NASA and the United States Weather Bureau launch the fifth experimental TIROS weather satellite, TIROS-5. Further refinements to the basic TIROS satellite system are made, including new systems designed to keep the satellite in orbit – and in service – for a much longer period of time. A problem with the Delta rocket used to launch TIROS-5 puts the satellite in an elliptical orbit which is maintained for less than six months.
NASA and the United States Weather Bureau launch the seventh experimental TIROS weather satellite, TIROS-7. In addition to observing weather on Earth, TIROS-7 carries instruments to measure electron activity in Earth’s vicinity and to measure the temperature of space. Enhancements designed to extend the satellite’s life prove to be wildly successful: TIROS-7 is the longest-lived of the experimental TIROS series, remaining in service for five years (and, critically, five hurricane seasons).
The 156th and final episode of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs on CBS. Mary Badham stars. The series will be revived at least once per decade, to varying degrees of success, beginning in the 1980s; Serling will return to TV with an anthology format series in the 1970s with Night Gallery.
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The Twilight Zone now streaming on Paramount Plus
The 76th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This is part five of the story now collectively known as The Chase, featuring the Doctor’s third struggle against the Daleks. This is the first time that the name “Doctor Who” appears in one of the show’s episode titles, and the last such occurrence until 1970’s Doctor Who and the Silurians.
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The 303rd episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Roger Delgado and Damaris Hayman guest star. This episode wraps up the eighth season.
This timeline entry leads to an entry covering this entire Doctor Who serial; there are plans to write new episodic entries in the future. You can support this effort!
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BBC1 airs the 29th episode of Doomwatch. This episode, guest starring Elisabeth Sladen (Doctor Who, The Sarah Jane Adventures) no longer exists in the BBC’s archives.
The seventh and final episode of children’s fantasy series King Of The Castle is broasdcast on HTV. The series is created by Bristol-based writers Bob Baker and Dave Martin (Sky, Doctor Who), and stars Philip Da Costa. Talfryn Thomas (Survivors) and Milton Johns (Doctor Who, The Empire Strikes Back) also star.
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The week-long syndication window opens for the 25th and final episode of The Next Step Beyond, hosted and directed by John Newland.
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Launched unmanned in April, the Kosmos 1267 space station module docks automatically with the recently vacated Salyut 6 space station – the first-ever on-orbit expansion of a previously launched space structure. The module, a hardware holdover from the abandoned Almaz military space station program, provides engineers on the ground with information needed to safely add modules to the upcoming Salyut 7 space station to expand its habitable space. The experience gained will also be instrumental in the construction of the Mir station and the International Space Station. Kosmos 1267 remains docked to Salyut 6 until the combined structure tumbles out of orbit in 1982.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 44th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Majel Barrett Roddenberry guest stars; Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood appears as a fish (no, really). 
The 19th episode of George Lucas’ historical adventure series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles airs on ABC, starring Corey Carrier. Danny Webb (Our Friends In The North, Alien3, Humans) and Lukas Haas (Mars Attacks, Inception) guest star.
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The 11th episode of Escape From Jupiter airs on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Co-produced by ABC and Japanese network NHK, this children’s sci-fi series stars Steve Bisley (Mad Max).
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The week-long national syndication window opens for the 71st episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This episode closes the show’s third season.
American toy company Mattel releases a Mars Pathfinder playset as part of its venerable Hot Wheels range of toy cars. The set includes miniature replicas of Pathfinder’s atmospheric entry capsule (complete with removable backshell) and the three-petaled Pathfinder landing station, but the highlight is the intricately (and very accurately) detailed miniature Sojourner Mars rover. Mattel has licensed the patented designs of the spacecraft through JPL’s Technology Affiliates program.
GNP Crescendo records releases the soundtrack compilation album The Best of Star Trek: Volume Two, collecting music highlights from the original Star Trek TV series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager.
The second episode of Witchblade airs on cable channel TNT, based on the Top Cow comic book of the same name, starring Yancy Butler and David Chokachi. Laila Robins (Homeland, Murder In The First) guest stars.
The 212th episode of Stargate SG-1 airs on the Sci-Fi Channel, starring Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Claudia Black, Beau Bridges, and Michael Shanks.
The 770th episode of Doctor Who (the 72nd since the series’ revival) airs on BBC1. Alex Kingston, Tony Curran and Ian McNiece guest star. This is the first part of the two-part season finale.
Actor Anton Yelchin, perhaps best known to genre fans for taking over the role of Ensign Pavel Chekov in the series of Star Trek reboot movies since 2009, dies in a freak car accident at the age of 27. Yelchin was already considered a rising talent because of his performances in Charlie Bartlett, Like Crazy, Hearts In Atlantis, Terminator: Salvation, and a remake of Fright Night (in which he starred opposite David Tennant of Doctor Who fame). His final movie as Chekov, Star Trek Beyond, is due to be released in July 2016.
Showtime broadcasts the eighth episode of The Man Who Fell To Earth, a series continuation of the 1976 David Bowie film, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Naomie Harris, Bill Nighy, Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Prodigy), and Jimmi Simpson (Westworld).
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