Latest articles by Hanneke Weitering
On this day in space! Sept. 10, 2011: NASA launches GRAIL probes to the moon to map lumpy lunar gravity
On Sept. 10, 2011, NASA's GRAIL spacecraft launched on a mission to the moon! Here's why the moon gravity mapping mission mattered.
On this day in space! Sept. 9, 1982: The 1st private rocket, called Conestoga 1, launches from a Texas cattle ranch
On Sept. 9, 1982, the first private rocket, Conestoga 1, launched into space from a Texas cattle ranch. Here's why it mattered.
On this day in space! Sept. 8, 2004: NASA's Genesis spacecraft crashed in the Utah desert, shattering its samples of solar wind particles from the sun
On Sept. 8, 2004, NASA's Genesis spacecraft crash-landed in Utah after its parachutes failed to deploy. Here's why it mattered.
On this day in space! Sept. 7, 1995: NASA launches its 100th astronaut flight on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-69 mission
On Sept. 7, 1995, the space shuttle Endeavour launched on mission STS-69, NASA's 100th astronaut flight. Here's why it mattered.
On this day in space! Sept. 6, 1947: The US Navy launches 1st V-2 rocket at sea in ballistic missile test
On Sept. 6, 1947, a V-2 rocket launched from an U.S. Navy aircraft carrier for the first time. Here's why it mattered.
On this day in space! Sept. 5, 1977: NASA launches Voyager 1 on epic journey across the solar system
On Sept. 5, 1977, Voyager 1 began its epic journey through deep space with a glorious morning launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Here's why it mattered.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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'
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!
On Aug. 28, 1993, NASA's Galileo spacecraft flew by the asteroid Ida on its way to Jupiter. Here's why it mattered.
On this day in space! Aug. 27, 1962: NASA launches Mariner 2 to Venus for ambitious flyby
On Aug. 27, 1962, NASA launched Mariner 2, the world's first spacecraft to successfully visit another planet: Venus.
On this day in space! Aug. 26, 1978: Sigmund Jähn becomes 1st German in space
On Aug. 26, 1978, cosmonaut and pilot Sigmund Jähn became the first German to fly in space. Here's why it mattered.
On this day in space! Aug. 25, 1997: NASA launches Advanced Composition Explorer to track solar wind and so much more
NASA's Advanced Composition Explorer, or ACE satellite, studies energetic particles traveling through space.
On this day in space! Aug. 24, 2006: Pluto loses its planet status
On Aug. 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided that Pluto wasn't a planet anymore.
On this day in space! Aug. 23, 1961: Ranger 1's botched space launch
On Aug. 23, 1961, NASA launched the Ranger 1 robotic spacecraft on a precursor mission to test new technologies for later moon missions.
On this day in space! Aug. 22, 1963: X-15 sets world altitude record
On this day in space! Aug. 22, 1963: U.S. Air Force Captain Joe Walker flew an X-15 rocket plane higher than any pilot had ever flown before.
On this day in space! Aug. 21, 1914: Total solar eclipse expedition crashed by WWI
On Aug. 21, 1914, a total solar eclipse temporarily darkened skies across Europe and Asia.
On this day in space! Aug. 20, 1977: Voyager 2 launches to the outer planets
On this day in space! Aug. 20, 1977: NASA launched the Voyager 2 spacecraft on a mission to explore the outer planets.
On this day in space! Aug. 19, 1997: 1st Filipino satellite launches into orbit
On Aug. 19, 1997, the Philippines launched its own satellite for the first time.
