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Published On: April 28, 2021

Michael CollinsApollo 11 command module pilot Michael Collins, who remained in the command module Columbia in orbit of the moon while his crewmates, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, landed on the moon, dies at the age of 90 after battling cancer. Upon returning to Earth, Collins opted to retire from NASA and found work within the United States government, leading to his becoming the first director of the National Air & Space Museum, a facility which had yet to open at the time he took charge of it. Collins wrote a memoir, Carrying The Fire, in 1974, one of the earliest astronaut memoirs (and the first from a member of the crew charged with making the first lunar landing). Prior to Apollo 11, he had flown with John Young aboard Gemini 10, and prior to that had distinguished careers as both a fighter pilot and a test pilot. He applied for the second group of NASA astronauts, but didn’t make the cut until NASA was recruiting its third class.

Published On: April 28, 2020

The FlashThe CW airs the 130th episode of The Flash, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ superhero starring Grant Gustin. Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes) guest stars.

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Published On: April 28, 2016

HitomiJAXA, the Japanese Space Agency, declares the Hitomi X-ray astronomy satellite a total loss, having lost all contact with it. Though the diagnosis of the evidence to date is ongoing, engineers conclude from the available data that Hitomi entered an uncontrolled spin and broke up in orbit. JAXA offers apologies not only to other countries’ space agencies who supplied equipment for Hitomi, as well as to astronomers who had hoped to use the satellite.

Published On: April 28, 2015

Progress M-27MAn unmanned Progress cargo vehicle, designated Progress M-27M, is launched by Russia to ferry 6,000 pounds of supplies, equipment and experiments to the International Space Station. But Progress ends up in the wrong orbit, tumbling out of control, with Russian ground controllers unable to send remote commands to the vehicle. Plans to dock the Progress capsule to the ISS are called off as further attempts are made to regain control; since the Progress is in the wrong orbit, it poses no present danger to the station.

Published On: April 28, 2015

The FlashThe 20th episode of The Flash, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ superhero starring Grant Gustin, airs on the CW.

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Published On: April 28, 2002

The X-FilesThe 198th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick, and Annabeth Gish. David Duchovny returns in an episode he also directed and co-wrote.

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Published On: April 28, 2001

Soyuz TM-32Russia launches Soyuz TM-32 to the International Space Station. Aboard the Soyuz for an eight-day stay on the ISS are cosmonauts Talgat Musabayev and Yuri Baturin, and multi-millionaire space tourist Dennis Tito, the first space traveler to buy his own seat aboard a spacecraft. NASA is less than thrilled with the presence of a “tourist” in space, and refuses to allow Tito to train in advance for activities in the American-built segments of the station. This crew returns to Earth aboard Soyuz TM-31.

Published On: April 28, 2000

The Outer LimitsShowtime airs the 118th episode of The Outer Limits, a revival of the 1960s science fiction anthology series. Laura Leighton (Melrose Place, Pretty Little Liars) guest stars.

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Published On: April 28, 1996

The Outer LimitsPremium cable channel Showtime airs the 34th episode of The Outer Limits, a revival of Leslie Stevens’ 1960s science fiction anthology series. Neil Patrick Harris (A Series Of Unfortunate Events, Starship Troopers) guest stars.

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Published On: April 28, 1995

The X-FilesThe 46th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny, and Mitch Pileggi. Charles Martin Smith (Starman, The Untouchables) and William B. Davis guest star.

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Published On: April 28, 1995

VR.5The eighth episode of the science fiction series VR.5 airs on Fox, starring Lori Singer (Fame), Michael Easton (Total Recall 2070), and Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy The Vampire Slayer).

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Published On: April 28, 1995

The Outer LimitsPremium cable channel Showtime airs the sixth episode of The Outer Limits, a revival of Leslie Stevens’ 1960s science fiction anthology series. Thora Birch guest stars.

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Published On: April 28, 1991

Space ShuttleSpace Shuttle Discovery lifts off on an eight-day mission to delivery both classified and unclassified Defense Department payloads into Earth orbit. Aboard the shuttle for this flight are Commander Michael Coats, Pilot Blaine Hammond, and mission specialists Guion Bluford, Gregory Harbaugh, Richard Hieb, Donald McMonagle and Charles Veach.

