In 1951, Soviet dog Smelaya ran away before her rocket launch; after she returned, she flew safely with MalyshkaDuring the initial experiments in space exploration, Soviet engineers evaluated dogs for their survival skills during launch. Female dogs w...
29 Aug, 2026, 07.10 PM IST
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...
29 Aug, 2026, 06.50 PM IST
In 1951, Yorick the monkey and 11 mice rode an Aerobee rocket to 236,000 feet; the flight showed animals could survive launch and landing, though Yorick died after touchdownIn 1951, a rhesus monkey named Yorick embarked on a groundbreaking mission aboard a rocket, soaring nearly forty-five miles above the New M...
29 Aug, 2026, 06.40 PM IST
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...
28 Aug, 2026, 03.50 PM IST
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...
28 Aug, 2026, 01.30 PM IST
On STS-51B, NASA flew 24 rats and 2 squirrel monkeys with Spacelab-3; one monkey showed space sickness while the rats returned with muscle lossIn 1985, Challenger carried rats and monkeys to study microgravity's effects. One monkey experienced space sickness, mirroring human astron...
28 Aug, 2026, 01.20 PM IST
In 1994, the space shuttle Discovery held a Wake Shield disk behind it while still attached to its robot arm; the facility produced 5 good semiconductor filmsIn 1994, the space shuttle Discovery transported the Wake Shield Facility, designed to establish an ultra-clean vacuum environment. This gr...
28 Aug, 2026, 01.10 PM IST
In 1989, the space shuttle Discovery carried 32 fertilized chicken eggs for 5 days; all 16 early embryos died, while 8 older embryos later hatched without anatomical malformationsIn 1989, the space shuttle Discovery transported thirty-two fertilized chicken eggs into microgravity. Although younger embryos did not end...
28 Aug, 2026, 01.00 PM IST
In 2013, balloons were launched by NASA near the North and South poles to study X-rays in Earth’s atmosphereIn 2013, balloons were launched by NASA near the North and South poles to study X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere as part of the Balloon Array f...
27 Aug, 2026, 12.46 AM IST
In 1999, a Florida teen hacked NASA, accessed source code of ISS and forced the world's most powerful space agency to shut down some systems for 21 daysIn 1999, 15-year-old hacker Jonathan James broke into NASA computers and downloaded proprietary software linked to the International Space ...
26 Aug, 2026, 02.45 PM IST
In 1995, NASA ditched space for an experiment and got spiders stoned on marijuana, caffeine, chloral hydrate, etc.; one of these made spiders’ webs wonky and disorganised. It was not marijuanaUsually, NASA is synonymous with space missions and exploring the cosmos. Yet one time, the researchers at NASA became temporary behavioura...
25 Aug, 2026, 09.09 PM IST
In 1997, NASA sent a lightning sensor into orbit aboard TRMM to study storms. 29 years later, the mission’s data still helps scientists understand lightning, rainfall and climateNASA's Lightning Imaging Sensor aboard TRMM studied lightning's role in weather. Earlier missions observed lightning from space, revealing ...
25 Aug, 2026, 06.50 PM IST
SpaceX launch today: Record-breaking Falcon 9 mission set to kick off busy Space Coast scheduleFlorida's Space Coast is preparing for a busy launch schedule. SpaceX will launch Starlink satellites using a reusable Falcon 9 rocket. NAS...
25 Aug, 2026, 05.43 PM IST
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...
25 Aug, 2026, 01.00 PM IST
In 1926, Robert Goddard launched the first liquid-fuel rocket from a snowy Massachusetts field; 35 years later, NASA formally dedicated Goddard Space Flight CenterOn March 16, 1926, Robert Goddard made history by launching the first liquid-propellant rocket from a serene farm in Worcester, Massachuset...
23 Aug, 2026, 02.30 PM IST
In 1973, Skylab lost its heat shield and reached 130°F; NASA cooled the station with a parasol built from fishing rods and foil-like fabricIn 1973, Skylab, the United States' first space station, suffered from overheating just after its launch. Ingenious engineers quickly came ...
22 Aug, 2026, 06.30 PM IST
Orbital data center startup Starcloud valued at $2.3 billion in latest fundingSpaceX's blockbuster IPO has rekindled investor interest in the space industry, including in emerging areas such as orbital data centers.
22 Aug, 2026, 08.33 AM IST