- May 7
- Small Astronomy Satellite Explorer 53 launched to study X-rays. [1]
- May 24
- Soyuz 18B carries two cosmonauts to space station Salyut 4. [1]
- May 28
- May 30
- European Space Agency (ESA) forms. [1]
- June 8
- USSR launches Venera 9 for Venus landing. [1]
- June 9
- E Roemer discovers asteroid #1983 Bok. [1]
- June 13
- Felix Aguilar Observatory discovers asteroid #2219 Mannucci. [1]
- June 14
- USSR launches Venera 10 for Venus landing. [1]
- June 21
- Soyuz 19 returns to Earth. [1]
- July 1
- Felix Aguilar Observatory discovers asteroid #2680. [1]
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- July 11
- L Chernykh discovers asteroid #2489 Suvorov. [1]
- July 15
- Soyuz 19 and Apollo 18 launched; rendezvous two days later. [1]
- July 17
- American Apollo 18 and Soviet Soyuz 19 spacecraft dock with each other in orbit, marking the first such link-up between spacecraft from the two nations. [1] [5]
- July 19
- Apollo and Soyuz, linked in orbit for two days, separate. [1]
- July 24
- Apollo 18 returns to Earth. [1]
- July 26
- Soyuz 18B returns to Earth. [1]
- August 20
- American Viking 1 launched toward orbit around Mars. [1]
- August 29
- Star in Cygnus goes nova becoming fourth brightest in sky. [1]
- September 9
- Viking 2 is launched toward orbit around Mars. [1]
- September 17
- Rollout of first space shuttle orbiter Enterprise (OV-101). [1]
- October 12
- NASA launches space vehicle S-195. [1]
- October 17
- First Space Shuttle main engine test at National Space Tech Labs, Mississippi. [1]
- October 21
- Venera 9, first craft to orbit the planet Venus. [1]
- October 22
- Soviet spacecraft Venera 9 soft-lands on Venus. [1]
- October 25
- USSR's Venera 10 makes day-side Venus landing. [1]
- December 5
- NASA launches space vehicle S-196; it fails. [1]
1976
- January 15
- US-German Helios B solar probe launched into solar orbit. [1]
- January 17
- Hermes rocket launched by European Space Agency. [1]
- January 29
- Zeiss planetarium in Hague, Netherlands, destroyed by fire. [1]
- May 22
- NASA launches space vehicle S-179. [1]
- June 19
- US Viking 1 goes into Martian orbit after 10-month flight from Earth. [1]
- July 6
- Soyuz 21 carries two cosmonauts to Salyut 5 space station. [1]
- July 20
- US Viking 1 lands on Mars at Chryse Planitia, first Martian landing. [1] [5]
- July 31
- NASA releases the famous Face on Mars photo taken by Viking 1. [5]
- August 7
- Scientists in Pasadena, California, announce Viking 1 found strongest indications to date of possible life on Mars. [1]
- American Viking 2 goes into Martian orbit after 11-month flight from Earth. [1] [5]
- August 9
- USSR launches Luna 24, to the Moon. [1]
- August 12
- First approach and lands test (ALT) of NASA space shuttle orbiter Enterprise. [1]
- August 18
- USSR's Luna 24 soft-lands on Moon. [1]
- August 24
- Soyuz 21 returns to Earth. [1]
- September 1
- NASA launches space vehicle S-197. [1]
- September 3
- American Viking 2 soft lands on Mars (Utopia), returns photos. [1] [5]
- September 15
- Soyuz 22 carries two cosmonauts into Earth orbit for eight days. [1]
- September 17
- NASA publicly unveils space shuttle Enterprise in Palmdale, California. [1]
- September 23
- Soyuz 22 returns to Earth. [1]
- October 14
- Soyuz 23 carries two to Salyut 6, but returns without docking. [1]
- October 16
- Soyuz 23 returns to Earth. [1]
- November 25
- Viking 1 radio signal from Mars helps prove general theory of relativity. [1]
1977
- February 2
- Burn up of Salyut 4 Space Station (USSR). [1]
- February 7
- Soyuz 24 launches with two cosmonauts. [1]
- February 19
- Space shuttle Enterprise makes first test flight atop a 747 jetliner. [1] [5]
- February 25
- Soyuz 24 returns to Earth. [1]
