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SPACECRAFT COMMUNICATION
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 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 ...
US, China arm for space warfare: Hunter satellites and orbital weaponsChina and the United States are developing advanced military space capabilities. Both nations are preparing for potential conflict extendin...
In 1967, Biosatellite II irradiated parasitic wasps for 2 days in orbit; females later laid as many eggs as controls, and hatchability remained excellentA 1967 NASA mission sent parasitic wasps into orbit around Earth. These wasps showed surprising resistance to radiation damage while in spa...
In 1972, NASA sealed 3 astronauts inside a 20-foot chamber for 56 days to rehearse Skylab; the ground experiment exposed hardware and medical problems before launchIn 1972, three astronauts conducted a remarkable ground simulation, residing in a sealed chamber for a staggering 56 days. This experiment ...
In 1969, lightning struck Apollo 12 seconds after launch; John Aaron’s “SCE to AUX” call restored telemetry and helped save the Moon missionApollo 12 astronauts encountered a significant crisis when lightning struck their rocket, not once but twice. A neglected protocol related ...
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 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...
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...
Will the Northern Lights appear by Friday? Powerful solar flare sparks new hopesA powerful solar flare has erupted, sending a cloud of material towards Earth. Scientists are monitoring this event for potential geomagnet...
In 1966, Gemini VIII made the first U.S. docking in space; 27 minutes later, a stuck thruster sent it spinning near 1 revolution per second before Neil Armstrong stopped itThe Gemini VIII mission quickly transitioned from a planned rendezvous to a critical in-flight emergency. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Dav...
In 1977, NASA placed a gold-plated copper record on each Voyager; it carries 115 images, greetings in 55 languages, and instructions for playing itIn 1977, NASA embarked on a monumental quest by launching the Voyager spacecraft, which was equipped with a Golden Record meant to communic...
In 1999, a small unit mismatch sent NASA's Mars Climate Orbiter deep into the Martian atmosphere and led to the failure of the missionIn 1999, a small unit mismatch sent NASA's Mars Climate Orbiter deep into the Martian atmosphere and led to the failure of the mission. The...
In 1969, three NASA astronauts abroad Apollo 10 flew incredibly close to the Moon. They had a lunar module a working descent engine but weren't allowed to landDuring the Apollo 10 mission, astronauts soared just nine miles above the Moon's surface, meticulously testing lunar module systems and lan...
In 1964, NASA first tracked a satellite with lasers; the method later helped measure sea-level rise and ice lossIn 1964, NASA researchers made history by tracking a satellite for the first time using a laser beam. Leveraging spare radar components and...
At 7, Jammy-born boy entered Guinness records as world’s youngest male webmaster. Now 20, he’s raised $4.3 million to fix a major space communication problemJammu-born Onkar Singh Batra is building a space communication network. His startup Apolink aims to keep satellites connected beyond ground...
In 2019, fewer than 2,000 active satellites circled Earth as SpaceX began scaling Starlink. Seven years later, 15,711 were orbiting the planet, with Starlink accounting for 65.97% of the working satellitesSince 2019, the number of active satellites around Earth has surged nearly eightfold, with SpaceX's Starlink making up about two-thirds of ...
In 2013, NASA beamed laser data from lunar orbit at 622 megabits per second, demonstrating faster space communications than radioIn 2013, NASA's Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration set a groundbreaking standard by achieving data transmission speeds of 622 megabits...
NASA abandons attempt to rescue aging space telescope from atmospheric re-entryNASA and Katalyst Space Technologies have ended their mission to save the Swift Observatory. Persistent attitude-control failures on the Li...