Published On: April 28, 1988

Max HeadroomThe 12th episode of the American-made Max Headroom series premieres on ABC, starring Matt Frewer and Amanda Pays. (This is the the American-made drama series, not the music video/talk show series featuring the same character.) This is the final episode to air on ABC; two further episodes, Lost Tapes and Baby Grobags, aren’t seen until the series goes into reruns on cable years later.

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Published On: April 28, 1987

Making MagellanNASA has to borrow some of its own spare parts back from the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum to begin engineering mock-up work on the unmanned Venus radar mapping probe Magellan. As JPL works on modifications to a backup central bus component left over from the Voyager program, a physical copy of that bus from an engineering backup of the Voyager spacecraft is loaned back to JPL, shipped to Pasadena from Washington, D.C. (This loan saves JPL the trouble of building another replica of the bus, the central hub of the spacecraft containing its computer and electrical systems, which could add significant cost to the preparations.) The real Magellan, due to be launched soon after the currently grounded space shuttle program resumes, will cut costs by incorporating unused backup equipment from its predecessors, including a Voyager central bus and high-gain antenna, a medium-gain antenna spare from the Mariner missions to Mars, and a Galileo data handling system.

Published On: April 28, 1984

Robin Of SherwoodThe feature-length combination of the first two episodes of Richard Carpenter’s fanciful retelling of the Robin Hood legend, Robin Of Sherwood, airs on ITV, starring Michael Praed and Nickolas Grace, and featuring a very modern musical treatment by Irish band Clannad. Infusing the familiar tale with elements of Pagan mythology, this proves to be one of the most enduring and influential takes on Robin Hood, and finds international popularity. (Repeats both in the UK and internationally will air the two parts of the story separately.)

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Published On: April 28, 1983

GOES-6NOAA’s GOES-6 Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite is launched from Cape Canaveral into a geosynchronous orbit over 135 degrees west longitude on Earth, a position which will change several times over GOES-5’s career until 1988, allowing it to monitor weather over the continental United States and Europe. GOES-5’s primary set of “eyes” will fail in 1989, leaving GOES-7 as the sole working GOES weather satellite until the mid-1990s. Even while “blind”, GOES-5 will serve as a communications relay satellite until its boost to “graveyard” orbit and shutdown in 1992.

Published On: April 28, 1978

The Incredible HulkThe ninth episode of the live-action series based on Marvel’s comic The Incredible Hulk premieres on CBS, starring Bill Bixby, Jack Colvin, and Lou Ferrigno. Jennifer Darling (The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) guest stars.

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Published On: April 28, 1969

Space ShuttleNASA formally asks various major players in the aerospace industry for proposals for what the agency sees as its two major projects for the 1970s: an orbiting space station and a reusable Space Shuttle to make routine flights from Earth to the station – which NASA hopes will be a “50 man space base” – and back again, with supplies, experiments, and new crew members. (Within mere weeks, the hypothetical station’s equally hypothetical crew will be downsized to a dozen.) In the event that the development curve on the Space Shuttle proves to be a long one, NASA says it will keep Apollo and even Gemini spacecraft in service to make flights to the station.

Published On: April 28, 1961

'Way OutCBS broadcasts the fourth episode of the anthology series ‘Way Out, hosted by author Roald Dahl. Tim O’Connor (Buck Rogers In The 25th Century) stars.

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Chandrayaan-3 lands on the moon

Launched by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) in July, the Chandrayaan-3 uncrewed lunar lander successfully touches down on the surface of the moon near the lunar south pole, the first human-made spacecraft to successfully land in that region. Pictures from the surface are transmitted back to Earth, though the lander's mission is to look for signs of subsurface water believed to be common in the shaded south pole region, a potentially vital resource for long-term human habitation of the moon. (This was the mission intended for the earlier, unsuccessful Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2018.) In accomplishing this feat, India becomes the fourth country to soft-land a payload on the lunar surface.

Ahsoka

Streaming service Disney+ releases the the first and second episodes of Dave Filoni's Star Wars: Ahsoka, starring Rosario Dawson and Natasha Liu Bordizzo. Following up on the events of Filoni's previous aniamted series, Star Wars: Rebels, the first two episodes also feature Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World), David Tennant (Doctor Who), Clancy Brown (Earth 2, Highlander), and the late Ray Stevenson. More about Ahsoka in the LogBook

Luna 25 mission ends

Russia's Luna 25 mission to the lunar south pole ends unsuccessfully when an engine burn intended to lower the vehicle's orbit around the moon into its final landing orbit goes awry. Luna 25 instead crashes into the moon as the result of the engine firing longer than expected. Contact with Luna 25 is not recovered following what the Russian space agency describes as an "abnormal situation". The mission was Russia's first attempt at a lunar landing in nearly 50 years.

