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Space Shuttle Columbia Launches for Final Time
January 16, 2003 Famous for being the first Space Shuttle ever to be launched (mission STS-1), the Space Shuttle Columbia takes off for mission STS-107. This mission would prove to be its final one as Columbia disintegrated 16 days later on re-entry. The post Space Shuttle Columbia Launches for Final Time appeared first on This Day in…
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Sputnik Launches the Space Age
October 4, 1957 The first man-made satellite to orbit the Earth, Sputnik 1, is launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, marking what is now considered the beginning of the Space Age. Surprising the world with its successful launch, Sputnik triggered the Space Race between the Soviet Union and United States ushering in an era of rapid advancement…
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SpaceShipOne – First Private Space Flight
June 21, 2004 Financed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, SpaceShipOne becomes the first spacecraft developed by the free market to enter spaceflight. Launched from a mothership named White Knight, SpaceShipOne flew just beyond the atmosphere into the threshold of space then glided back to Earth. SpaceShipOne would later win the $ 10 million Ansari X…
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Discovery Docks with International Space Station
May 29, 1999 The Space Shuttle Discovery completes the first docking with the International Space Station (ISS). The post Discovery Docks with International Space Station appeared first on This Day in Tech History. This Day in Tech History Tech History provided by This Day in Tech History.com
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First Flight of Space Shuttle – Just Not Into Space
February 18, 1977 The first Space Shuttle orbiter, the Enterprise, embarks on its maiden flight in “captive mode,” attached to the top of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The flight is the first of five captive flights before the orbiter is finally released to land on its own. The nine month test program is conducted…
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First Woman to Pilot the Space Shuttle
February 3, 1995 Astronaut Eileen Collins becomes the first woman to pilot the Space Shuttle as mission STS-63 gets underway from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The post First Woman to Pilot the Space Shuttle appeared first on This Day in Tech History. This Day in Tech History Tech History provided by This Day in…
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Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster
February 1, 2003 The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard. The cause of the disaster was a piece of foam insulation the size of a small briefcase that broke off the external tank during launch and struck the leading edge of the left wing. This damaged the Shuttle’s thermal protection…
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Space Shuttle Columbia Launches for Final Time
January 16, 2003 Famous for being the first Space Shuttle ever to be launched (mission STS-1), the Space Shuttle Columbia takes off for mission STS-107. This mission would prove to be its final one as Columbia disintegrated 16 days later on re-entry. The post Space Shuttle Columbia Launches for Final Time appeared first on This Day in…
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Sputnik Launches the Space Age
October 4, 1957 The first man-made satellite to orbit the Earth, Sputnik 1, is launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, marking what is now considered the beginning of the Space Age. Surprising the world with its successful launch, Sputnik triggered the Space Race between the Soviet Union and United States ushering in an era of rapid advancement…
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Record Stay in Space Begins
January 8, 1994 Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov on Soyuz TM-18 leaves for Mir. He would stay on the space station until March 22, 1995, for a record 437 days in space. This Day in Tech History Tech History provided by This Day in Tech History.com