Charging the view of distant atmospheres
NASA and ESA announce that spectrographic analysis of Hubble Space Telescope data gathered during observations of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa reveals that Europa has a persistent atmosphere of water vapor, but only on the hemisphere of the moon that is opposite of the direction of its orbital motion. (This unusual effect had been predicted in computer modeling, but had not been directly observed until now.) The atmosphere is present in Hubble spectroscopy data as old as 1999 and as recent as 2015. The stability of the water vapor in the atmosphere is the real surprise find, since surface-based water was assumed to be in solid ice form.
Cable channel Disney XD airs the 
The 71st episode of Arrow, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ Green Arrow superhero starring Stephen Amell, airs on the CW. Neal McDonough (Boomtown) guest stars.
Cable channel Disney XD premieres the 
Online streaming service Yahoo! Screen premieres Paul Feig’s eight-episode science fiction comedy web series 
The second episode of The Flash, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ superhero starring Grant Gustin, airs on the CW. William Sadler (Roswell, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey) guest stars.
The tenth full-time crew of the International Space Station lifts off from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard Soyuz TMA-5. Salizhan Sharipov and Leroy Chiao take up residence on the ISS for 192 days. Arriving with them on the ISS for a nine-day stay is cosmonaut Yuri Shargin, who returns to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-4 with the Expedition 9 crew.
UPN airs the 
The sixth episode of the science fiction series The Cape premieres in syndication in North America, starring Corbin Bernsen (L.A. Law) and Adam Baldwin, and focusing on a fictionalized version of NASA’s shuttle program. 
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 
The week-long national syndication window opens for 
The week-long national syndication window opens for 
The 53rd episode of the supernatural crime series Forever Knight airs in syndication, starring Geraint Wyn-Davies, Catherine Disher, Nigel Bennett, and Lisa Ryder.
The 29th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny, and Mitch Pileggi. Steve Railsback (Lifeforce) and Nicholas Lea guest star. This is the first part of a two-part story.
The 
The week-long national syndication window opens for 
The 29th episode of the syndicated series Superboy, starring Gerard Christopher and Stacy Haiduk, airs. Sherman Howard guest stars as Luthor.
HBO premieres the made-for-TV movie 
ITV airs the 98th episode of the anthology series Tales Of The Unexpected. Roy Marsden guest stars.
The second episode of Glen A. Larson’s superhero series Manimal airs on NBC, starring Simon MacCorkindale, Melody Anderson, and Michael D. Roberts. Jonathan Goldsmith (who will later gain fame as an advertising spokesman for Dos Equis beer) guest stars.
Konami introduces the arcade game 
CBS airs the 
The 
The 18th episode of Wonder Woman airs on CBS, starring Lynda Carter and Lyle Waggoner. Jayne Kennedy and Ted Shackelford (Space Precinct) guest star.
The 
The Soviet Union’s Soyuz 23 mission lifts off from Baikonur Cosmodrome, intended for a stay of up to three months at the Salyut 5 space station. A serious malfunction of the automatic rendezvous gear forces an abort of the docking with the station, and cosmonauts Vyacheslav Zudov and Valery Rozhdestvensky are recalled to Earth, ending their orbit after just two days. But blizzard conditions near the landing site blow the Soyuz crew capsule off-course, resulting in the first-ever splashdown of the normally land-locked Soviet space program as Soyuz 23 plunges through the frozen surface of a lake. With their vehicle intact and functioning, the cosmonauts have to wait nine hours underwater for rescuers to bring the capsule to dry land.
The final episode of the BBC’s short-lived science fiction series 
The fifth episode of the horror anthology series The Evil Touch airs on Australia’s Nine Network, hosted by Anthony Quayle (Strange Report). (The series will later appear in the U.S. and elsewhere in first-run syndication.) Julie Harris (Knots Landing) guest stars.
The 17th episode of The Sixth Sense airs on ABC, starring Gary Collins. Robert Foxworth (The Questor Tapes), Percy Rodrigues (Star Trek), and Patty Duke guest star.