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VEGA SPACECRAFT MISSION FACTS
In 1985, Soviet engineers sent two balloons floating through Venus for 46.5 hours. Their motherships then used the planet’s gravity to chase Halley’s CometSoviet spacecraft Vega 1 and Vega 2 undertook a dual mission to Venus and Halley's Comet. These probes deployed landers and balloons onto V...- In 1979, Cosmos 1129 flew five female and two male rats for 18.5 days and allowed them to mate; no normal pregnancies resulted in flight, while a later ground study produced healthy littersCosmos 1129, a Soviet biosatellite, conducted groundbreaking research on rat reproduction in space. Through ground simulations that mimicke...
- In 1997, Galileo mapped a 400-kilometer patch of Europa; a later analysis found ammonia-bearing compounds near fractures in the iceRecent examinations of historical Galileo data have uncovered ammonia compounds near the surface fractures of Europa. This discovery points...
- In 1981, two satellites were launched by NASA to study the interactions between Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphereIn 1981, two satellites were launched by NASA to study the interactions between Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere. The Dynamics Explorer...
- On a 12-day Russian biosatellite flight, seven silkworm varieties spun silk, built cocoons, mated and laid eggs; some developmental stages occurred 2-3 days faster than ground controlsChinese silkworms have successfully navigated their life cycle during an impressive twelve-day mission in space. Notably, their eggs hatche...
- In 1966, Gemini 9 and Gemini 12 exposed fungal spores and viruses directly to space; a 0.4 mm aluminum shield kept fungal spores alive and boosted virus survival 3,000-foldEarly space missions tested microbial survival outside spacecraft without protection. Fungal spores and viruses showed very low survival ra...
- The farthest human-made object is now so distant that even light takes nearly 24 hours to reach it; exactly 49 years after NASA launched Voyager 1 to explore Jupiter and Saturn, the spacecraft is still in interstellar space and sending data back to EarthThe Voyager 1 probe, launched in 1977, is now over 15.9 billion miles away. This spacecraft has ventured into interstellar space, sending v...
- In 1965, MIT's LES-1 failed to reach its planned orbit and fell silent in 1967; 45 years later, the zombie satellite unexpectedly began transmitting againA surprising discovery was made in 2012 when an old satellite from the 1960s unexpectedly resumed broadcasting signals. Originally believed...
- In 1983, NASA flew Neurospora bread mold on STS-9 to test its body clock; the rhythm persisted, but faded out in 25% of flight tubes before light restored itIn 1983, NASA conducted research on fungal circadian rhythms aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, observing the bread mold Neurospora crassa....
- 8 years, 10 billion km, one shot: The spacecraft racing toward Mercury faces its trickiest hour yetA spacecraft carrying European and Japanese probes will complete an eight-year journey to arrive at Mercury on Thursday, while still facing...
- In 2000, a crew for the first time headed for the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket for four months to prepare ISS facility for researchIn 2000, a crew for the first time headed for the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket for four months to prepare ISS ...
- In 2010, NASA launched a 12-pound, loaf-of-bread-sized satellite with two Bacillus populations; radiation exposure reached about 15 times that of the ISS orbitNASA's O/OREOS mission embarked on an exciting journey to observe how bacteria withstand the rigors of space radiation. The compact satelli...
- In 2006, NASA and French Space Agency CNES launched a satellite in a joint mission to probe the properties of Earth's thin clouds and aerosolsIn 2006, NASA and French Space Agency CNES launched a satellite in a joint mission to probe the properties of Earth's thin clouds and aeros...
- In 1967, a preflight test for the first crewed flight of Apollo resulted in a tragedy and the loss of astronauts Virgil Grissom, Edward White and Roger ChaffeeIn 1967, a preflight test for the first crewed flight of Apollo on the launch pad at Cape Kennedy resulted in a tragedy and loss of astrona...
- 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 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...
- In 2021, a spacecraft was launched on a first-ever suicide mission to try to deflect an asteroid on impact in space in the revolutionary planetary defense experiment: How NASA’s DART mission changed an asteroid’s orbitIn 2021, a spacecraft was launched on a first-ever suicide mission to try to deflect an asteroid on impact in space in the revolutionary pl...
- 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...
- 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...
- In 1958, US Air Force launched an Able 1 spacecraft to the Moon in humanity’s first attempt to send a spaceship anywhere beyond Earth orbit but the mission lasted only 73.6 secondsIn 1958, US Air Force launched an Able 1 spacecraft to the Moon in humanity’s first attempt to send a spaceship anywhere beyond Earth orbit...
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