Author: theLogBook.com

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

Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator

Stick of joyProgrammer Nicola Salmoria releases the earliest version of the Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator, or MAME, a freeware PC program which allows users to obtain dumps of the original 1970s and 1980s arcade game ROM chips which MAME interprets, emulating the original hardware architecture to allow play of those games with remarkable fidelity to the original graphics and sounds. This kick-starts a golden age of computer emulation of classic video games and game systems, with the average desktop computer now sporting enough memory to allow for accurate emulation. The release of MAME also ignites an ongoing controversy about the legality of downloading games whose original manufacturers are no longer exploting their intellectual property (or, in some cases, no longer exist as corporate entities).

Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series

cover artPocket Books releases the Star Trek non-fiction book “Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series”, written by Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens, detailing the extent of the pre-production efforts that Paramount and Gene Roddenberry put into a 1970s revival of the original Star Trek that ultimately went unmade. Read more

Soyuz TM-25

Soyuz TM-25Russian cosmonauts Vasili Tsibliyev and Aleksandr Lazutkin lift off aboard Soyuz TM-25 for an eventful mission aboard Russian space station Mir. Tagging along is German space traveler Reinhold Ewald, who will remain in space for 19 days before returning to Earth with Mir’s previous crew aboard Soyuz TM-24; Tsibliyev and Lazutkin will later be joined by American shuttle astronaut Jerry Linenger. Their 184-day stay is marred by numerous emergencies aboard the station, ranging from a fire in the station’s cramped quarters to a collision with an unmanned Progress cargo spacecraft, which Russian ground controllers are initially eager to keep quiet from the rest of the world.

The Cape: The Last To Know

TimecopThe 16th episode of The Cape airs in syndication in North America, starring Corbin Bernsen and Adam Baldwin, presenting a fictionalized version of NASA’s shuttle program. Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who serves as the series’ technical consultant, makes an on-screen appearance as himself.

This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.

STS-82: back to Hubble

Space ShuttleSpace Shuttle Discovery lifts off on a ten-day mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Over 30 hours of spacewalks are conducted to repair and upgrade Hubble with new parts, and the shuttle engines are fired in short, steady bursts to raise the telescope’s orbit by over eight miles before it is released again. Aboard Discovery on her 22nd flight are Commander Kenneth Bowersox, Pilot Scott Horowitz, and mission specialists Mark Lee, Steven Hawley, Gregory Harbaugh, Steven Smith and Joseph Tanner.

The Cape: The Astronaut Formerly Known As Prince

TimecopThe 17th episode of The Cape airs in syndication in North America, starring Corbin Bernsen and Adam Baldwin, presenting a fictionalized version of NASA’s shuttle program.

This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.

Namco Museum Volume 3 (“M”) (Playstation)

Namco Museum Volume 3Namco releases the arcade compilation Namco Museum Volume 3 for the Sony Playstation, including the ’80s arcade hits Ms. Pac-Man, Galaxian, Dig Dug, and Pole Position II. (The same title was released to the Japanese market the previous year, with the same lineup of games.) Read more

Sliders: The Exodus, Part 1

SlidersFox airs the 38th episode of Tracy Torme’s alternate-universe science fiction series Sliders, starring Jerry O’Connell, John Rhys Davies, Sabrina Lloyd, and Cleavant Derricks; Kari Wuhrer (Swamp Thing, MTV’s Remote Control) joins the cast. Roger Daltrey (Highlander, Witchblade) guest stars.

This series is not fully chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.

Mir: Fire on high

The Mir fireFire breaks out aboard the Russian space station Mir, forcing the crew to break out face masks and goggles which they must keep on even after the fire is put out. The culprit is determined to be an oxygen generator, which is damaged beyond repair; fortunately, American crewmember Jerry Linenger is a medical doctor and determines that he and his crewmates are none the worse for wear. A new oxygen generator will arrive on the next Space Shuttle mission to Mir later in the year.