The budget of NASA from 1970 to 1979 marks a decade of transition and continued exploration in space science. Building on the success of the Moon landing, this period saw the development and execution of significant missions such as the Viking landings on Mars, the launch of Skylab, America’s first space station, and the inception …
Category Archives: Solar System
Budget of NASA, Year by Year [1958-2024]
Have you ever wondered what is the budget of NASA? Charting the course of human history, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has turned science fiction into reality since its establishment on July 29, 1958. With an array of incredible feats, from Moon landings to Mars rovers, NASA has continually pushed the boundaries of …
Budget of NASA, Year by Year [1958-1969]
The budget of NASA from 1958 to 1969 represents a crucial period in the history of space exploration. During these transformative years, NASA’s funding saw significant fluctuations, reflecting the national priorities and ambitions of the time. This period marked the inception of the Apollo program, leading to the landmark achievement of putting a human on …
The first Mercury flyby was performed by Mariner 10 on March 29, 1974
On March 29, 1974, NASA’s Mariner 10 spacecraft has performed the first Mercury flyby in the history of space exploration.
Voyager 1 performed the Jupiter flyby on March 5, 1979
On March 5, 1979, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft performed a Jupiter flyby as it flew within 277,400 kilometers (172,368 miles) of the planet’s cloud tops or 348,890 km/216,790 miles from the center of mass.
Pioneer 10 was launched on March 2, 1972
On March 2, 1972, Pioneer 10, was launched by NASA on top of an Atlas-Centaur rocket (AC-27 / Atlas 3C no. 5007C / Centaur D-1A) to study Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, and its environment. The mission’s primary goal was to fly by Jupiter and study its atmosphere, magnetosphere, and radiation belts. …
Venera 13 became the first spacecraft to record sounds on another planet [Venus] on March 1, 1982
On March 1, 1982, the landing vehicle of the Soviet Union’s Venera 13 spacecraft landed on Venus and became the first spacecraft to record sounds on another planet.
The first Uranus flyby was performed by Voyager 2 on January 24, 1986
On January 24, 1986, NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft performed the first (and as of 2023, the only so far) Uranus flyby in the history of space exploration.
The first soft landing on Titan was performed by the Huygens spacecraft on January 14, 2005
![Huygens spacecraft on Titan [artist concept]](https://cdn-0.ourplnt.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Huygens-spacecraft-on-Titan-artist-concept.jpg)
On January 14, 2005, the Huygens spacecraft, the atmospheric entry robotic probe part of the Casini-Huygens mission performed the first soft landing on Titan. As of 2023, it is the only one accomplished in the outer Solar System and was also the first on a moon other than Earth’s, and the most distant landing ever.
The first soft landing on another planet (Venus) was performed by Venera 7 on December 15, 1970
On December 15, 1970, Soviet Union’s Venera 7 spacecraft landed on Venus’ surface and became the first spacecraft to perform a soft landing on another planet. It also transmitted information to Earth for 53 minutes, 23 minutes of them from the Venusian surface, another first in the history of space exploration (the first data transmission …