Day: February 28, 1961

Categories
Science & Technology Uncrewed Spaceflight Weather & Climate

ESSA-2 launched

  • February 28, 1966

ESSAThe recently-rechristened Environmental Sciences Service Administration (previously the U.S. Weather Bureau) launches, with the help of NASA, weather satellite ESSA-2, intended to be the second in a constellation of spaceborne observers of Earth’s weather. Virtually identical to ESSA-1, ESSA-2 monitors Earth’s cloud cover for over four years; it is decommissioned in 1970, not because it stops working, but because a newer satellite utilizes the same telemetry frequency.

Categories
Television

The Invaders: Doomsday Minus One

  • February 28, 1967

The InvadersThe eighth episode of Larry Cohen’s science fiction series The Invaders, starring Roy Thinnes and produced by Quinn Martin’s QM Productions, premieres on ABC. William Windom (The Farmer’s Daughter, My World And Welcome To It) guest stars.

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Categories
Atlantis Crewed Spaceflight Space Shuttle

STS-36

  • February 28, 1990

Space ShuttleSpace Shuttle Atlantis lifts off on a four-day Department of Defense mission, the specifics of which remain classified. The crew consists of Commander John Creighton, Pilot John Casper, and mission specialists Richard Mullane, David Hilmers and Pierre Thuot.

Categories
Television

Sliders: The Exodus, Part 2

  • February 28, 1997

SlidersFox airs the 39th episode of Tracy Torme’s alternate-universe science fiction series Sliders, starring Jerry O’Connell, John Rhys Davies, Sabrina Lloyd, Cleavant Derricks, and Kari Wuhrer. Roger Daltrey (Highlander, Witchblade) guest stars. This is John Rhys-Davies’ final appearance as a series regular, though one episode filmed prior to his two-part exit had yet to be shown, and would appear later.

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Categories
Television X-Files

The X-Files: Monday

  • February 28, 1999

The X-FilesThe 131st episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Carrie Hamilton (Fame) guest stars.

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Categories
NEAR-Shoemaker Uncrewed Spaceflight

NEAR-Shoemaker signing off

  • February 28, 2001

NEARNASA’s NEAR-Shoemaker unmanned spacecraft, still on the surface of asteroid 433 Eros, sends its final signals to Earth before shutting down. Launched in 1996, NEAR-Shoemaker swung by asteroid 253 Mathilde before making its way to Eros via an Earth gravity assist maneuver. It orbited Eros for a year, having started its operations in close proximity to the asteroid a year later due to a technical problem in 1998 that nearly destroyed the space probe. Future asteroid missions such as Hayabusa and Dawn will refine the science of traveling to and studying asteroids.

Categories
New Horizons Uncrewed Spaceflight

New Horizons at Jupiter

  • February 28, 2007

IoNASA’s New Horizons probe, on a one-way trip to become the first probe to swing past distant Pluto, picks up speed dramatically as it slingshots past Jupiter. New Horizons sensors are trained on the giant planet to get the first look at Jupiter since Galileo swan-dived into its crushing atmosphere. New Horizons gains nearly 9,000 miles per hour as it swings past Jupiter, which will put it at Pluto in July 2015. New Horizons’ camera catches an erupting volcano on Jupiter’s moon Io, spewing material 200 miles above the surface.

Categories
Messenger Uncrewed Spaceflight

Messenger: Mercury has been mapped

  • February 28, 2013

Mercury mapped by MessengerThe unmanned Messenger space probe, the first spacecraft ever to orbit Mercury, completes the mapping of the tiny planet with its MDIS (Messenger Dual Imaging System), having completed full coverage of the entire planet from pole to pole in both visible and infrared light, allowing a much more accurate topographical map to be created. This represents the most complete set of mapping data available on Mercury. Messenger’s mission is slated to end in March unless it is extended a second time.