BellaOnline Forums Education Astronomy 2017: Astronomy and Space on this day

On this day in 1887 – October 25th – American astronomer Henry Norris Russell was born.

Russell was one of the major figures of early 20th century astronomy. He's best known for his development of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram which demonstrates stellar evolution. (Danish astronomer Ejnar Hertzsprung independently made the same discovery.)

On this day in 2006 – October 25th – NASA launched STEREO.

STEREO is a solar observation mission which uses two identical spacecraft in two slightly different orbits. That permits stereoscopic imaging of the Sun. The mission was originally planned to last for two years, but is still in operation.

On this day in 1961 – October 27th – SA-1, the first Saturn I space launch vehicle, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

This was the first mission of the Apollo program - Saturn V space launch vehicles would later take astronauts to the Moon.

On this day in 1997 – October 30th – the first successful Ariane 5 rocket was launched.

The Ariane 5, Europe's most powerful launch vehicle, was used to launch the XMM-Newton X-ray observatory, numerous telecom satellites, all five of the International Space Station ATV resupply ships, and the Herschel Space Observatory.

On this day in 2005 – October 31st – the Hubble Space Telescope discovery of two new moons of Pluto was announced.

The moons were later named Nix and Hydra.

On this day in 1885 – November 2nd – American astronomer Harlow Shapley was born.

Shapley, director of the Harvard College Observatory for thirty years, was best known for his study of the Milky Way.

On this day in 1917 – November 2nd – the 100-inch telescope on Mount Wilson saw first light.

Edwin Hubble would make observations with this telescope that would show there was much more to the Universe than the our own galaxy, and that the Universe was expanding.

On this day in 2000 – November 2nd – Expedition 1 arrived at the International Space Station (ISS).

The ISS has been continuously occupied since then.

On this day in 1957 – November 3rd – Sputnik 2 carried the dog Laika into space.

Laika was the first living creature to enter Earth orbit.

On this day in 1973 – November 3rd – NASA launched Mariner 10.

It was the first spacecraft to make use of an interplanetary gravitational slingshot maneuver. The maneuver, inspired by the orbital mechanics calculations of Italian scientist Giuseppe Colombo, allowed Mariner 10 to make three flybys of Mercury.