Latest about on this day in space
On this day in space! Aug. 11, 1960: 1st object successfully recovered from orbit
President Eisenhower inspects the Discoverer 13 capsule after its return to Earth.
On this day in space! Aug. 10, 1972: A 'Great Daylight Fireball' lights up the sky over North America
On Aug. 10, 1972, an Earth-grazing fireball burst through the sky over North America. Here's what happened.
On this day in space! Aug. 9, 1976: Soviet Luna 24 sample return probe launches to the moon
On Aug. 9, 1976, the Soviet space program launched its last moon mission. Luna 24 was a robotic sample return mission and the third of its kind.
On this day in space! Aug. 8, 1977: Soviet Union's Salyut 5 reconnaissance space station burns up in Earth's atmosphere
Salyut 5 was a Soviet space station and part of the highly-secretive Almaz military space station program.
On this day in space! Aug. 7, 1980: NASA's Viking 1 Mars orbiter shuts down 4 years into a 90-day mission
On Aug. 7, 1980, NASA's Viking 1 spacecraft orbiting Mars ended its epic and historic mission to the Red Planet. Here's why it mattered.
On this day in space! Aug. 6, 2012: NASA lands huge Curiosity rover on Mars with a rocket-powered sky crane
On Aug. 6, 2012, NASA's Curiosity rover successfully touched down on the Martian surface in a way never attempted before: a rocket-powered sky crane. Here's why it mattered.
On this day in space! Aug. 5, 2011: NASA's Juno spacecraft launches to Jupiter
On Aug. 5, 2011, NASA launched the Juno spacecraft on a mission to study Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system. Here's why it mattered.
On this day in space! Aug. 4, 2007: NASA launches Phoenix Mars lander to Red Planet
On Aug. 4, 2007, NASA launched its Phoenix Mars Lander on a mission to touch down in the Martian arctic for the first time. Here's why it mattered.
