Daily Extra :
Astronomy & Space FactHalley's Comet makes one orbit around the Sun every 76.1 years.
Who Was Born Today?:
Who Died Today?:
1843: Caroline Herschel, "1st lady of astronomy", age 98Today in History:
1610: Galileo Galilei points his newly developed telescope at the sky and observes craters and mountains on the Moon, moving spots on the Sun, four moons revolving around Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and the almost innumerable stars of the Milky Way. Jan 4 thru 15, 1601 are called by some the most important days in the history of astronomy.1839: South African Thomas Henderson first measures the distance to a star (Alpha Centauri) other than the Sun.
1958: In his state-of-the-Union message, President Eisenhower reported: "In recognition of the need for single control in some of our most advanced development projects, the Secretary of Defense has already decided to concentrate into one organization all antimissile and satellite technology undertaken within the Department of Defense."
1968: Surveyor 7 lands on the Moon and returns pictures of the surface.
1990: 64th U.S. manned space mission STS 32 (Columbia 10) launches into orbit
1998: Anatoly Solovyov and Pavel Vinogradov spacewalk record 3 hours 8 mins