In 2013, Bion-M1 carried land snails in orbit for 30 days; hardware failures killed many other animals, but the snails survivedIn a space mission conducted by Russia in 2013, a tragic outcome ensued as most of the aboard animals, including mice, gerbils, and fish, c...
30 Aug, 2026, 04.00 PM IST
In 1984, Challenger captured the failing SolarMax satellite; astronauts spent nearly seven hours repairing it before sending the observatory back to workIn 1984, a groundbreaking space mission adeptly salvaged the nearly inoperative SolarMax satellite. Astronauts successfully captured and re...
30 Aug, 2026, 03.30 PM IST
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...
30 Aug, 2026, 02.10 PM IST
In 1969, NASA launched Bonnie the monkey for a planned 30 days in orbit; his condition deteriorated after about 8 days, and the mission was ended earlyIn 1969, a brave monkey named Bonnie embarked on a solo space voyage aboard Biosatellite III. Unfortunately, his mission was cut short due ...
29 Aug, 2026, 08.26 PM IST
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...
29 Aug, 2026, 11.57 AM IST
In 2018, NASA invited people worldwide to send their names to the Sun. More than 1.1 million did and their names are still travelling aboard Parker Solar ProbeOver one million names traveled to the Sun aboard NASA's Parker Solar Probe. These names were digitally stored on a memory card, becoming p...
28 Aug, 2026, 06.48 PM IST
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope set to investigate the universe’s biggest mysteries - Check launch date, time, mission goals and what to expectNASA's Roman Space Telescope is set for a Sunday launch to explore cosmic mysteries. This powerful observatory will investigate dark energy...
28 Aug, 2026, 01.47 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
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
From Mars to interstellar space, NASA’s new giant antenna is now operationalNASA activated its new 34-meter radio antenna, DSS-23, on August 3, 2026. This new antenna will help communicate with spacecraft across the...
27 Aug, 2026, 08.52 PM IST
In 1992, Endeavour rescued stranded Intelsat VI; three astronauts captured it by hand, and a new booster sent the satellite to geosynchronous orbitIn 1992, NASA unleashed the Endeavour shuttle on an ambitious mission to salvage a damaged satellite. The crew faced daunting challenges du...
27 Aug, 2026, 01.40 PM IST
NASA's new Roman Space Telescope set to launch this Sunday will help scientists study dark matter and dark energy across billions of galaxies, unraveling the deepest mysteries of the universeNASA Roman Space Telescope launch: NASA's Roman Space Telescope launchNASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to launch on August 3...
27 Aug, 2026, 01.01 PM IST
In 1958, NASA launched a spacecraft Able 2 for the first time to the Moon but the mission failed after a small error and the probe reentered Earth's atmosphere about 43 hours after launchIn 1958, NASA launched Able 2, later known as Pioneer 1, on a mission to study the Moon. The spacecraft failed to reach lunar orbit after a...
26 Aug, 2026, 10.37 PM IST
In 1965, an astronaut secretly smuggled corned-beef sandwich into space, creating a '$30 million' problem for NASAIn 1965, astronaut John Young secretly carried an unauthorized corned-beef sandwich aboard NASA’s Gemini 3 mission. The sandwich created pr...
26 Aug, 2026, 01.17 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
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 1966, Michael Collins lost a camera and a micrometeorite experiment during a Gemini X spacewalk; both drifted away into orbitDuring the Gemini X mission in 1966, astronaut Michael Collins faced setbacks when he lost both his camera and a scientific experiment duri...
23 Aug, 2026, 01.50 PM IST