April 18, 2016 - Station Gets an Arm

Station Gets an Arm The International Space Station appears to float serenely above our blue-and-white world in this view from the orbiter Endeavour, which performed a fly-around of the station after undocking at the end of its mission. Lifting off from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center fifteen years ago this week, STS-100 delivered three tons of supplies, equipment, and upgrades to the ISS, still in the early stages of construction (which explains its comparatively svelte appearance above).  STS-100 also installed the Mobile Servicing System (MSS), better known as Canadarm2. It can be seen above extending from the Destiny module, which had recently been delivered aboard the STS-98 mission. It was also during STS-100 that Mission Specialist Chris Hadfield performed the first Canadian spacewalk.

Image Credit: NASA

Weekly Calendar

April 18-24, 2016

Holidays - Sky Events - Space History

 

Monday 18

Jupiter 2° north of Moon
Mercury at greatest elongation (20° E)

2014: LADEE spacecraft intentionally crashed into Moon at end of mission

Tuesday 19

1967: Surveyor 3 lands on Moon
1971: Salyut 1 launched, first space station.
1982: Salyut 7 launched
1993: 200th Soviet / Russian spacewalk
2001: STS-100 Endeavour launched

Wednesday 20

1972: Apollo 16 lands on Moon

Thursday 21

Moon at apogee
Lyrid meteor shower

1997: Cremated remains of 24 people launched into orbit aboard Pegasus rocket in first space funeral

Friday 22

Passover begins at sunset

Full Moon 1:24 AM ET
Lyrid meteor shower

2010: X-37B spacecraft launched

Saturday 23

1858: Max Planck born
1962: Ranger 4 launched
1963: M2-F1 lifting body first free flight
1996: Priroda module launched to Mir space station

Sunday 24

1970: China becomes fifth nation to launch its own satellite
1990: STS-31 Discovery launched