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NASA History Office

@NASAhistory

This is the NASA History Office's official X account. We're happy that you share our passion for aerospace history. Verification: https://t.co/6BaN3zUqRN

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One giant leap! A Navy frogman leaps from a recovery helicopter to assist in the Gemini XII recovery operations in this photo taken #OTD in 1966. Astronauts Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin had just completed their four-day space mission, the final mission of the Gemini program.

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Anybody want a broken satellite? Dale Gardner held up a "For Sale" sign during a spacewalk 40 years ago today after he and Joseph Allen captured the malfunctioning Westar 6 satellite and secured it in Discovery's cargo bay. Westar 6 was later purchased, fixed, and relaunched!

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In a driving rain, #Apollo12 lifted off for the second crewed lunar landing mission #OTD in 1969. Less than a minute into the mission, the spacecraft was met with a striking surprise! ⚡


Before lightning struck... ⚡ The massive 40-story-tall Saturn V stack stood on the pad at the Kennedy Space Center 55 years ago today, awaiting the Apollo 12 crew. None expected what lay in store the next morning during the first minute of the Apollo 12 mission.

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NASA History Office Reposted

#OTD in 1978, the Einstein Observatory launched as the first space telescope capable of creating images of cosmic X-ray sources. This telescope advanced our understanding of supermassive black holes, supernovae, dark matter, and more. Read more: go.nasa.gov/3CqMMZ7

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Yoink! #OTD in 1971, Mariner 9 became the first spacecraft to orbit another planet as it fired its thrusters to circle Mars. Launched 11 days after the Soviet Mars 2 mission, It beat Mars 2 to orbit by two weeks. More about Mariner 9's accomplishments: go.nasa.gov/3UP1L5z

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NASA History Office Reposted

Our @NASAVoyager isn't just surviving out in interstellar space, it's thriving! After nearly 50 years, these twin spacecraft continue doing new science outside the heliosphere, a bubble of particles and magnetic fields created by our Sun. Learn more: go.nasa.gov/3YO6Hc5

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Be your own spaceship! STS-51A, in orbit 40 years ago this week, marked the last use of the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), a "jet pack" that allowed astronauts to fly in space untethered. In this photo, astronaut Dale Gardner retrieves the Westar 6 satellite using the MMU.

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Lifting off #OTD in 1981 (pilot Richard Truly's 44th birthday 🎉 ), space shuttle Columbia proved its reusability when it made its second trip to space for STS-2. Read about why the mission was shortened from 5 days to 2: go.nasa.gov/3NWYPjr

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Perhaps the most colorful crew of the Apollo program, the #Apollo12 prime crew—Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon, and Al Bean—pose in the parking lot of @NASAKennedy's Flight Crew Training Building #OTD in 1969. Just 3 more sleeps until launch.

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Commander Vance Brand ↙️ and Pilot Bob Overmyer are seen here on the forward flight deck of Columbia, which launched #OTD in 1982 for the first operational mission of the Shuttle Program: STS-5. The crew of 4 deployed two satellites on the 5-day mission. go.nasa.gov/48DAuZk

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Watch as Apollo 4, the largest space vehicle ever to be launched as of that date, lifted off #OTD in 1967. It was the first flight of a Saturn V—the rocket that took NASA astronauts to the Moon more than 50 years ago. More: nasa.gov/mission/apollo…


NASA History Office Reposted

The launch of the groundbreaking Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn was a tremendous, yet bittersweet, achievement for NASA Lewis (today, NASA Glenn). It was the 119th, and final, launch managed by the center, bringing to a close a 35-year legacy. Read: go.nasa.gov/3UbBfmi

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