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AMERICAN ASTRONAUT
NASA sent a 77-year-old payload specialist back into space in 1998, 36 years after he became the first American to orbit Earth - not just to make history again, but to study how an older human body responds to microgravity, becoming the oldest person ever to fly in spaceJohn Glenn returned to space aboard the shuttle Discovery in 1998. He became the oldest person to travel into space at age seventy-seven. N...
In 2005, NASA flew five thick-toed geckos aboard Foton-M2 for 16 days without food or water; all were recovered with no apparent negative health effectsFive geckos orbited Earth for sixteen days without food or water. Researchers studied how weightlessness affects these cold-blooded animals...
In 1987, Bion 8 carried monkeys Yerosha and Dryoma for 13 days; Yerosha escaped part of his restraints before the capsule landed 1,850 miles off targetThe Soviet Bion program studied weightlessness effects using rhesus macaques. Bion 8 launched in 1987 with two monkeys, Yerosha and Dryoma....
In 1960, NASA launched rhesus monkey Miss Sam to test Mercury's escape system, and she reached 1,800 mph and 9 miles, then returned in overall good conditionMiss Sam, a rhesus monkey, played a pivotal role in NASA's launch escape system testing, demonstrating the system's ability to safely eject...
Quote of the day by Matt Damon: 'Eventually stardom is going to go away from me. In the end...' - Powerful life lesson on fame, success and choicesMatt Damon highlights the fleeting nature of fame, asserting that personal decisions are far more enduring than momentary celebrity status....
In 1961, America sent its first astronaut into space. 15 minutes later, he was back on EarthOn May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard made history as the first American to reach space, completing a spectacular 15-minute journey aboard Freedom 7...
In 1984, two shuttle-deployed satellites became stranded when their rocket stages failed; months later, Discovery astronauts captured both and returned them to the shuttleIn 1984, a space shuttle mission retrieved two communication satellites left in the wrong orbit. Insurance underwriters funded this unusual...
In 1984, a 33-year-old NASA astronaut stepped outside challenger. She became the first American woman to walk in spaceKathryn Sullivan etched her name in history in 1984 when she became the first American woman to walk in space during her pivotal Challenger...
In 1952, Patricia and Mike rode an Aerobee 36 miles up at 2,000 mph; both monkeys returned safely after scientists compared seated and prone acceleration effectsIn 1952, two Philippine monkeys named Patricia and Mike embarked on a historic journey aboard a rocket. Scientists sought to understand how...
America's new moon heroes: Trump honours NASA’s Artemis II crew, unveils Space Academy, eyes Mars nextThe Artemis II astronauts received the nation's highest space honor for their lunar flyby. Commander Reid Wiseman and his crew were recogni...
In 1958, the US launched Gordo the squirrel monkey 300 miles above Earth; he endured 8.3 minutes of weightlessness and 40 g during re-entry, but died after his capsule sank at seaIn the historic space flight of 1958, Gordo, a courageous squirrel monkey, faced intense conditions that ultimately validated human surviva...
In 1961, NASA sent Ham the chimpanzee 157 miles above Earth to test whether a primate could work in space; he completed a 16-minute flight and returned safelyChimpanzee Ham made history in 1961 when he soared into space aboard a Mercury-Redstone rocket. His mission aimed to assess the capabilitie...
In 1992, Endeavour carried 4 female African clawed frogs into orbit; their eggs were fertilized in microgravity and developed into apparently normal tadpolesIn 1992, four frogs embarked on a journey aboard the space shuttle Endeavour as part of a groundbreaking reproductive experiment. Their egg...
In 1986, Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after liftoff; 36 years later, a TV dive team found a shuttle artifact with 8-inch tiles off FloridaDivers found a large, tiled object while filming a documentary series. This unexpected discovery was later identified as space shuttle Chal...
In 1975, Soviet Union sent a cannon to space and tested it from Salyut 3 station, just six months before US and Soviet astronauts met in orbit for the Apollo-Soyuz mission during the Cold WarIn January 1975, the Soviet Union fired a 23mm cannon from its Salyut 3 military space station as a test of its orbital defence system. The...
In 2009, NASA deliberately crashed LCROSS into a permanently shadowed lunar crater; the mission detected water in the resulting debris plumeNASA's groundbreaking LCROSS mission in 2009 confirmed the presence of water ice at the Moon's south pole, transforming our understanding o...
In 1971, Apollo 15 secretly left a tiny aluminum astronaut on the moon; beside it was a plaque naming 14 dead American and Soviet space travelersIn 1971, a hidden aluminum tribute was installed on the Moon, commemorating the bravery of fourteen astronauts and cosmonauts who lost thei...
Quote of the day by Neil Armstrong: 'Science has not yet mastered prophecy. We predict too much for the...' - inspiring quote by NASA Apollo 11 mission commander teaches life lessons on looking beyond tomorrow, planning, long-term thinking and why can’t science predict the futureQuote of the day by Neil Armstrong: Astronaut Neil Armstrong provided thought-provoking insights regarding the human inclination to anticip...
School Assembly News Headlines, August 19, 2026: Top national, international, business, sports updates and thought of the daySchool Assembly News Headlines: The trend of domestic donations to PM CARES has notably decreased, along with a downturn in foreign contrib...
ISS to host first spacewalk by FrenchwomanSophie Adenot is set to become the first French female astronaut to venture outside the International Space Station for a spacewalk on Tues...