- March 10
- Rings of Uranus discovered during occultation of SAO. [1]
- April 29
- British Aerospace forms. [1]
- June 18
- Space Shuttle test model Enterprise carries a crew aloft. [1]
- July 12
- First free flight test of space shuttle Enterprise. [1]
- July 14
- N Chernykh discovers asteroids #2286 Fesenkov, #2492 Kutuzov. [1]
- July 19
- N Chernykh discovers asteroid #2228 Soyuz-Apollo. [1]
- August 12
- High Energy Astronomy Observatory 1 launched into Earth orbit. [1]
- Space shuttle Enterprise makes first atmospheric flight. [1] [5]
- August 13
- First test glide of the space shuttle. [1]
- September 5
- Voyager 1 (US) satellite launched toward fly-by of Jupiter and Saturn. [1] [5]
- September 18
- US Voyager I takes the first space photograph of the Earth and Moon together. [1] [5]
- September 20
- Voyager 2 launched for fly-by of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. [1]
- September 29
- Soviet space station Salyut 6 is launched into Earth orbit. [1]
- October 9
- Soyuz 25 is launched to Salyut 6, but returns after failing to dock. [1]
- October 11
- Soyuz 25 returns to Earth. [1]
- October 12
- 4th test of the space shuttle Enterprise. [1]
- October 22
- International Sun-Earth Explorers 1 and 2 launched into Earth orbit. [1]
- October 26
- 5th and final test of space shuttle Enterprise. [1]
- October 27
- NASA launches space vehicle S-200. [1]
- November 23
- European weather satellite Meteosat 1 is launched from Cape Canaveral. [1]
- December 10
- Soyuz 26 carries two cosmonauts to Salyut 6 space station. [1]
- December 20
- First space walk made by G Grechko from Salyut. [1]
1978
- January 10
- Soyuz 27 carries two cosmonauts to Salyut 6 space station. [1]
- January 11
- Soyuz 27 links with Salyut 6 and Soyuz 26 (first time three spacecraft link). [1]
- January 16
- Soyuz 27 returns to Earth. [1]
- January 18
- Thiokol conducts second test firing of space shuttle's solid rocket boosters. [1]
- January 24
- Soviet satellite Cosmos 954 burns up in Earth's atmosphere, scattering debris over Canada's Northwest Territories. [841]
- January 26
- International Ultraviolet Explorer placed in Earth orbit. [1]
- March 2
- Soyuz 28 (Aleksei Gubarev, Vladimir Remek) is launched on a rendezvous with Salyut 6, with the first cosmonaut from a third country (besides the Soviet Union and United States) - Czechoslovak citizen Vladimír Remek. [1] [841]
- March 5
- Landsat 3 launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. [1]
- March 10
- Soyuz 28 returns to Earth. [1] [841]
- March 16
- Soyuz 26 returns to Earth. [1]
- March 31
- USSR launches Kosmos 1000 navigational satellite. [1]
- April 26
- NASA launches space vehicle S-201. [1]
- May 20
- US launches Pioneer Venus 1; produces first global radar map of Venus. [1]
- June 6
- A Mrkos discovers asteroids #2199 Klet and #3339. [1]
- June 15
- Soyuz 29 carries two cosmonauts to Salyut 6. (They stay 139 days.) [1]
- June 22
- Charon, a satellite of the dwarf planet Pluto, is discovered by James Christy. [1] [5] [841]
- June 27
- Soyuz 30 carries two cosmonauts (one Polish) to Salyut 6 space station. [1]
- June 28
- The U.S. scientific satellite Seasat is launched, the first dedicated oceanographic satellite. [841]
- July 4
- L Chernykh discovers asteroid #3332. [1]
- July 5
- Soyuz 30 spacecraft touches down in Soviet Kazakhstan. [1]
- July 8
- Pioneer-Venus 2 Multi-probe launched to Venus. [1]
- July 9
- L Chernykh discovers asteroid #2530 Shipka. [1]
- July 10
- E F Helinand E Shoemaker discovers asteroid #3484. [1]
- July 28
- Perth Observatory discovers asteroids #3188 and #3422. [1]
- July 29
- Pioneer 11 transmits images of Saturn and its rings. [1]
- August 8
