History

Space History section which shows what happened today in space history

Moon Day: July 20 of Every Year

The General Assembly of United Nations declared International Moon Day, a United Nations-designated international day to be observed annually on…

2 years ago

May 7, 1992: Space Shuttle Endeavour Launches on its Maiden Voyage

On May 7, 1992, the space shuttle Endeavour launched on its first flight. Endeavour was the fifth and last space…

3 years ago

May 6, 1968: Neil Armstrong Barely Escapes Fiery Crash

On May 6, 1968, NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong almost met his fate while simulating a lunar landing. This was a…

3 years ago

May 5, 1961: Alan Shepard Becomes the First American in Space

On May 5, 1961, Navy Commander Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. was launched into space aboard the Freedom 7 space capsule, becoming…

3 years ago

May 3, 1986: Delta Rocket Fails to Launch GOES-G Weather Satellite

On May 3, 1986, NASA attempted to launch a new weather satellite called GOES-G for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric…

3 years ago

May 1, 1949: Nereid the Moon of Neptune is Discovered.

On May 1, 1949, Neptune's moon Nereid was discovered by the Dutch astronomer Gerard Kuiper. This was the second of…

3 years ago

April 30, 2015: Messenger Spaceprobe Crashes to Mercury

On April 30, 2015, NASA's MESSENGER Mercury mission came to an end when the spacecraft intentionally crashed into the surface…

3 years ago

April 29, 1985: European ‘Spacelab’ Launches on Space Shuttle Challenger

On April 29, 1985, the European Space Agency's Spacelab launched on the space shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51B. This was…

3 years ago

April 28, 2001: World’s 1st Space Tourist Launches to International Space Station

On April 28, 2001, the world's first space tourist hitched a ride to the International Space Station on a Russian…

3 years ago

April 27, 1961: NASA Launches Explorer 11

On April 27, 1961, NASA launched Explorer 11, a satellite that contained the first gamma ray telescope to go to…

3 years ago