Babylon 5: The Road Home

Warner Bros. releases the animated movie Babylon 5: The Road Home. direct to DVD, Blu-Ray, and digital. Written by series creator J. Michael Straczynski, and featuring surviving original series stars Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, Peter Jurasik, Bill Mumy, Tracy Scoggins, and Patricia Tallman, with new actors voicing other familiar characters from the series. More about Babylon 5 in the LogBook and theLogBook.com StoreBabylon 5 now streaming on Amazon Prime

Categories Television
Luna 25

Russia launches the Luna 25 uncrewed spacecraft on a mission to land near the south pole of the moon. This is the first mission in the Luna program, which has been dormant since the 1970s; if successful, the mission will be the first Russian soft-landing on the moon in almost 50 years. Much like India's Chanrayaan-3 mission, launched a few weeks earlier, Luna 25 is intended to search for signs of water in the shaded areas of the lunar south pole, which could be a necessary resource for future crewed missions and possible long-term habitation of the moon.

Galactic 02

Virgin Galactic launches the Galactic 02 suborbital spaceflight aboard the SpaceShipTwo-class VSS Unity. The flight is piloted by CJ Sturckow and Kelly Latimer, with Birgin Galactic's Beth Moses aboard as the astronaut instructor. The passengers are space tourists Jon Goodwin, Keisha Schahaff, and Anastatia Mayers. Goodwin is the first space traveler to fly after being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.

Chandrayaan-3

India launches the Chandrayaan-3 uncrewed lunar lander mission, expected to reach the moon in August after weeks of gradually increasing the vehicle's orbital altitude until it slips from Earth orbit into lunar orbit. The mission profile is very similar to that of the Chandrayaan-2 mission, which attempted to put a lunar lander named Vikram on the surface near the lunar south pole to look for signs of water.

Galactic 01

Virgin Galactic launches the Galactic 01 suborbital spaceflight aboard the SpaceShipTwo-class VSS Unity. The flight is piloted by Michael Masucci and Nicola Pecile, with Italians Walter Villadei, Pantaleone Carlucci, and Angelo Landolfi, and British citizen Colin Bennett, as the passengers. Some research objectives are carried out on this flight, which was delayed from a 2021 launch date.

Superman & Lois: What Kills You Only Makes You Stronger

The CW airs the 43rd episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. This is the third season finale; the CW announces that a shortened fourth season will be made, but will be the show's last. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max

Star Trek: Prodigy cancelled

Streaming service Paramount Plus abruptly announces that the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy, created by Dan & Kevin Hageman, will be leaving the service a week after the announcement, at the end of June. The second season, deep into the post-production process, will be completed, and an attempt will be made to sell both the first and second seasons to another distribution outlet (though, as with recent cancellations on other streaming services, there is also a possibility of the show being shelved entirely as a tax write-down). After the announcement that Star Trek: Discovery's upcoming fifth season will be its last, Prodigy is the second Star Trek series to be cancelled in 2023. (It is one of several shows to leave PAramount Plus on extremely short notice at the end of June.) More about Star Trek: Prodigy in the LogBook

Superman & Lois: Injustice

The CW airs the 42nd episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max

Superman & Lois: Complications

The CW airs the 41st episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max

Superman & Lois: Collision Course

The CW airs the 40th episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max

Virgin Galactic Unity-25

Virgin Galactic launches the Unity-25 suborbital spaceflight aboard the SpaceShipTwo-class VSS Unity. Both crew and passengers are employees of Virgin Galactic, as this is effectively a proving flight following the Federal Aviation Administration's grounding of the Virgin Galactic fleet in 2021 after its first passenger flight. Pilots Michael Masucci and C.J. Sturckow are at the controls; Beth Moses, Luke Mays, Jamila Gilbert, and Christopher Huie are the passengers. Flights following this one will be designated "Galactic" followed by the flight number.