- Pioneer-Venus 2 with five atmospheric probes launched toward Venus. [1]
- August 26
- Soyuz 31 carries two cosmonauts (one the first East German, Sigmund Jähn) to Salyut 6. [1] [5]
- September 3
- Crew of Soyuz 31 returns to Earth aboard Soyuz 29. [1]
- October 10
- A massive short circuit in Seasat's electrical system ends the satellite's scientific mission. [841]
- October 13
- Tiros N, America's first third-generation weather satellite, is launched. [1]
- November 2
- Crew of Soyuz 29 returns to Earth aboard Soyuz 31. [1]
- November 13
- December 4
- Pioneer Venus 1 goes into orbit around Venus. [1]
- December 9
- Pioneer Venus 2 drops five probes into atmosphere of Venus. [1]
1979
- February 7
- Pluto moves inside Neptune's orbit for the first time since either was known to science, and will remain that way for 20 years. [1] [840]
- February 12
- Kosmos 1076, first Soviet oceanographic satellite, launched. [1]
- February 18
- NASA launches space vehicle S-202. [1]
- February 21
- Japan launches Hakucho x-ray satellite and Corsa-B (550/580 km). [1]
- February 25
- Soyuz 32 carries two cosmonauts to Salyut 6 space station. [1]
- February 26
- A total solar eclipse arcs over northern Canada, and a partial solar eclipse is visible over almost all of North America and Central America. [1] [840] [1588.15]
- March 4
- The U.S. Voyager I space probe photos reveal Jupiter's rings. [1] [840]
- March 5
- NASA's Voyager I space probe makes its closest approach to Jupiter (172,000 miles). [1] [5] [840]
- March 7
- The largest Magnetar (Soft gamma repeater) event is recorded. [840]
- March 8
- First extraterrestrial volcano discovered (Jupiter's satellite Io). [1]
- Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) transported 38 miles overland from Palmdale. [1]
- March 20
- Columbia flies on Shuttle carrier aircraft to Kennedy Space Center. [1]
- March 25
- The first fully functional space shuttle orbiter (Columbia) is delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center to be prepared for its first launch. [1] [5] [840]
- April 5
- Pioneer 11 launched towards Jupiter. [1]
- April 10
- Soyuz 33 launched with a Russian and a Bulgarian. [1]
- April 12
- Soyuz 33 returns to Earth. [1]
- May 4
- NASA launches Fltsatcom-2. [1]
- May 5
- Voyager 1 passes Jupiter. [1]
- June 2
- NASA launches space vehicle S-198. [1]
- June 7
- Bhaskara 1, Indian Earth resources/meteorology satellite, launched. [1]
- June 15
- First space shuttle solid rocket booster qualification test firing; 122 seconds. [1]
- June 16
- H-E Schuster discovers asteroid #2275. [1]
- June 25
- E F Helin and S J Bus discover asteroid #2343 Siding Spring. [1]
- July 8
- Voyager 2 takes first ever photo of Jupiter's satellite Adrastea (J14). [1]
- July 9
- Voyager 2 flies past Jupiter. [1]
- July 11
- American Skylab space station enters the atmosphere over Australia and disintegrates, after being in orbit for 6 years and 2 months. [1] [5] [840]
- July 21
- N Chernykh discovers asteroids #2585 Irpedina and #3298. [1]
- July 23
- E Bowell discovers asteroid #2736 Ops. [1]
- July 31
- N Chernykh discovers asteroids #2402 Satpaev and #2416 Sharonov. [1]
- August 19
- Crew of Soyuz 32 returns to Earth aboard Soyuz 34 after 175-day flight. [1]
- August 30
- First recorded occurrence - comet Howard-Koomur-Michels hits sun (energy equals 1 million hydrogen bombs). [1]
- September 1
- The U.S. Pioneer 11 becomes the first spacecraft to visit Saturn, when it passes the planet at a distance of 21,000 km. [1] [840]
- September 20
- October 30
- NASA launches space vehicle S-203. [1]
- December 24
- The first European Ariane rocket is launched. [1] [5] [840]
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