Blog Archives

Mar 2, 1972: Pioneer 10 Launched to Jupiter

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Action for Freedom — Leave a comment

Pioneer 10, the world’s first outer-planetary probe, is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a mission to Jupiter, the solar system’s largest planet. In December 1973, after successfully negotiating the asteroid belt and a distance of 620 million miles, Pioneer…

Tagged with: 1972, Asteroid Belt, Carl Sagan, Earth, Gas giant, Jupiter, March, March 2, NASA, Pioneer 10, Solar System, Space probe, This Day in History, This Day In History
Posted in Uncategorized

Feb 20, 1962: An American Orbits Earth

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Action for Freedom — Leave a comment

From Cape Canaveral, Florida, John Hershel Glenn Jr. is successfully launched into space aboard the Friendship 7 spacecraft on the first orbital flight by an American astronaut. Glenn, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, was among the seven…

Tagged with: 1962, Alan Shepard, February, February 20, Gus Grissom, John F. Kennedy, John Glenn, Mercury-Atlas 6, NASA, Space Shuttle Discovery, This Day in History, This Day In History, United States
Posted in Uncategorized

Feb 7, 1984: First Human Satellite

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Action for Freedom — Leave a comment

While in orbit 170 miles above Earth, Navy Captain Bruce McCandless becomes the first human being to fly untethered in space when he exits the U.S. space shuttle Challenger and maneuvers freely, using a bulky white rocket pack of his…

Tagged with: 1984, Christa McAuliffe, Earth, February, February 7, NASA, Orbit, Space, Space Shuttle, Space Shuttle Challenger, Technology, This Day in History, This Day In History
Posted in Uncategorized

Feb 1, 2003: Columbia Mission Ends in Disaster

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Action for Freedom — Leave a comment

On this day in 2003, the space shuttle Columbia breaks up while entering the atmosphere over Texas, killing all seven crew members on board. The Columbia‘s 28th space mission, designated STS-107, was originally scheduled to launch on January 11, 2001,…

Jan 28, 1986: Space Shuttle Challenger Explodes

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Action for Freedom — 2 Comments

At 11:38 a.m. EST, on January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger lifts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Christa McAuliffe is on her way to becoming the first ordinary U.S. civilian to travel into space. McAuliffe, a 37-year-old high…

January 27, 1967: Astronauts Die in Launch Pad Fire

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Action for Freedom — Leave a comment

A launch pad fire during Apollo program tests at Cape Canaveral, Florida, kills astronauts Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chafee. An investigation indicated that a faulty electrical wire inside the Apollo 1 command module was…

Dec 27, 1968: Apollo 8 Returns to Earth

Posted on December 28, 2010 by Action for Freedom — Leave a comment

Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, returns safely to Earth after an historic six-day journey. On December 21, Apollo 8 was launched by a three-stage Saturn 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with astronauts Frank Borman, James…

Tagged with: 1968, Apollo 8, December 27, First Manned Mission to the Moon, NASA, This Day in History, This Day In History
Posted in Uncategorized