Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
	01 STS-109 Venera 13	02 STS-67 Pioneer 10	03 Apollo 9	04 STS-62	05 Venera 14 Gerard Mercator	06 ONR Aerobee Gordon Cooper Joseph Fraunhofer
07 (Week 10) Henry Draper John Herschel 10:42am» Last Quarter Moon 10:43am» Half Moon (waning)	08 STS-102 Gorgon Missile Uranus' Rings	09 Enceladus Water	10	11	12	13 STS-29 Uranus Discovered
14 (Week 11)	15 V2 - 1st firing Louis de Lacaille 5:01pm» New Moon 5:02pm» New Moon	16 Gemini 8 First Rocket Titan 2	17 Vanguard I	18 Deacon rockets Little Joe 5A	19	20 1:32pm» Vernal Equinox
21 (Week 12) Dione Tethys	22 STS-3 STS-76	23 Gemini 3 Wernher von Braun 7am» First Quarter Moon 7:01am» Half Moon (waxing)	24 Mercury Redstone STS-45 Wilhelm Baade	25 Titan	26	27 Venera 8
28 (Week 13) First Gyro. Rocket	29 2 Pallas 4 Vesta 10:25pm» Full Moon 10:26pm» Full Moon	30	31 Pioneer 10: EOM

Description:

(2002) STS-109 Columbia - Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 3B

Installed the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), new rigid Solar Arrays (SA3), new Power Control Unit (PCU) and a new Cryocooler for the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS).

It was also the penultimate flight of Columbia, as on its next mission, STS-107, it disintegrated on re-entry, killing all on board.

Description:

(1982) Soviet Landing/Flyby Mission arrives at Venus.

After launch and a four month cruise to Venus, the descent vehicle separated from the bus and plunged into the Venus atmosphere on 1 March 1982. Venera 13 landed about 950 km northeast of Venera 14, just east of the eastern extension of an elevated region known as Phoebe Regio. The lander survived for 127 minutes in a temperature of 457 degrees C and a pressure of 84 Earth atmospheres.

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/tmp/1981-106D.html

Description:

(1995) STS-67 Endeavour Launch - ASTRO-2

Astro-2 was the second dedicated Spacelab mission to conduct astronomical observations in the ultraviolet spectral regions.
Because most ultraviolet radiation is absorbed by Earth's atmosphere, it cannot be studied from the ground.

Description:

(1972) Pioneer 10 Launch - Mission to Jupiter.

Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to travel through the asteroid belt, and was the first spacecraft to make direct observations of Jupiter. It was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 36A on March 2, 1972. By some definitions, Pioneer 10 has become the first artificial object to leave the solar system.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_10

Description:

(1969) Apollo 9 - McDivitt, Scott, Schweicart - Test LM in Earth Orbit

Apollo 9 was the first space test of the complete Apollo spacecraft, including the third critical piece of Apollo hardware - the lunar module. Schweickart checked out the new Apollo spacesuit, the first to have its own life support system rather than being dependent on an umbilical connection to the spacecraft.

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(1994) STS-62 Columbia Launch - United States Microgravity Payload-2 (USMP-2); Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology-2 (OAST-2)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-62

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(1982) Soviet Flyby / Lander Mission to Venus

After launch and a four month cruise to Venus, the descent vehicle separated from the bus and plunged into the Venus atmosphere on 5 March 1982. Venera 14 landed about 950 km southwest of Venera 13 near the eastern flank of Phoebe Regio. The lander survived for 57 minutes in a temperature of 465 degrees C and a pressure of 94 Earth atmospheres.

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/tmp/1981-110D.html

Description:

(1512) Gerardus Mercator (March 5, 1512 – December 2, 1594) was a Flemish cartographer. He was born in Flanders in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation to parents from Gangelt in the Duchy of Jülich (modern Germany). He lived since 1552 in Duisburg. He is remembered for the Mercator projection named after him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_Mercator

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(1948) ONR Aerobee flown to 78 miles

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(1927) Leroy Gordon "Gordo" Cooper, Jr. (March 6, 1927 – October 4, 2004), was an American astronaut. He was one of the original astronauts in Project Mercury, the first manned-space effort by the United States.

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(1787) Joseph von Fraunhofer (March 6, 1787 – June 7, 1826) was a German optician.

