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On This Date in History - April 17

by Nick Greene
for About.com

Daily Extra :


Astronomy & Space Word of The Day

rupes: A line of cliffs produced by faulting or erosion. Also known as scarp.

Today in History:


1967: Surveyor 3 - USA Lunar Soft Lander launched. Landed on the lunar surface.

Apollo 13 - USA Lunar Flyby (April 11-17, 1970) splashed down safely. Crew: James A. Lovell, Jr., Fred W. Haise, Jr., John L. Swigert, Jr. The Apollo 13 mission became one of survival for the astronauts on board. During the translunar coast an explosion destroyed both power and propulsion systems of the Command Service Module. The Lunar Module was used as a lifeboat for the astronauts.

Apollo 16 - USA Manned Lunar Lander (April 16-27, 1972) Crew: John W. Young, Charles M. Duke, Jr., Thomas K. Mattingly II. Young and Duke landed on April 21, 1972, at the Descartes crater located at latitude 9°00' N and longitude 15°31' E. They deployed instruments, drove the lunar rover, and collected 94.7 kilograms of samples during a 71-hour surface stay.

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