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Chris Hadfield’s ‘Space Oddity’ cover, shot on the ISS, released to the world | This Day in Space (May 12, 2013)

Astronaut Chris Hadfield performs in his iconic Space Oddity music video

Ten years ago today, Astronaut Chris Hadfield released a cover of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” entirely filmed aboard the International Space Station. He released the song the same day he relinquished command of the International Space Station, and he returned to Earth in a Soyuz capsule the following day.

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Mars 2020’s Perseverance Rover lands on the surface of Mars | This Day in Space (18 Feb. 2021)

How on Earth (err.. Mars?) has it been a full year since NASA’s latest Mars rover landed on the surface of Mars!

The rover launched back on July 30, 2020 on an Atlas V 541 rocket and traveled for over 200 days before landing on the surface of the Red Planet.

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Astronomers discover dwarf planet Eris, sparking Pluto debate | This Day in Space (5 Jan. 2005)

On January 5, 2005, the Palomar Observatory-based team led by Mike Brown discovered a large world, later known as Eris, after systematically scanning for large outer Solar System bodies for several years. Unfortunately for Pluto, this was the beginning of the end for its official planet title.

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Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, was launched into orbit | This day in space (4 Oct. 1957)

Today is a day that changed history. With one small sphere, the Soviet Union spurred a new space race, one that led to the opening of NASA less than a year later. On this day, in 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 into low Earth orbit. Americans were amazed and terrified as they heard the beeps and looked overhead to see the first artificial satellite.

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This Day In Space: Perseverance launches to Mars; NASA’s most advanced rover yet

The Mars 2020 mission consisted of two main payloads, the Perseverance rover and a technology demonstration helicopter called Ingenuity. Perseverance was the 6th rover ever sent to the Martian surface and was based on the successful design of the 2011 Curiosity rover. On this day, Mars 2020 launched to space.

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This Day In Space (June 21, 2004): SpaceShipOne makes first-ever privately funded crewed spaceflight

On this day 17 years ago the age of privately funded space ventures reached a major milestone with Mojave Aerospace Ventures’ SpaceShipOne flight. Mojave Aerospace Ventures is a joint venture between Burt Rutan and his company Scaled Composites, largely funded by Paul Allen. This marked the first privately funded and developed crewed spaceflight and also led won Mojave Aerospace Ventures the Ansari X Prize.

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This Day In Space (December 22, 1964): The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird makes its first flight

In the early 60s, the Cold War was intensifying between the United States and the Soviet Union. Because of rising tensions between the two superpowers, the threat of a nuclear war was a genuine concern for both sides. So naturally, spying and reconnaissance became valuable tactics.

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This day in space (December 21, 1968): Launch of the Apollo 8 mission and first SpaceX booster landing

Launch of the Apollo 8 mission (December 21, 1968)

On the morning of December 21, 1968, a 36-story-tall Saturn V rocket towered over Cape Kennedy, now known as Cape Canaveral. Thousands of onlookers gathered to view the historic event on the nearby beaches. Sitting atop the lumbering Saturn V was the Apollo 8 spacecraft, ready to carry the first humans around the moon.

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