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.
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.
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.
On March 28, 1949, the English astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle (24 June 1915 – 20 August 2001) unintentionally coined the term “Big Bang”. In fact, Hoyle was thinking the idea that the universe had a beginning to be pseudoscience and he was arguing the universe as being in a “steady-state”.
Today’s (March 28) story of what happened this day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration history.
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.
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.
On March 24, 1882, German physician and microbiologist Robert Koch (11 December 1843 – 27 May 1910) announced the discovery of the tuberculosis bacterium. since 1982, March 24 is commemorated by the World Health Organization (WHO) World Tuberculosis Day to raise public awareness.
Today’s (March 24) story of what happened this day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration history.
On March 23, 2001, after 15 years and more than 86,000 total orbits, Russia’s Mir Space Station was deorbited at 9 a.m. Moscow time. The 134-ton space structure broke up over the southern Pacific Ocean. Some of its larger pieces blazed harmlessly into the sea, about 1,800 miles east of New Zealand.
Today’s (March 23) story of what happened this day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration history.
On March 22, 1995, Russian cosmonaut Valeri Vladimirovich Polyakov returned to Earth from space aboard Soyuz TM-20. During this flight (it was Polyakov’s second spaceflight), he completed just over 7,000 orbits of the Earth. On 9 January 1995, after 366 days in space, Polyakov formally broke the spaceflight duration record previously set by the Soviet cosmonauts Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov six years earlier. The previous record was 365 days 22 hours 38 minutes.
Upon returning to Earth, Polyakov spent 437 days, 17 hours, and 58 minutes in space and set the longest duration spaceflight record that still stands.
Today’s (March 22) story of what happened this day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration history.
On March 21, 2013, European Space Agency‘s (ESA) Planck spacecraft revealed the most detailed map ever created of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB, CMBR).
Today’s (March 21) story of what happened this day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration history.