Latest articles by Hanneke Weitering
On. Oct. 5, 1962, the European Southern Observatory was born! Here's why the network of telescopes atop Chile's Atacama Desert matter.
On Oct. 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the satellite that started the Space Race. Here's why it mattered.
On Oct. 3, 1942, Nazi Germany conducted the first successful test launch of its V-2 rocket, a weapon of war that helped set the stage for the space age.
On Oct. 2, 2015, the United Launch Alliance launched its 100th rocket! Here's why one company's rocket milestone mattered.
On Oct. 1, 1958, NASA was born! The space agency officially opened for business on this day. Here's why it mattered.
On Sept. 30, 2016, the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft purposely crashed into a comet. Here's why it mattered.
On Sept. 29, 1977, the Soviet Union launched its Salyut 6 space station into orbit. Here's why the new home in space mattered.
On Sept. 28, 1962, Canada launched its first satellite, Alouette 1, even before there was a Canadian Space Agency. Here's why it mattered.
On Sept. 27, 1997, NASA's Mars Pathfinder mission beamed its very last data transmission back to Earth. Here's why it mattered.
On Sept. 26, 1983, a Russian Soyuz rocket exploded on the launchpad, triggering the first ever launch abort escape for a human crew. Here's why it mattered.
On Sept. 25, 2008, China's space program launched its third human spaceflight mission, Shenzhou 7, which included the country's first spacewalk. Here's why it mattered.
On Sept. 24, 2014, India's first interplanetary mission entered into orbit around Mars in a stunning feat of space engineering. Here's why it mattered.
On Sept. 23, 1962, "The Jetsons" first debuted on ABC to bring a vision of family life in the future to TV screens around the world. Here's why it mattered.
On Sept. 22, 2006, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency launched a sun-observing satellite called Hinode to study the sun's magnetic field. Here's why it mattered.
On Sept. 21, 2003, NASA's Galileo mission to Jupiter and its moons came to an end. Here's why it mattered for Jupiter exploration.
On Sept. 20, 1970, the Soviet Union's Luna 16 moon probe landed on the moon to retrieve a soil sample and return it to Earth. Here's why it mattered.
On Sept. 19, 1996, the space shuttle Atlantis rendezvoused with Russia's Mir space station to deliver supplies and equipment. Here's why it mattered.
On Sept. 18, 1977, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft took its first photo of Earth and the moon. Here's why it mattered.
On Sept. 16, 1949, the U.S. launched a V-2 rocket with a monkey named Albert III on board. Here's how it happened and why it mattered.
On Sept. 15, 1968, the Soviet Union launched the Zond 5 spacecraft carrying tortoises and more on a mission to loop around the moon and return to Earth. Here's why it mattered.
On Sept. 14, 1966, NASA's Gemini 11 mission set an spaceflight altitude record that lasted for nearly six decades. Here's why the mission mattered.
On Sept. 13, 2007, Japan launched the Kaguya spacecraft on a mission to the moon. Here's why it mattered.
On Sept. 12, 1992, NASA astronaut Mae Jemison became the first African American woman to go to space. Here's why it mattered.
