- April 17
- Apollo 13 limps back safely to Earth. [1] [5] [129]
- April 24
- People's Rebublic of China launches its first satellite, Dong Fang Hong I, transmitting song "East is Red". [1] [5]
- June 1
- Soyuz 9 launched into Earth orbit for 18 days. [1]
- June 19
- A Nikolayev and V Sevastyanov return after 18 days in Soyuz 9. [1]
- June 30
- T Smirnova discovers asteroid #2139 Makharadze. [1]
- July 3
- L Chernykh discovers asteroid #3702. [1]
- July 30
- Smirnova discover asteroid 1835 Gajdariya, 2032 Ethel and 2349 Kurchenko. [1]
- August 17
- Venera 7 is launched by USSR. [1] [5]
- September 12
- USSR launches Luna 16. [1]
- September 20
- Luna 16 lands on Moon's Mare Fecunditatis, drills core sample. [1]
vvv advertisement vvv
^^^ advertisement ^^^
- September 21
- Luna 16 leaves the Moon. [1]
- September 24
- First automated return of lunar sample by Luna 16. [1]
- October 28
- US/USSR sign an agreement to discuss joint space efforts. [1]
- November 10
- Luna 17, with unmanned self-propelled Lunokhod 1, is launched. [1]
- November 17
- Russia lands Lunokhod 1 unmanned remote-controlled vehicle on Moon. [1]
- December 12
- Small Astronomy Satellite Explorer 42 launched to study X-rays. [1]
- December 15
- Soviet Venera 7 is first spacecraft to land on another planet (Venus). [1]
1971
- January 31
- Apollo 14 launched to the Moon. [1]
- February 5
- Apollo 14, third US manned Moon expedition, lands near Fra Mauro; Alan Shepard and Edward Mitchell walk on Moon for four hours. [1] [5]
- February 6
- First time a golf ball is hit on the Moon (by Alan Shepard). [1]
- February 9
- Apollo 14 returns to Earth. [1]
- March 31
- From Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NASA launches a rocket with Canadian ISIS-B satellite into space, to conduct twelve experiments studying the ionosphere. [1] [242.1]
- April 19
- USSR Salyut 1 launched; first manned lab in orbit. [1]
- April 23
- Soyuz 10 launched; soft docks with Salyut 1. [1]
- April 24
- Soyuz 10 returns to Earth. [1]
- April 29
- Boeing receives contract for Mariner 10, Mercury exploration. [1]
- May 19
- USSR launches Mars 2, first spacecraft to crash land on Mars. [1]
- May 28
- USSR Mars 3 launched, first spacecraft to soft land on Mars. [1]
- May 30
- US Mariner 9 launched (first satellite to orbit Mars). [1] [5]
- June 1
- Perth Observatory discovers asteroid #2167 Erin. [1]
- June 6
- Soyuz 11 takes three cosmonauts to Salyut 1 space station. [1] [5]
- June 7
- Soviet Soyuz 11 crew completes first transfer to orbiting Salyut. [1]
- June 12
- T Smirnova discovers asteroid #2216 Kerch. [1]
- June 13
- Perth Observatory discovers asteroids #1806 Derice and #1978 Patrice. [1]
- June 17
- C U Cesco discovers asteroid #2399 Terradas. [1]
- June 28
- T Smirnova discovers asteroid #3093. [1]
- June 29
- Soyuz 11 docks with Salyut 1 for 22 days. [1]
- June 30
- Three cosmonauts die as Soyuz XI depressurizes during reentry. [1]
- July 19
- B Burnasheva discovers asteroid #2259 Sofievka. [1]
- July 26
- Apollo 15 launched to the Moon. [1]
- N Chernykh discovers asteroid #1836 Komarov. [1]
- July 30
- US Apollo 15 lands on Mare Imbrium on the Moon. [1]
- July 31
- Apollo 15 astronauts David R. Scott and James B. Irwin are the first men to ride in a vehicle on the Moon, televised back to Earth to millions of viewers. The Moon ride lasted two hours. [5] [457]
- August 4
- US launches first satellite into lunar orbit from manned spacecraft. [1]
- August 7
- Apollo 15 returns to Earth. [1]
- October 28
- England becomes sixth nation to have a satellite (Prospero) in orbit. [1]
- November 13
- The American space probe Mariner 9 becomes the first spacecraft to orbit another planet, swinging into its planned trajectory around Mars without a hitch. [1] [5]
- November 27
- The Soviet space program's Mars 2 orbiter releases a descent module. It malfunctions and crashes, but it is the first man-made object to reach the surface of Mars. [1] [5]
- December 2
- Soviet Mars 3 is first to soft land on Mars. [1]
- December 19
- NASA launches Intelsat 4 F-3 for COMSAT Corp. [1]
1972
- January 2
- Mariner 9 begins mapping Mars. [1]
- January 5
- US President Richard Nixon signs a bill for NASA to begin research on manned shuttle. [1]
- January 31
- US launches HEOS A-2 for interplanetary observations (396/244,998). [1]
- February 14
- Luna 20 (Russia) launched to orbit and soft landing on Moon. [1]
- March 2
- Pioneer 10 launched for Jupiter flyby. [1]
- March 15
- NASA selects three-part configuration for Space Shuttle. [1]
- March 27
- Venera 8 launched to Venus. [1]
- April 16
- Apollo 16 is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida; 5th manned lunar landing (Decartes Highlands). [1] [5]
- April 20
- Apollo 16 with John Young and Charles Duke lands on Moon with Boeing Lunar Rover #2. [1]
- April 21
- Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 4 (Copernicus) launched. [1]
- April 22
- Apollo 16 astronauts John Young and Charles Duke explore the Moon. [1]
