KSC: This Week in Space (Feb. 20-28, 2014)

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex just shared with us the first edition of what looks like a new weekly feature called "This Week in Space." Let's take a look back

• On February 20, 1962, John Glenn was the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth. He launched aboard the Mercury spacecraft Friendship 7. The mission was to observe his reactions, then return him back home safely, and it was a success, cementing Glenn as an American hero!

• On February 20, 1962, John Glenn became the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth. He launched aboard the Mercury spacecraft Friendship 7. The mission was to observe his reactions, then return him back home safely, and it was a success cementing Glenn as an American hero!
• On February 21, 1931, in Dessau, Germany, Johannes Winkler flew the HW-1 rocket. This was the first liquid-fuel rocket in Europe. It weighed a little over 11 pounds and stood two feet high. The rocket only made it ten feet into the air before failing.
• February 24, 1969: Mariner 6 launched with the Atlas/Centaur rocket. It was a part of the first dual mission to Mars. Along with Mariner 7, which launched a month later, it retrieved information about the Martian atmosphere using remote sensors and photographs.
• On February 26, 1964, the Championship fight of Liston vs Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali, appeared on televisions around America. It was the first television broadcast via a communications satellite.
• On February 27, 1942, James Stanley Hey discovered radio emissions coming from the sun. His discovery was a giant step forward for radio astronomy. Today, we know that many celestial bodies emit radio frequencies.
• On February 28, 1959, NASA launched Discoverer 1, the first in a series of reconnaissance satellites. The program was top secret and went by the code name of “Corona”. It was implemented in order to survey and photograph the Soviet Union, essentially replacing the U2 spy planes. The satellites also aided in producing maps and charts for the Department of Defense. It was kept secret from the public and over a period of four years, 38 satellites were launched.

For more information, visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com.