2013 Event NASA scientists achieve a first in laser communication when they successfully beam a picture of Leonardo da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa' to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a spacecraft orbiting the Moon 2011 Event China makes its first orbital docking as its unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft successfully docks with the orbiting Tiangong 1 space station module 2011 Event Astronomers identify a Trojan asteroid orbiting on the same path as the Earth around the Sun; it poses to danger to Earth because it sits in a gravitational 'sweet spot' 1995 Event U.S. space probe Galileo begins orbiting Jupiter 1995 Event Space shuttle Atlantis docks with orbiting Russian space station Mir 1978 Event Pioneer Venus 1 begins orbiting Venus 1972 Event U.S. orbiting astronomy observatory Copernicus launched 1972 Event Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 4 (Copernicus) launched 1971 Event Orbiting Solar Observatory VII launched 1971 Event Soviet Soyuz 11 crew completes 1st transfer to orbiting Salyut 1969 Event Orbiting Solar Observatory 5 launched into earth orbit 1968 Event Frank Borman's Christmas reading while orbiting Moon 1968 Event Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2 launched into Earth orbit 1968 Event Orbiting Geophysical Observatory 5 launched 1967 Event Lunar Orbiter 4 launched by U.S.; begins orbiting Moon May 7 1966 Event 1st U.S. lunar orbiter begins orbiting Moon 1966 Event OAO 1, 1st orbiting astronomical observatory, launched 1965 Event Orbiting Solar Observatory 2 launches into Earth orbit (552/636 km) 1958 Event 1st test project of Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equip 1686 Event Cassini reports seeing a satellite orbiting Venus
