Category: Space Exploration

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Moon Landing Space Exploration This Day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration History

Apollo 16 Liftoff [Video, April 16, 1972]

Apollo 16 Liftoff (April 16, 1972)
Apollo 16 Liftoff (April 16, 1972). Even on the photo, you can have an idea of what a beast the Saturn V rocket was. This is a resized image, you can see the original image on NASA.gov.

On April 16, 1972, the huge, 363-feet (110.6 meters) tall Apollo 16 (Spacecraft 113/Lunar Module 11/Saturn V SA-511, see notes 1) space vehicle was launched from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 12:54 p.m. EST. Crewed by Commander John W. Young, Lunar Module Pilot Charles Duke (see notes 2), and Command Module Pilot Ken Mattingly (see notes 3), it was the tenth crewed mission in the United States Apollo space program, the fifth and penultimate to land on the Moon and the first to land in the lunar highlands.

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This Day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration History Space Exploration

Yuri Gagarin became the first human to fly into space on April 12, 1961

Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (9 March 1934 - 27 March 1968) was a Russian pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on 12 April 1961. After being the first human in the space, Gagarin became an international celebrity and was awarded many medals and titles, including Hero of the Soviet Union, the nation's highest honor. Vostok 1 marked his only spaceflight, but he served as backup crew to the Soyuz 1 mission, which ended in a fatal crash: on 27 March 1968, while on a routine training flight from Chkalovsky Air Base, he and flight instructor Vladimir Seryogin died in a MiG-15UTI crash near the town of Kirzhach. The bodies of Gagarin and Seryogin were cremated and the ashes were buried in the walls of the Kremlin on Red Square in Moscow.

On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to fly into space. His vehicle, Vostok 1 circled Earth at a speed of 27,400 km/h (17,025 mph) with the flight lasting 108 minutes. Vostok’s reentry was controlled by a computer, and Gagarin wasn’t controlling the spacecraft, unlike the early U.S. human spaceflight programs. Instead, at about 7,000 meters (23,000 ft), he ejected from the descending capsule ejected from the spacecraft and landed by parachute.

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This Day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration History Space Exploration

The First Space Shuttle was Launched on April 12, 1981

The first Space Shuttle launch: April 12, 1981
The first Space Shuttle launch: Just seconds past 7 a.m. on April 12, 1981, Space Shuttle Columbia carries astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen into an Earth orbital mission scheduled to last for 54 hours, ending with unpowered landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

On April 12, 1981, NASA launched the first Space Shuttle mission, STS-1 (Space Transportation System-1), into space. The first reusable orbiter, Space Shuttle Columbia orbited Earth 37 times on its maiden voyage and returned on April 14, 1981, 54.5 hours later its launch.

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This Day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration History Space Exploration

Mercury Seven, the US’ first 7 astronauts were announced on April 9, 1959

Mercury Seven
On April 9, 1959, NASA introduced the Original Seven Mercury astronauts to the public, who are commonly known as the "Mercury Seven". Photo: NASA

On April 9, 1959, NASA introduced the Original Seven Mercury astronauts to the public, who are commonly known as the “Mercury Seven”. With Project Mercury, the United States gained its first experience in conducting human space missions that provided scientific and engineering knowledge for astronauts in space.

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This Day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration History Space Exploration

Luna 10 became the first artificial satellite to orbit another world [the Moon] on April 3, 1966

Luna 10 mockup
Luna 10 mockup at the Museum of Air and Space Paris, Le Bourget (France). Photo by Pline - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

On April 3, 1966, Luna 10, a 1966 lunar robotic spacecraft in Soviet Union’s Luna Program (see notes 1) became the first artificial satellite to orbit another world the Moon.

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Earth from Space Space Exploration This Day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration History

The first television picture of Earth from space [April 1, 1960]

The first television picture of Earth from space
This is the first television picture of Earth from space; it was captured on April 1, 1960, by NASA's TIROS 1 satellite.

On April 1, 1960, NASA’s TIROS-1 (Television Infrared Observation Satellites-1), the first weather satellite was launched from Cape Kennedy and captured the first television picture of Earth from space.

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Space Exploration Earth from Space

Astronaut Mark Vande Hei answers social media questions about his record-breaking spaceflight

NASA Astronaut Mark Vande Hei
NASA Astronaut Mark Vande Hei answers social media questions about his record-breaking spaceflight aboard the International Space Station (March 10, 2022).

On March 30, 2020, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei returned to Earth after 355 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). He broke the record for the longest spaceflight by an American astronaut. In a video published by the NASA Johnson channel, Vande Hei answers social media questions on March 10 and reflects on his record-breaking spaceflight.

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This Day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration History Solar System Space Exploration

The first moon in orbit around an asteroid [243 Ida] was discovered on March 23, 1994

Asteroid 243 Ida and its moon Dactyl
Asteroid Ida and its moon Dactyl, which is the first natural satellite discovered orbiting an asteroid. This image was obtained when the Galileo spacecraft flew past 243 Ida on August 28, 1993 and was released on March 23, 1994. Credit: NASA/JPL

On March 23, 1994, a photo was released showing the first moon discovered be in orbit around an asteroid, 243 Ida.

Today’s (March 23) story of what happened this day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration history.

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This Day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration History Astronomy Solar System Space Exploration

Christiaan Huygens discovered Titan on March 25, 1655

Titan orbiting Saturn
Larger than the planet Mercury, huge moon Titan is seen here as it orbits Saturn. Below Titan are the shadows cast by Saturn's rings. This natural color view was created by combining six images captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on May 6, 2012. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

On March 25, 1655, the Dutch mathematician, physicist, astronomer, and inventor Christiaan Huygens discovered Titan, Saturn’s largest moon and the second-largest natural satellite in the Solar System (after Jupiter’s Ganymede).

Today’s (March 25) story of what happened this day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration history.

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Space Exploration Astronomy

How AI Plays a Significant Role in Discovering the Universe

Andromeda Galaxy
Photo by Miriam Espacio from Pexels. Photo link

Artificial intelligence (AI) has driven a lot of advancements in different fields of study. From medicine, engineering, finance, and even the way we do groceries have all changed for the better. More importantly, AI pushes humankind’s understanding of the places we never thought possible.

From protecting humanity to making sense out of seemingly random data, here are a few examples of artificial intelligence playing a significant role in our quest to understand the universe.

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