 50, 71, 89
1949: James S. Voss, born Cordova, Alabama, Major USA/astronaut, STS 44, 53, 69
1951: Sergei Aleksandrovich Yemelyanov, Russian cosmonaut
1953: Aleksandr Viktorovich Borodin, born in Russia, cosmonaut

Who Died Today

1703: Robert Hooke died in London, England

Today in History

1915: Natl Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NASA forerunner) created

1959: US Probe, Pioneer 4 made a Distant Lunar Flyby. It is now in a solar orbit.

1969: Apollo 9 launched for 151 Earth orbits (10 days)

1987: Pioneer 9, USA Solar Probe (November 8, 1968 - March 3, 1987) died. Still in solar orbit.

1996: NEAR, USA Asteroid Orbiter (Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous) imaged Comet Hyakutake.

From:About.com

karimisss
03-14-2012, 01:43 AM
On This Date in History - March 4

Astronomy & Space Word of The Day


young: When used to describe a planetary surface "young" means that the visible features are of relatively recent origin, i.e. that older features have been destroyed (e.g. by erosion or lava flows). Young surfaces exhibit few impact craters and are typically varied and complex. In contrast an "old" surface is one that has changed relatively little over geologic time. The surfaces of Earth and Io are young; the surfaces of Mercury and Callisto are old.

Who Was Born Today

1835: Giovanni Schiaparelli, born in Italy, astronomer, discovered canals of Mars
1862: Robert Emden, Swiss geo/astro physics, Emden-polytroop
1904: George Gamow, nuclear physicist, cosmologist and writer, 1, 2, 3...ì
1923: Patrick Moore, born in England, astronomer and writer, A-Z of Astronomy
1937: Yuri Aleksandrovich Senkevich, Russian cosmonaut

Who Died Today

Today in History

1675: John Flamsteed appointed 1st Astronomer Royal of England

1959: U.S. Pioneer IV misses Moon and becomes 2nd (U.S. 1st) artificial planet

1968: Orbiting Geophysical Observatory 5 launched

1982: NASA launches Intelsat V

1990: U.S. 65th manned space mission STS 36 (Atlantis 6) returns from space

1994: Space shuttle STS-62 (Columbia 16), launches into orbit

1996: NEAR, USA Asteroid Orbiter (Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous) imaged Comet Hyakutake.

1997: Comet Hale-Bopp directly above the Sun (1.04 AU)

1997: Zeya Start-1 launched (Russia)

From:About.com

karimisss
03-14-2012, 01:50 AM
On This Date in History - March 5

Quote Of The Day


The universe is wider than our views of it.
Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

Who Was Born Today

1794: Jacques Babinet, French physicist, mathematician and astronomer
1935: Philip K. Chapman, born in Melbourne, Australia, astronaut, Apollo 14 support
1953: Valery Grigoriyevich Korzun, Russian colonel/cosmonaut, TM-24
1962: Robert L. Curbeam, Jr., born in Baltimore, Maryland, astronaut, STS 85, sk: 99

Who Died Today

1827: Pierre-Simon Laplace died in Paris, France

Today in History

1968: U.S. launches Solar Explorer 2 to study the Sun

1978: Landsat 3 launched from Vandenberg AFB, California

1979: Voyager 1 flew by Jupiter.

1980: Earth satellites record gamma rays from remnants of supernova N-49

1982: Venera 14 landed on Venus.

1996: NEAR, USA Asteroid Orbiter (Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous) imaged Comet Hyakutake.

From:About.com

karimisss
03-15-2012, 01:42 AM
On This Date in History - March 6

Quote Of The Day


Moreover, the universe as a whole is infinite, for whatever is limited has an outermost edge to limit it, and such an edge is defined by something beyond. Since the universe has no edge, it has no limit; and since it lacks a limit, it is infinite and unbounded. Moreover, the universe is infinite both in the number of its atoms and in the extent of its void.
Epicurus (c. 341–271 B.C.)

Who Was Born Today

1912: Madge Adam, astronomer
1927: Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr., born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, USAF/astronaut, Mercury 9, Gemini 5
1937: Valentina V Tereshkova-Nikolayev, 1st woman in space, Vostok 6
1946: Patrick Pierre Roger Baudry, born in Cameroon, astronaut, STS 18

Who Died Today

Today in History

1974: Mars 7 failed to go into orbit about Mars and the lander missed the planet. Carrier and lander are now in a solar orbit.

1986: USSR's Vega 1 flies by Halley's Comet at 8,889 km

1996: NEAR, USA Asteroid Orbiter (Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous) imaged Comet Hyakutake.

From:About.com

karimisss
03-15-2012, 01:46 AM
On This Date in History - March 7


Astronomy & Space Word of The Day


revolution: The motion of one body around another (e.g. the motion of the planets in their orbit around the Sun).

Who Was Born Today

1792: John Herschel, born in Slough, England, William Herschel's son, astronomer
1837: Henry Draper, born in Virginia, astro-spectro-photographer, Moon, Jupiter
1940: Viktor Petrovich Savinykh, U.S.S.R., cosmonaut, Soyuz T-4, T-13, TM-5

Who Died Today

Today in History

1962: Launch of OSO 1, 1st astronomy satellite (solar flare data)

1973: Comet (Lubos) Kohoutek discovered at Hamburg Observatory

1989: Partial eclipse of the Sun in Hawaii, North West North America, Greenland

1996: 1st surface photos of Pluto by Hubble Space Telescope

From:About.com

karimisss
03-15-2012, 02:01 AM
On This Date in History - March 8

Astronomy & Space Fact


Six Apollo missions landed on the moon: Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17.

Who Was Born Today

1939: George William Reed, astronomy writer/cartoonist, Dark Sky Legacy
1952: Vladimir Vladimirovich Vasyutin, U.S.S.R., cosmonaut, Soyuz T-14

Who Died Today

883: Albumasar, [Ahmad Aboe M Gafar al-Balkhi], Arabic astronomer, dies

Today in History

1986: Suisei, Japan Comet Flyby made its flyby.

1979: 1st extraterrestrial volcano discovered on Io, a satellite of Jupiter

1934: Edwin Hubble photo shows as many galaxies as Milky Way has stars

From:About.com

karimisss
08-11-2012, 04:38 AM
On This Date in History - August 11



Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

heliosphere: The space within the boundary of the heliopause containing the Sun and solar system.

Today in History

1972: Mars 3 - USSR Mars Orbiter/Soft Lander (launched May 28, 1971) stopped reporting this month.
Mars 3 arrived at Mars on December 2, 1971. The lander was released and became the first successful landing on Mars. It failed after relaying 20 seconds of video data to the orbiter. The Mars 3 orbiter returned data until August, 1972. It made measurements of surface temperature and atmospheric composition

From:About.com