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

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

Voskhod 1 became the first multi-person spacecraft in space on October 12, 1964

Voskhod 1 in space
Soviet Union's Voskhod 1, the first multi-person spacecraft in space (screenshot from Kerbal Space Program)

Voskhod 1, the seventh crewed Soviet spacecraft was launched on October 12, 1964. Three cosmonauts, Vladimir Komarov (16 March 1927 – 24 April 1967), Konstantin Feoktistov (7 February 1926 – 21 November 2009), and Boris Yegorov (26 November 1937 – 12 September 1994) were aboard, so Voskhod 1 became the first multi-person spacecraft in space.

It also set a crewed spacecraft altitude record of 336 kilometers (209 miles). Another first was, the spacecraft carried either an engineer or a physician into outer space.

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

Apollo 7 was launched on October 11, 1968

Apollo 7 launch
Apollo 7, the first crewed flight in NASA's Apollo program was launched on October 11, 1968, exactly ten years after the space agency's first launch.

Apollo 7, the first crewed flight in NASA’s Apollo program was launched on October 11, 1968, exactly ten years after the space agency’s first launch. The mission successfully demonstrated the crewed performance of the Command and Service Modules and featured the first American live broadcast from space.

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

The First Photo of the Far Side of the Moon was Taken by Luna 3 on October 7, 1959

The first photo of the far side of the Moon, taken by the Luna 3 spacecraft
A historic photo: the first full view of significant quality (cropped frame number 29) of the first series of photos of the far side of the Moon, taken by Soviet Union's Luna 3 spacecraft on October 7, 1959. The dark patches at the left include Mare Crisium (on the near side), Mare Smythii, and Mare Marginis (on the border of the near and far sides). At the bottom is Mare Australe. The dark patch above the right of the center is Mare Moscoviense, and below the right of the center is the Tsiolkovskiy crater. It was named after Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857 – 1935), the Russian and Soviet rocket scientist who pioneered the astronautic theory. Below and to the right of Tsiolkovskiy is the Jules Verne crater.

On October 7, 1959, Soviet Union’s Luna 3 spacecraft photographed the far side of the moon for the first time ever. These photographs, despite being of poor quality, caused excitement when they were published because the humanity had never saw the far side of the moon before.

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

The first “actual” computer bug was found on September 9, 1947

First actual computer bug
A page from the Harvard Mark II electromechanical computer's log, featuring a dead moth that was removed from the device. Photo courtesy of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, VA., 1988. - U.S. Naval Historical Center Online Library Photograph NH 96566-KN, Public Domain, Link

On September 9, 1947, a team of computer scientists and engineers operating Harward University’s Mark II electromechanical computer started getting an error. They traced the error and found a moth trapped in a relay. The moth was carefully removed and taped to the logbook with a note saying “first actual case of bug being found”. Urban legend says this was the first case of a computer bug, but it’s not true.

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

Voyager 1 launch [September 5, 1977]

Voyager 1 launch

Voyager 1 launch: On September 5, 1973, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft was launched on top of a Titan IIIE/Centaur rocket from the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex in Florida, 16 days after its twin, Voyager 2. Photo: Voyager 1 Launch on the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory website.

Voyager 1 launch: On September 5, 1977, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft was launched on top of a Titan IIIE/Centaur rocket from the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex in Florida, 16 days after its twin, Voyager 2. The reversal of order was because the two spacecraft were sent on different trajectories, and Voyager 1 was put on a path to reach its planetary targets, Jupiter and Saturn, ahead of Voyager 2.

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

Viking 2 landed on Mars on September 3, 1976

Viking 2 lander on Mars
NASA's Viking 2 lander on the surface of Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

On September 3, 1976, the lander of NASA’s Viking 2 spacecraft (which consisted of an orbiter and a lander) separated from the orbiter and safely landed on Mars.

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

Pioneer 11 performed the first Saturn flyby on September 1, 1979

Pioneer 11 performs the first Saturn flyby on September 1, 1979
On September 1, 1979, Pioneer 11 performed the first Saturn flyby. Image: Illustration of Pioneer 11 near Saturn, by Rick Guidice. Source: NASA

On September 1, 1979, NASA’s Pioneer 11 spacecraft performed the first Saturn flyby in the history of space exploration, at a distance of 21,000 km (13,000 miles) from Saturn’s cloud tops.

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

Guion Bluford became the first black astronaut in space on August 30, 1983

Guion Bluford, the first black astronaut in space with STS-8 mission (1983)
On August 30, 1983, Guion Bluford, better known as Guy, was launched aboard Space Shuttle Challenger's STS-8 mission on August 30, 1983, he became the first black astronaut in space.

On August 30, 1983, Guion Bluford, better known as Guy, was launched aboard Space Shuttle Challenger’s STS-8 mission on August 30, 1983, he became the first black astronaut in space.

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

Voyager 1 became the first spacecraft in interstellar space on August 25, 2012

Voyager 1 in deep space
NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft, shown in this illustration, has been exploring our solar system since 1977, along with its twin, Voyager 2. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

On August 25, 2012, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft crossed the heliopause, the theoretical boundary of our solar system where the Sun’s solar wind is stopped by the interstellar medium, and became the first spacecraft in interstellar space.

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

Voyager 2 performed the first Neptune flyby on August 25, 1989

Voyager 2 Neptune flyby
Voyager 2 came in close contact with Neptune and its moon Triton, gathering a lot of information about its moon. Voyager is now providing direct measurements of the temperature and density of interstellar plasma, as it became the first human-made object to venture into interstellar space. The Deep Space Network provides communication and tracking services to Voyager 2 through its 34 and 70 meter (112 and 230 feet) antennas. Image: NASA

On August 25, 1989, Voyager 2 performed a close Neptune flyby, giving humanity its first close-up of the eighth (and the outermost) planet of our solar system. Neptune was the spacecraft’s final planetary target.

That first Neptune flyby was also the last: No other spacecraft has visited Neptune since.

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