Superman & Lois: The Dress

The CW airs the 39th episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max

The Wonders Of The Universe

Dragon's Domain Records releases the soundtrack album The Wonders Of The Universe: Music From The Big Finish Space: 1999 Audio Dramas, collecting composer Joe Kraemer's music created for the Big Finish Productions audio drama reboot of Space: 1999, as both a download and a CD. More about Space: 1999 in the LogBook

Categories Music
Superman & Lois: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

The CW airs the 38th episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max

Superman & Lois: Forever And Always

The CW airs the 37th episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 soundtrack

Lakeshore Records digitally releases an album of selections from JNami Melumad's soundtrack to the first season of the streaming series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. More about Star Trek soundtracks in Music Reviews

Superman & Lois: Of Sound Mind

The CW airs the 36th episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 soundtrack

Lakeshore Records digitally releases an album of selections from Stephen Barton and Frederik Weidmann's soundtrack to the third and final season of the streaming series Star Trek: Picard. More about Star Trek soundtracks in Music Reviews

Superman & Lois: Head On

The CW airs the 35th episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max

Tron: Identity soundtrack

Disney Music digitally releases an album of selections from Dan le Sac's soundtrack to the computer game Tron: Identity. More about game soundtracks in Music Reviews

Categories Music
Superman & Lois: Too Close To Home

The CW airs the 34th episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max

Superman & Lois: In Cold Blood

The CW airs the 33rd episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max

Superman & Lois: Uncontrollable Forces

The CW airs the 32nd episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max

Superman & Lois: Closer

The CW airs the 31st episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. This is the third season premiere. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max

The Mandalorian: Chapter 17

Streaming service Disney+ releases the the 17th episode of Jon Favreau's The Mandalorian, starring Pedro Pascal. Katee Sackhoff and Carl Weathers guest star in the third season premiere. More about The Mandalorian in the LogBook

Star Trek: Picard: Disengage

Streaming service Paramount Plus debuts the 22nd episode of Star Trek: Picard, starring Patrick Stewart, Michelle Hurd, and Jeri Ryan. Amanda Plummer, Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes and Gates McFadden guest star. More about Star Trek: Picard in the LogBook

Star Trek: Picard: The Next Generation

Streaming service Paramount Plus debuts the 21st episode of Star Trek: Picard, starring Patrick Stewart, Michelle Hurd, and Jeri Ryan. Jonathan Frakes and Gates McFadden (Star Trek: The Next Generation) guest star in the heavily hyped third season premiere, which promises to reunite the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast. More about Star Trek: Picard in the LogBook

Retrogram #9060: What Did You Do During The Syndication Wars?

theLogBook.com releases the 34th episode of the Retrogram podcast, hosted by Earl Green, covering the history of first-run syndication in American television as a prelude to Retrogram beginning to cover genre TV from the 1990s. [audio mp3="https://www.thelogbook.com/podcast/retrogram/retrogram_9060.mp3"] More about the Retrogram podcast here

Categories Television
Doctor Who: The Power Of The Doctor soundtrack

Silva Screen Records digitally releases an album of music from Segun Akinola's soundtrack to The Power Of The Doctor, the third of the 2022 Doctor Who "specials" starring Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor. The album will get a physical release the following month. More about Doctor Who soundtracks in Music Reviews

Doctor Who: Legend Of The Sea Devils soundtrack

Silva Screen Records digitally releases an album of music from Segun Akinola's soundtrack to Legend Of The Sea Devils, the second of the 2022 Doctor Who "specials" starring Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor. The album will get a physical release the following month. More about Doctor Who soundtracks in Music Reviews

Doctor Who: Eve Of The Daleks soundtrack

Silva Screen Records digitally releases an album of music from Segun Akinola's soundtrack to Eve Of The Daleks, the first of the 2022 Doctor Who "specials" starring Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor. The album will get a physical release the following month. More about Doctor Who soundtracks in Music Reviews

Retrogram #8347: The Day After The Day Of The Doctor

theLogBook.com releases the 33rd episode of the Retrogram podcast, hosted by Earl Green, covering the following shows from the week of November 20, 1983: TV movie: The Day After Terrahawks: The Gun Doctor Who: The Five Doctors Dungeons & Dragons: The Box [audio mp3="https://www.thelogbook.com/podcast/retrogram/retrogram_8347.mp3"] More about the Retrogram podcast here

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