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Earl Green is the creator, curator, and head writer of theLogBook.com.

GOES-5 goes up

GOES-5NOAA’s GOES-5 Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite is launched from Cape Canaveral into a geosynchronous orbit over 85 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 1984, forcing NOAA to return GOES-1 and GOES-4 to service until a replacement can be launched in 1987. Its usefulness as a weather satellite at an end, GOES-5 will be boosted into a graveyard orbit in 1990.

The Nightmare Man: Part 4

Nightmare ManBBC 1 premieres the fourth and final episode of the short-run series The Nightmare Man, written by former Doctor Who script editor Robert Holmes, directed by ’70s Doctor Who director Douglas Camfield, and starring many faces familiar to fans of that series. Not intended to be an ongoing series, this one-off four-part serial is commissioned to fill a gap in the BBC’s summer schedule. Read more

The disappearing moon of Neptune

LarissaA team of American astronomers discovers what they believe is a third moon of Neptune from ground-based telescope observations, but S/1981N1 isn’t seen again for several years, so the discovery is left in the “unconfirmed” category…until it is next seen by Voyager 2 in 1989, confirming the original sighting many years later. In 1991, the International Astronomical Union will name this moon Larissa. (Voyager 2 photo of Larissa shown)

Star Wars: Force And Counter Force

Star Wars RadioThe 13th episode of Brian Daley’s radio drama adaptation of the science fiction blockbuster Star Wars airs on National Public Radio stations in the U.S. Mark Hamill stars as Luke Skywalker and Brock Peters stars as Darth Vader. This episode concludes the radio retelling of the first movie, and has proven to be Public Radio’s most popular (and, during fundraising pledge drives, profitable) radio drama production. Read more

Salyut 6 expanded

Salyut 6Launched 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.

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (soundtrack)

Science Ninja Team GatchamanColumbia Records releases Bob Sakuma‘s soundtrack from the early ’70s TV anime Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman (Science Ninja Team Gatchaman), better known to the western world in its significantly-altered dubbed (and partially re-scored) version, Battle Of The Planets. (A separate Battle Of The Planets release, combining Sakuma’s music with that of American composer Hoyt Curtin, will occur early in the 21st century.) Read more