Special Report
The Most Important Events in NASA's History
January 24, 2022 12:00 pm
Source: NASA
46. Permanent space presence begins
> Date: Feb. 1, 2000
Humankind began permanent presence in space with the crew of Bill Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko, and Sergei Krikalev aboard the International Space Station.
Source: NASA
47. Columbia disintegrates
> Date: Feb. 1, 2003
Another shuttle tragedy occurred in 2003, when the Columbia was destroyed on re-entry, killing all seven crew members — David M. Brown, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, Rick D. Husband, Laurel B. Clark, and Ilan Ramon. NASA suspended shuttle missions for more than two years as it probed the disaster.
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Source: NASA / JPL-Caltech
48. Voyager heads into interstellar space
> Date: April 25, 2012
Voyager 1, launched on Sept. 5, 1977, when Jimmy Carter was president, became the first spacecraft to reach interstellar space.
Source: NASA / Bill Ingalls
49. Female ‘computer’ receives medal
> Date: Nov. 24, 2015
Katherine Johnson, one of the African American women portrayed in the film “Hidden Figures,” received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. Johnson and other female “computers” were recognized for contributing to the success of the U.S. space program in the 1960s.
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
50. First all-woman space walk
> Date: Oct.18, 2019
Astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir were the first all-women spacewalk team. Among the 15 women who have done spacewalks, 14 have been astronauts from NASA.
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