Video: 'STS-51F launch, abort & landing (7-29-85)'
(Monday, July 29, 1985, 21:00:00 UTC) — The space shuttle Challenger began an 8-day mission today that got off to a shaky start: the spacecraft achieved a safe orbit even though one of its main engines shut down prematurely after lift-off.
It was the first major malfunction during ascent in the 19 flights of the shuttle program.
Video: 'Teacher In Space: Christa Mcauliffe' (July 19, 1985, at 3:50)
(Friday, July 19, 1985) — A high school teacher from New Hampshire, Sharon Christa McAuliffe, 36, was named today as the nation’s first ordinary citizen scheduled to go in orbit aboard the space shuttle as a passenger.
Video: 'Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) Handshake'
(Thursday, July 17, 1975, 3:19 p.m. EDT) — Astronauts of the United States and the Soviet Union united spaceships today and then Apollo commander Tom Stafford and Soyuz commander Alexei Leonov joined hands in the first international meeting away from earth, a symbolic gesture of the two nations’ expressed desire to cooperate in the exploration of space. Continue reading U.S., Soviet astronauts unite ships, join in historic handshakes 40 years ago this hour (July 17 1975)
Video: 'ASTP TV Coverage - Apollo Launch'
(Thursday, July 15, 1975, 3:50:00 p.m. EDT) — Three American astronauts blasted off aboard an Apollo spaceship today hours after two Soviet cosmonauts were launched aboard a Soyuz spacecraft for a mission that included a linkup of the two ships in orbit.
Video: 'This Is Mars! (1965)'
(Wednesday, July 14, 1965, 8:18:49 p.m. EDT) — Mariner 4 completed its rendezvous with Mars this evening and sailed on into space carrying a series of tape-recorded pictures of that mysterious planet.
Video: 'ATLANTIS - MIR'
(Sunday, June 29, 1995, 13:00:16 UTC) — The space shuttle Atlantis and the Russian Mir space station linked in orbit today, beginning a historic five-day voyage as a single ship.
Video: 'Gemini 4 | NASAs First Ever Space Walk - Narrated By Ed White (June 3, 1965)'
(Thursday, June 3, 1965, 19:46-20:06 UTC) — Astronaut Edward White became the first American to “walk” in space today during the flight of Gemini 4. White floated free outside the spacecraft, tethered to it, for approximately 20 minutes.
Video: 'Intelsat I -- "Early Bird" Communications Satellite'
(Tuesday, April 6, 1965, 23:47:50 UTC) — The United States launched Intelsat I, also known as the “Early Bird” communications satellite, from Cape Kennedy tonight into geosynchronous orbit.
Video: '1984: STS-51A Discovery (NASA)' (Nov. 12/14, 1984, at 7:30)
(Monday, November 12, 1984, 13:25-19:25 UTC) — Space shuttle astronauts Dale Gardner and Joe Allen snared a wandering satellite today in history’s first space salvage. The Palapa B2 satellite was secured in Discovery’s cargo bay for return to Earth.
Video: '1964 Voskhod 1 (USSR)'
(Monday, October 12, 1964, 07:30:01 UTC) — The Soviet Union launched a Voskhod space capsule this morning with a three-man crew on the first mission involving more than one crew member. The flight lasted just over 24 hours.
