1986 ⟶ Halley's Comet Flyby by Multiple Probes
The returning Halley's Comet is met by a fleet of five probe...
Year
1705
1976
1983
1986
1989
☄️ Halley Calculates Comet's Orbit
Edmond Halley calculates that the comets recorded at 76-year intervals from 1456 to 1682 are one and the same. He predicts that the comet will return again in 1758. When it reappears as expected, the comet is named in his honor.⟶
AstronomyHalleyCometsOrbital MechanicsPredictionCelestial MechanicsScientific CalculationScientific Revolution
United Kingdom🚀 Viking 1 and 2 Space Probes Arrive at Mars
NASA's Viking 1 and Viking 2 space probes arrive at Mars. Each Viking mission consists of an orbiter, which photographs the planet from above, and a lander, which touches down on the surface, analyzes the rocks, and searches unsuccessfully for life.⟶
Space ExplorationMarsPlanetary ScienceNASAViking ProgramSpace Probes1970sAstrobiology
United States🔭 Launch of the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS)
The first infrared astronomy satellite, IRAS, is launched. It must be cooled to extremely low temperatures with liquid helium, and it operates for only 300 days before the supply of helium is exhausted. During this time it completes an infrared survey of 98% of the sky.⟶
Infrared AstronomyIRASSpace-based ObservatoriesAstronomy1980sTelescopesAstrophysicsSpace Exploration
United States
NetherlandsUnited Kingdom☄️ Halley's Comet Flyby by Multiple Probes
The returning Halley's Comet is met by a fleet of five probes from the USSR, Japan, and Europe. The most ambitious is the European Space Agency's Giotto spacecraft, which flies through the comet's coma and photographs the nucleus.⟶
AstronomyCometsSpace ExplorationHalley's CometGiottoSpace Probes1980sSolar SystemCosmology
Soviet Union
Japan🚀 Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster and Program Halt
NASA's spaceflight program comes to a halt when Space Shuttle Challenger explodes shortly after launch. A thorough inquiry and modifications to the rest of the fleet kept the shuttles on the ground for nearly three years.⟶
Space ExplorationSpace ShuttleNASASpaceflightEngineeringDisaster1980sChallengerAeronauticsSpace Program
United States🛰️ Magellan Probe Maps Venus
The Magellan probe, launched by NASA, arrives at Venus and spends three years mapping the planet with radar. Magellan is the first in a new wave of probes that include Galileo, which arrives at Jupiter in 1995, and Cassini which arrives at Saturn in 2004.⟶
Space ExplorationVenusPlanetary ScienceRadar MappingMagellanNASA1980sAstronomyGeologyRemote Sensing
United States