STS-100 (ISS-6A) MS Chris Hadfield becomes the 1st Canadian to perform an EVA OTD 2001. The 7h 10m EVA (with Scott Parazynski) was the 19th at ISS & 197th since 1965. The pair supported the permanent installation, activation & checkout of the Canadarm2 delivered on STS-100.

Explorer 10 (P-14) launched, OTD 1961, into an highly ellpitical orbit (221 x 180,100km). Designed to investigated Earth's magnetic field & local plasma it was the first satellite to record solar flare generated shock waves. Contact lasted 2 days. Explorer 10 decayed 30 June 1968

Today (16 March) is a double celebration. The 100th anniversary of the historic flight of a liquid-fuelled rocket by Robert Goddard in 1926, & the 60th anniversary of the 1st space docking during Gemini 8 (1966), in an abbreviated mission, by Neil Armstrong & Dave Scott.

Reported in the media OTD 1964, the USAF plans to launch 6 Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) missions over an 18-month period starting late 1967 or early 1968. Each 30-day classified flight would be crewed by two military astronauts, returning in a modified Gemini spacecraft.

The 183rd Progress resupply mission launched OTD 2025. Progress MS-30 (#460), the 91st mission to the ISS (91P), docked at the aft port of Zvezda 2 days later (1 March) delivering almost 6,000kg of supplies for EO-72. MS-30 remained docked at ISS until 9 September (191+ days).

Apollo 13 LMP Fred Haise descibed EVA plans during a KSC News conference OTD 1970. During the 2 surface EVAs Jim Lovell & Haise would deploy an ALSEP, drill three 3m holes for two heat sensors & extact a core sample from the third, collect lunar samples and climb up Cone Crater.

ISS EO-1 crew took a 30 minute trip, OTD 2001, to relocate their Soyuz TM-31 (1S) spacecraft from the aft port of Zvezda to the nadir port on Zarya. This was necessary to free up the aft Zvezda port to receive the uncrewed Progress M-44 (3P) resupply craft on 28 February.

Galileo swept past Jupiter's moon Io at just 198 km OTD 2000. The I-27 flyby captured data from the northern volcanic region, including (subsequent false colour images of) Prometheus, infrared spectrometer temperature images of the Pele volcano and other dynamic structures.

NASA's Space Task Group announced, OTD 1961, that astronauts John Glenn, Virgil Grissom and Alan Shepard were to begin 'special training' for the first crewed Mercury flight. This was planned for Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) later that spring & feature a 15 minute suborbital flight.

Completing a 12+day mission to the ISS, Atlantis lands at Dryden, California OTD 2001. The STS-98 (ISS 5A) mission delivered & installed, supported by 3 EVAs totalling 19+ hrs, the US Destiny Laboratory at the complex. The 23rd flight of Atlantis was the 102nd of the programme

Joe Kerwin turns 94 today. Selected 1965 (Group 4); (1968) 2TV-1 crewmember 8-day CSM simulation; (1970) Capcom Apollo 13; (1973) Science Pilot Skylab 2 (28 days); considered for STS-41C; 1982-83 NASA's senior science rep Australia; (1984-87) JSC Director of Space & Life Sciences

FD11 (18 Feb) OTD 2010 the joint STS-130/EO-22 crew received a phone call from US President Barack Obama & several school children. The rest of the day was taken up by transferring ECLSS racks to the Tranquility module, setting up the Cupola & get-ahead tasks in Quest airlock.

FD3 STS-98. Atlantis docked at Unity's nadir port OTD 2001. ISS assembly mission 5A delivered the US Lab Destiny, which was attached to Unity's forward port the next day. Atlantis remained docked for 6+d during which 3 EVA were conducted & over 1,300+kg of supplies transferred.

Boeing delivers the first of eight Lunar Orbiter spacecraft (inc 5 flight vehicles) to the Kennedy Space Center OTD 1966. This 38.5 kg (85 lb) engineering test vehicle was destined for ground tests prior to the launch of the first flight vehicle (Lunar Orbiter A) later that year.

NASA announced OTD 1985 that Warren North (1922-2012) had retired effective 1 Feb. A specialist in astronaut selection & training he joined NASA's STG in 1959; (1962-71) Chief, Flight Crew Operations MSC; (1971-1985) Assistant Director for Shuttle Flight Operations (MSC/JSC).

Mir EO-5's Aleksandr Viktorenko & Aleksandr Serebrov conducted their 5th & final EVA OTD 1990. During the 3h 45 min EVA a tethered Viktorenko completed the 2nd & final test flight of the YMK Soviet MMU to about 45 metres from Mir. [Images via spacefacts.de]

Apollo 14's LOI burn placed it in an 314.1 x 108.2km lunar orbit OTD 1971. While the LM was on the surface CMP Stu Roosa photographed the planned Apollo 16 Descates landing site, other lunar features & astronomical targets. CSM-110 Kitty Hawk logged 66+ hrs/34 revs in lunar orbit

After 770 days in orbit, OTD 1977, the unoccupied Salyut 4 (DOS-4) re-entered & was destroyed. Launched 26 Dec 1974 it had hosted 2 two-man crews for 30 and 63 days & an uncrewed Soyuz for a 89+d docked duration test. The original 2nd crew had survived a hazardous launch abort.

Twenty-three years. Columbia & her crew of seven lost OTD 2003. Never forgotten always remembered...

...could it really be 40 years ago today we witnessed the loss of Challenger & her crew of seven. Never forgotten always remembered...