on this day in space
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On this day in space! Sept. 4, 1962: NASA's Mariner 2 spacecrafts performs the 1st-ever maneuver in deep space so it could reach Venus
By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 4, 1962, NASA's Mariner 2 spacecraft performed the first-ever rocket maneuver in deep space as it did a quick mid-course correction on its way to Venus. Here's why it mattered.

On this day in space! Sept. 3, 2006: Europe's SMART-1 spacecraft crashes into the moon in lunar death dive
By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 3, 2006, a European satellite named SMART-1 crashed into the moon! Here's why it mattered.

On this day in space! Sept. 2, 2016: Rosetta spacecraft finds long-lost Philae lander on Comet 67P after 2-year search
By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 2, 2016, the European Space Agency finally located Philae, its long-lost comet lander on the surface of the Comet 67P. Here's why it mattered.

On this day in space! Sept. 1, 1979: NASA's Pioneer 11 probe becomes 1st spacecraft to visit Saturn
By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 1, 1979, NASA's robotic space probe Pioneer 11 became the first spacecraft to fly by Saturn. Here's why it mattered.

On this day in space! Aug. 31, 1965: NASA's ginormous Super Guppy carrier plane takes 1st flight like a flying whale
By Hanneke Weitering Published
On August 31, 1965, NASA's Super Guppy cargo plane took its first test flight. like a flying whale. Here's why it mattered for the space agency.

On this day in space! Aug. 30, 1992: Astronomers discover 1st Kuiper Belt object out beyond Pluto
By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Aug. 30, 1992, astronomers spotted an object orbiting the sun beyond Pluto for the very first time. Here's why the discovery of 1992 QB-1 mattered.

On this day in space! Aug. 29, 1965: NASA's Gemini 5 breaks spaceflight duration record after 2 astronauts spent '8 days in a garbage can'
By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Aug. 29, 1965, two NASA astronauts returned to Earth after spending eight days in space on the record-setting Gemini 5 mission, setting the stage for longer trips to the moon.

On this day in space! Aug. 28, 1993: Galileo spacecraft flies by asteroid Ida on the way to Jupiter only to find a tiny moon!
By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Aug. 28, 1993, NASA's Galileo spacecraft flew by the asteroid Ida on its way to Jupiter. Here's why it mattered.
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