1985:
Rodolfo Neri Vela becomes the first Mexican citizen to reach
space during the STS-61B mission. Launched aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle Atlantis
from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., the
astronauts
released three communications satellites during their seven-day mission.
Nov. 28
1964:
NASA launches the Mariner 4 probe to Mars from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., aboard an Atlas Agena rocket. The probe performed the first successful flyby of the red planet.
1983:
The Space Shuttle Columbia launches from Kennedy Space, Center, Fla., carrying the first European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, Ulf Merbold of Germany. The STS-9 mission released the ESA-NASA
Spacelab-1 orbital laboratory
.
Nov. 29
1961:
NASA launches the
Mercury-Atlas 5
from Cape Canaveral, Fla., carrying Enos, a chimpanzee, into orbit for nearly 90 minutes. The capsule was recovered successfully with Enos in excellent condition.
1967:
Australia launches its first satellite, Wresat 1, from Woomera, Australia, on a Sparta rocket – a modified U.S. Redstone
rocket. The 45-kilogram satellite
was built by the Australian Weapons Research Establishment.
2003:
Japan launches a pair of reconnaissance satellites for its Information Gathering Satellites program from Tanegashima Launch Center. Both were
destroyed by the control team when the H-2a rocket carrying them failed
.
Dec. 1
1960:
The Soviet Union launches the Sputnik 6 – also known as Korabl Sputnik 3 – spacecraft from BaikonurCosmodrome, Kazakhstan, on an SS-6 rocket. Carrying two dogs, Pchelka and Mushka, the 90-minute mission
was designed
to study the effects of space on organisms.
The mission failed when the cabin burned up on re-entry,
killing the dogs
.
Dec. 2
1993:
The U.S. Space Shuttle Endeavourlaunches from Kennedy Space Center, Fla. STS-61 performs a servicing mission on the Hubble Space Telescope.
1995:
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory launches on an Atlas 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla. The joint NASA-
European Space Agency mission was designed to study the sun.