- April 27
- Apollo 16 returns to Earth. [1]
- June 8
- N Chernykh discovers asteroid #3230. [1]
- June 13
- T Smirnova discovers asteroid #2604. [1]
- June 29
- USSR launches Prognoz 2 into earth orbit (549/200,000 km). [1]
- July 13
- C Torres discovers asteroid #3050 Carrera. [1]
- T Smirnova discovers asteroid #2112 Ulyanov. [1]
- July 14
- L Zhuravleva discovers asteroids #1959 Karbyshev and #2423 Ibarruri. [1]
- July 22
- Venera 8 makes soft landing on Venus. [1]
- July 23
- First Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS) is launched. [1]
- August 9
- Rockwell receives NASA contract to construct the Space Shuttle. [1]
- August 21
- US orbiting astronomy observatory Copernicus launched. [1]
- October 3
- Spaceflight 71-2 launched; first flexible substrate photovoltaic flown. [1]
- October 12
- Mariner 9 takes pictures of Martian north pole. [1]
- November 15
- Small Astronomy Satellite Explorer 48 is launched to study gamma rays. [1]
- December 7
- Apollo 17 (US), final manned lunar landing mission (last of Apollo Moon series), is launched. [1] [5] [1723.30]
- December 11
- Apollo 17 becomes the sixth American mission to land on the Moon. Astronauts Cernan and Harrison become 11th and 12th astronauts on the Moon. [1] [5]
- December 14
- Apollo 17 mission leaves the Moon, with astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt. (Last humans on the surface of the Moon until at least 2022.) [1] [5] [129] [524.25] [1659.66] [1723.30]
- December 19
- The last American manned lunar flight, Apollo 17, crewed by Eugene Cernan, Ron Evans and Harrison Schmitt, returns to Earth. [1] [5]
1973
- January 8
- USSR launches Luna 21 for Moon landing. [1] [5]
- January 16
- USSR's Lunakhod 2 begins radio-controlled exploration of the Moon. [1]
- February 15
- USSR launches Prognoz 3 to study sun (589/200,300 km). [1]
- March 7
- Comet (Lubos) Kohoutek discovered at Hamburg Observatory. [1]
- April 6
- US launches Pioneer 11 to Jupiter and Saturn. [1]
- April 20
- Canadian ANIK A2 becomes first commercial satellite in orbit. [1]
- May 14
- Skylab launched, the first Space Station. [1]
- May 25
- US launches first Skylab; crew Kerwin, Conrad, Weitz. [1]
- June 22
- Skylab 2's astronauts land. [1]
- June 30
- Observers aboard Concorde jet observe 72-minute solar eclipse. [1]
- July 21
- USSR launches Mars 4 for fly-by (2600 km) of the red planet. [1]
- July 25
- The Soviet Mars 5 space probe is launched. [1] [5]
- July 28
- Skylab 3's astronauts (Bean, Garriott and Lousma) launched. [1]
- August 5
- USSR launches Mars 6. [1]
- August 9
- USSR launches Mars 7. [1]
- August 23
- Intelsat communications satellite launched. [1]
- September 25
- Three-man crew of Skylab II make safe splashdown in Pacific after 59 days. [1]
- September 27
- Soyuz 12 carries two cosmonauts into Earth orbit (two days). [1]
- September 29
- Soyuz 12 returns to Earth. [1]
- November 3
- Mariner 10 launched; will make first Venus pictures, first mission to Mercury. [1]
- November 16
- Skylab 4 launched into Earth orbit. [1]
- December 3
- Pioneer 10 passes Jupiter (first fly-by of an outer planet). [1]
- December 18
- Soyuz 13 launched into Earth orbit for 8 days. [1]
- December 26
- Two Skylab 3 astronauts walk in space for a record 7 hours. [1]
- Soyuz 13 returns to Earth. [1]
- December 28
- Comet Kohoutek at perihelion. [1]
- December 30
- First picture of a comet from space (Comet Kohoutek - Skylab). [1]
1974
- February 5
- U.S. Mariner 10 returns the first close-up photos of Venus' cloud structure. [1] [5]
- February 8
- After 84 days in space, the crew of the first American space station Skylab return to Earth. [1] [5]
- February 11
- Titan-Centaur test launch fails. [1]
- February 18
- NASA launches Italian satellite San Marcos C-2 (235/843 km). [1]
- March 29
- Mariner 10's first fly-by of Mercury, returns photos. [1]
- May 20
- Soyuz 14 returns to Earth. [1]
- June 17
- Felix Aguilar Observatory discovers asteroids #2997 and #3083. [1]
- June 20
- Felix Aguilar Observatory discovers asteroid #2124 Nissen. [1]
- July 16
- Felix Aguilar Observatory discovers asteroid #2964. [1]
- July 19
- Felix Aguilar Observatory discovers asteroid #3118. [1]
- July 25
- T Smirnova discovers asteroid #2345 Fucik. [1]
- July 26
- USSR's Soyuz fails to dock with Salyut 3. [1]
- August 26
- Soyuz 15 carries two cosmonauts to space station Salyut 3. [1]
- August 28
- Soyuz 15 returns to Earth. [1]
- September 14
- Charles Kowal discovers Leda, 13th satellite of Jupiter. [1]
- September 21
- US Mariner 10 makes second fly-by of Mercury. [1]
- November 16
- First intentional interstellar radio message sent, Arecibo telescope towards M 41, a cluster of stars some 25,000 light years away. [1]
- December 2
- Soyuz 16 launched into Earth orbit for six days. [1]
- December 8
- Soyuz 16 returns to Earth. [1]
- December 10
- Helios 1 launched by US, Germany; later makes closest flyby of Sun. [1]
- December 26
- The Soviet Salyut 4 space station is launched. [5]
|