In 1814, Fraunhofer invented the spectroscope, and discovered 574 dark lines appearing in the solar spectrum. These were later shown to be atomic absorption lines, as explained by Kirchhoff and Bunsen in 1859. These lines are still sometimes called Fraunhofer lines in his honour.

He also invented the diffraction grating and in doing so transformed spectroscopy from a qualitative art to a quantitative science by demonstrating how one could measure the wavelength of light accurately.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_von_Fraunhofer

Description:

(1837) Henry Draper (March 7, 1837 – November 20, 1882) was an American doctor and astronomer.

Draper was one of the pioneers of the use of astrophotography. He took the first stellar spectrum in 1872 that showed absorption lines. He directed an expedition to photograph the 1874 transit of Venus, and was the first to photograph the Orion Nebula, on September 30, 1880 using his 11 inch Clark Brothers photographic refractor he took a 50 minute exposure[1]. For his activities he received numerous awards, including honorary law degrees from NYU and the University of Wisconsin, a Congressional medal for directing the U.S. expedition to photograph the 1874 transit of Venus, and election to both the National Academy of Sciences and the Astronomische Gesellschaft.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Draper

Description:

(1792) photographer/inventor. He was the son of astronomer William Herschel and the father of 12 children.

Herschel originated the use of the Julian day system in astronomy. He named seven moons of Saturn and four moons of Uranus. He made many contributions to the science of photography, and investigated color blindness and the chemical power of ultraviolet rays.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Herschel

Time:

10:42am

Description:

Last Quarter Moon

Time:

10:43am

Description:

Half Moon (waning)

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(2001) STS-102 Discovery Launch - ISS Assembly Flight 5A.1, Crew Exchange, Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module

The primary mission objectives for STS-101 was to deliver supplies to the International Space Station, perform a spacewalk and then reboost the station from 230 to 250 statute miles (370 to 402 km).

This mission was the first mission to fly with a glass cockpit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-102

Description:

(1945) Gorgon Navy missile first fired from PBY-5A

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(1977) Discovery of the rings of Uranus.

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(2006) Possible discovery of liquid water on Saturn's sixth largest moon Enceladus by the Cassini Spacecraft is announced.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/media/cassini-20060309.html

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(1989) STS-29 Discovery Launch - Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-D (TDRS-D)

This was the eighth flight of Discovery and the 28th Space Shuttle mission.

The primary payload was the third and final component of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) constellation in geosynchronous orbit. The three on-orbit satellites were stationed over the equator at about 22,300 miles above Earth; two of them 130 degrees apart and a third located between them as an on-orbit spare.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-29

Description:

(1781) Uranus is the first planet discovered in modern times. Sir William Herschel formally discovered the planet on March 13, 1781; the other planets (from Mercury out to Saturn) have been known since ancient times, since they are visible to the naked eye. Uranus' discovery expanded the boundaries of the solar system for the first time in modern human history. It was also the first planet discovered using technology (a telescope) rather than the naked eye.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranus

Description:

(1946) V2 - first American assembled unit static fired at WSPG

Description:

Abbé Nicolas Louis de Lacaille (March 15, 1713 – March 21, 1762) was a French astronomer.

He is noted for his catalogue of nearly 10,000 southern stars, including 42 nebulous objects. This catalogue, called Coelum Australe Stelliferum, was published posthumously in 1763. It introduced 14 new constellations which have since become standard. He also calculated a table of eclipses for 1800 years.

In honor of his contribution to the study of the southern hemisphere sky, a 60-cm telescope at Reunion Island will be named La-Caille telescope

Time:

5:01pm

Description:

New Moon

Time:

5:02pm

Description:

New Moon

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(1966) Gemini 8 - Armstrong, Scott

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(1926) Goddard launches first liquid fueled rocket.

Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket on March 16, 1926 in Auburn, Massachusetts. His journal entry of the event was notable for its laconic understatement: "The first flight with a rocket using liquid propellants was made yesterday at Aunt Effie's farm." The rocket, which was dubbed "Nell", rose just 41 feet during a 2.5-second flight that ended in a cabbage field, but it was an important demonstration that liquid-fuel propellants were possible.

