2015 Event NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft ends its three-year orbit around Mercury with a planned crash into the planet's surface; originally, the probe was to orbit and collect data for one year, but fuel saving efforts extended its mission for two more years 2014 Event India has successfully launched a space probe into orbit around Mars on its first attempt, making it the first Asian country to orbit the planet; at $74 million, the spacecraft cost about 11% of the U.S. Maven, which reached Mars orbit two days prior 2013 Event The Shenzhou 10 spacecraft returns to Earth after China's crew complete's its 15-day mission, completing the country's fifth manned spaceflight 2013 Event NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft transmits images that for the very first time, allow scientists to create a 3D reconstruction of ancient water channels below the surface of Mars 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 2012 Event Russian spacecraft, Soyuz TMA-07M, is launched in Kazakhstan, with cosmonauts Roman Romanenko, Chris Hadfield and Thomas Marshburn for the ISS Expedition 34 and 35 crews 2012 Event Expedition 33 ends and Expedition 34 begins as astronauts Yuri Malenchenko, Sunita Williams, and Akihiko Hoshide return to Earth with spacecraft Soyuz TMA-05M 2012 Event The first space-bound Orion spacecraft is unveiled in Cape Canaveral, FloridaFlorida by NASA and Lockheed Martin 2012 Event Soyuz, a spacecraft originally designed for the Soviet space program, lands safely in Kazakhstan, with Oleg Kononenko of Russia, Andre Kuipers of the Netherlands, and Don Pettit of the United States, onboard 2012 Event The first commercial spacecraft, SpaceX Dragon, docks with the International Space Station when it completes docking at 12:02pm EDT 2012 Event The failed Fobos-Grunt spacecraft is expected to re-enter the earth's atmosphere and crash into earth in the next week 2012 Event NASA's second Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory spacecraft is in orbit around the moon 2011 Event The European Space Agency makes contact with the Fobos-Grunt probe 48 hours after the spacecraft's window for launch to Mars closes 2011 Event China makes its first orbital docking as its unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft successfully docks with the orbiting Tiangong 1 space station module 2008 Event NASA's Phoenix spacecraft lands in the polar region on Mars 2005 Event Deep Impact spacecraft is launched from Cape Canaveral 2001 Event Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft becomes first vehicle to land on an asteroid (433 Eros) 1992 Event Galileo spacecraft passes North Pole of Moon (Peary Crater) 1992 Event Ulysses spacecraft passes Jupiter 1990 Event Spacecraft Ulysses launched towards pole of Sun 1990 Event U.S.'s Magellan spacecraft lands on Venus 1986 Event NASA releases transcript from doomed Challenger, pilot Michael Smith could be heard saying, "Uh-oh!" as spacecraft disintegrated 1982 Event Russian spacecraft Venera 14 lands and sends back data from Venus 1982 Event Russian spacecraft Venera 14 lands on Venus, sends back data 1981 Event 2nd shuttle mission-1st time spacecraft launched twice (Columbia 2) 1980 Event U.S. spacecraft Voyager I sent back 1st close-up pictures of Saturn 1978 Event Soyuz 30 spacecraft touches down in Soviet Kazakhstan 1978 Event Soyuz 27 links with Salyut 6 and Soyuz 26 (1st time 3 spacecraft link) 1975 Event Soviet spacecraft Venera 9 soft-lands on Venus 1971 Event Soviet Mars 2 becomes 1st spacecraft to crash land on Mars 1971 Event U.S. launches 1st satellite into lunar orbit from manned spacecraft 1971 Event U.S.S.R. Mars 3 launched, 1st spacecraft to soft land on Mars 1971 Event U.S.S.R. launches Mars 2, 1st spacecraft to crash land on Mars 1970 Event Soviet Venera 7 is 1st spacecraft to land on another planet (Venus) 1968 Event 1st live telecast from a manned U.S. spacecraft (Apollo 7) 1968 Event Soyuz 4 and 5 completed 1st docking of 2 manned spacecraft 1966 Event Soviet Union's Luna 10 becomes 1st spacecraft to orbit Moon 1965 Event 1st atomic powered spacecraft launched 1962 Event U.S. Ranger spacecraft crash lands on Moon 1959 Event Soviet Luna 3, 1st successful photographic spacecraft, impacts Moon 1959 Event Soviet Union's Luna-2 is 1st spacecraft to land on the Moon 1959 Event Luna 2 launched by U.S.S.R.; 1st spacecraft to impact on Moon 1938 Birthday Frederic Rzewski, born in Westfield, Massachusetts, composer, Spacecraft 1900 Event Giacobini discovers a comet (will be 1st comet visited by spacecraft)
