On this day in 2008, SpaceX had a successful launch of its Falcon 1 rocket after three earlier failures. Launched from Omelek Island in the Marshall Islands, the rocket would fly only one more mission before being retired. It was replaced by the Falcon 9, which is still in service today.
After the third failure of the Falcon 1 in August 2008, Elon Musk stated:
The most important message I’d like to send right now is that SpaceX will not skip a beat in execution going forward. We have flight four of Falcon 1 almost ready for flight and flight five right behind that. I have also given the go ahead to begin fabrication of flight six. Falcon 9 development will also continue unabated, taking into account the lessons learned with Falcon 1. We have made great progress this past week with the successful nine engine firing.
Image (Credit): Artist’s rendering of the Chandrayaan-3 lander named Vickram and rover names Pragyan on the lunar surface. (NASA)
On this day in 2023, India became the fourth nation to land a spacecraft on the Moon (following the Soviet Union, the U.S., and China). India’s Chandrayaan-3 probe landed at the lunar South Pole, the first spacecraft to land in that region. Chandrayaan-2 had crashed on the Moon’s surface back in 2019, whereas Chandrayaan-1 was a lunar orbiter in 2008.
Measuring the near surface plasma density and how it changes over time.
Measuring the thermal properties of the lunar surface near polar regions.
Measuring the seismic activity around the landing site to deduce the internal structure of the lunar crust and mantle.
As with the US space program, the boost to Indian pride following this successful mission was immeasurable. As one proud Indian noted:
The success of Chandrayaan-3 reverberated through classrooms and homes across India, with countless young eyes glued to screens, witnessing a historic moment. The mission’s success, though grand, is symbolic of more profound implications. With a burgeoning youth population, India stands on the precipice of a new era of innovation. The world’s largest youth demographic resides here, and Chandrayaan-3 has offered them more than just a scientific marvel; it has provided them with a vision of what’s achievable.
Image (Credit): Laika in a training capsule prior to her mission. (Sputnik / Alamy)
On this day in 1960, the Soviet Union sent two dogs into space on a sub-orbital flight – Otvazhnaya and Malyok. Both returned from the trip safely.
Between 1951 and 1966, it is estimated that the Soviets sent 48 dogs into space on both sub-orbital and orbital flights, while China sent only two dogs into space on sub-orbital flights. The United States did not send any dogs into space. Of the 48 Soviet dogs, 20 died in space. Both Chinese dogs survived.
Little Otvazhnaya, which means “brave” in Russian, flew on the most missions of any of the dogs. She flew on five sub-orbital missions between July 1959 and September 1960.
The most famous Soviet space dog, Laika (pictured above), was the first dog to fly on an orbital flight on November 3, 1957. She did not survive the mission.
One of the Russian canine cosmonauts has a link to the Kennedy family. Strelka, one of the first dogs to orbit the Earth and survive, had six puppies, including one named Pushinka, or “Fluffy.” Pushinka was presented as a gift to President John F. Kennedy’s family in 1961.
Image (Credit): Letter from President Kennedy to Soviet Chairman Krushchev thanking him for Pushinka. (JFK Library)
Image (Credit): Artist’s rendering of the GALEX space telescope orbiting Earth. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)
On this day in 2003, NASA air-launched the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) via a Pegasus launch vehicle. It was an active orbiting space telescope for the next nine years, observing the universe in ultraviolet wavelengths to learn more about star formation in the universe.
Image (Credit): Robert Goddard with his rocket on March 8, 1926 before a failed launch. He was able to successfully launch it on March 16th. (Smithsonian Air & Space Museum)
On this day in 1926, Robert Goddard launched the world’s first liquid-propellant rocket in Worcester, Massachusetts. The rocket climbed to about 41 feet and traveled a distance of only 184 feet, but it was a success. After that, he kept the results under his hat for almost a decade.
Although in fragile health as a young man, Goddard pursued ideas in science, watched the heavens with his telescope, and became a fan of the writings of H.G. Wells, particularly The War of the Worlds. He also survived a bad case of tuberculosis at age 31, but he fought his way back to his scientific work.
Robert Goddard had a productive, yet at times frustrating, academic career involving rocketry, at times dabbling with potential military projects as well. For example, during the World War I period he came up with the idea of a hand-held tube-based rocket launcher that would later become the bazooka. However, the U.S. military was slow to show interest in larger rockets until the Germans leaped ahead in the 1940s, which the Germans did by building on Goddard’s work. It did not help that Goddard was very protective of his ideas and did not always work well with others, in part due to some early criticism.
In a 1932 letter to writer H.G. Wells, Robert Goddard stated:
How many more years I shall be able to work on the problem I do not know; I hope, as long as I live. There can be no thought of finishing, for ‘aiming at the stars’ both literally and figuratively, is a problem to occupy generations, so that no matter how much progress one makes, there is always the thrill of just beginning.
He was right. One hundred years later we are continuing his work as we aim for the Moon, Mars, and eventually the stars.
You can read more about this early rocket flight at this Smithsonian site.