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(1962) First Titan 2 Rocket Launch

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(1958) Vanguard I launched

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(1954) first launch of a cluster of 4 Deacon rockets at Wallops Island

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(1961) Little Joe 5A max Q and impact test

Time:

1:32pm

Description:

Vernal Equinox

Description:

(1684) Dione (dye-oe'-nee) is a moon of Saturn discovered by Giovanni Cassini in 1684. It is named after the titan Dione of Greek mythology who (with Zeus) created Aphrodite. It is also designated Saturn IV.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dione_(moon)

Description:

(1685) Tethys is a moon of Saturn that was discovered by Giovanni Domenico Cassini in 1684. Tethys is named after the titan Tethys of Greek mythology. It is also designated Saturn III or S II Tethys.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tethys_%28moon%29

Description:

(1982) STS-3 Columbia Launch - Office of Space Science-1 (OSS-1)

STS-3 was the third space shuttle mission, and was the third mission for the Space Shuttle Columbia. It was the first launch with an unpainted external tank.

STS-3 was the only shuttle mission to land at White Sands Missile Range. The landing demonstrated that the Shuttle could land in the desert, but sand damaged the orbiter.

This was the last mission for which NASA named a backup crew.

Link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-3

Description:

(1996) STS-76 Atlantis Launch - Third Shuttle-Mir docking; SPACEHAB

It was the 76th shuttle mission, and the 16th flight for Atlantis. It was the 3rd mission to dock with the Mir space station.

Transfer of veteran astronaut Shannon Lucid to Mir to become first American woman to live on station.

Link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-76

Description:

(1965) Gemini 3 - Grissom, Young

Description:

(1912) Dr. Wernher Magnus Maximilian von Braun (March 23, 1912 – June 16, 1977) was one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany and the United States.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernher_von_Braun

Time:

7:00am

Description:

First Quarter Moon

Time:

7:01am

Description:

Half Moon (waxing)

Description:

(1961) Mercury Redstone booster qualification flight (MR-BD)

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(1992) STS-45 Atlantis Launch - Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-1)


Mission highlights
Launch: March 24, 1992, 8:13 a.m. EST.

Carried first Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-1) on Spacelab pallets mounted in orbiter's cargo bay. The non-deployable payload, equipped with l2 instruments from the United States, France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Japan, conducted studies in atmospheric chemistry, solar radiation, space plasma physics and ultraviolet astronomy.
Landing: April 2, 1992, 6:23 a.m. EST, Runway 33, Kennedy Space Center.

Link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-45

Description:

Wilhelm Heinrich Walter Baade
24 March 1893 - 25 June 1960

Born in Germany and educated at Göttingen, Walter Baade worked at the Hamburg Observatory from 1919 to 1931 and at Mt. Wilson from 1931 to 1958. He and Fritz Zwicky proposed in 1934 that supernovae could produce cosmic rays and neutron stars, and Baade made extensive studies of the Crab Nebula and its central star.

http://www.phys-astro.sonoma.edu/BruceMedalists/Baade/index.html

Description:

(1655) Titan was discovered on March 25, 1655 by the Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens, and was the first moon in the Solar System to be discovered after the Galilean moons of Jupiter.

Titan or Saturn VI is the largest moon of Saturn and the second largest moon in the solar system, after Jupiter's moon Ganymede. It is roughly 50% larger than Earth's moon by diameter, and is larger by diameter and mass than all known dwarf planets. It is also larger by diameter than the planet Mercury, though Mercury is more than twice as massive.

Titan is the only moon in our solar system to have a dense atmosphere.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_%28moon%29

Description:

(1972) Launch of Soviet Lander / Orbiter Mission to Venus.

Venera 8 was a Venus atmospheric probe and lander. Its instrumentation included temperature, pressure, and light sensors as well as an altimeter, gamma ray spectrometer, gas analyzer, and radio transmitters.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venera_8

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(1935) Goddard launches first gyroscopically controlled rocket

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(1802) Heinrich Olbers discovery of the second known asteriod. 2 Pallas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_Pallas

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(1807) Heinrich Olbers discovered the fourth known asteriod - 4 Vesta.

4 Vesta is the second most massive object in the asteroid belt, with a mean diameter of about 530 km (around 330 miles). Its size and unusually bright surface make Vesta the brightest asteroid, and the only one ever visible to the naked eye from Earth besides Ceres.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4_Vesta

Time:

10:25pm

Description:

Full Moon

Time:

10:26pm

Description:

Full Moon

Description:

(1997) Pioneer 10: End of Mission

Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to travel through the asteroid belt and reach the outer solar system.

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