The Soviet Union launches the unmanned space probe Luna 22 toward the moon, the last of the moon-orbiting Luna missions (the remaining vehicles in the series will be attempted landings). Luna 22 remains operational in lunar orbit for 17 months.
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The Soviet Union launches the unmanned space probe Luna 22 toward the moon, the last of the moon-orbiting Luna missions (the remaining vehicles in the series will be attempted landings). Luna 22 remains operational in lunar orbit for 17 months.
The 380th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. This is the final story of the third Doctor’s era.
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The 25th 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.) Harry Guardino (Dirty Harry) guest stars.
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Construction begins on OV-101, a Space Shuttle intended for extensive atmospheric test flight and landings without ever going into space. Originally intended to bear the name Constitution, a letter-writing campaign by Star Trek fans convinces President Gerald Ford to request that NASA rename the first shuttle Enterprise. Much of the first shuttle’s structural details are simply dummy models of the correct shape and weight; her engines are never intended to fire. Though plans are drawn up to convert Enterprise into a space-worthy vehicle, they are never carried out: it’s deemed cheaper and faster to upgrade a structural test model of the shuttle instead.
The 381st episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. This is the final story of the third Doctor’s era, and the final episode of Jon Pertwee’s tenure as the third Doctor. The face of the fourth Doctor is glimpsed briefly at the end of the episode.
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!
Order Earl Green’s book VWORP!1 from theLogBook.com Store
The 26th and final 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.) Kim Hunter (Planet Of The Apes) guest stars.
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The Soviet Union launches its third space station, again based on the Almaz military space station architecture. Salyut 3 remains in orbit for over half a year, and is eventually visited by the crews of Soyuz 14 and Soyuz 15, though the latter mission fails to dock. Despite international agreements already in place to prevent the militarization of space, Salyut 3 is the first armed space station, packing a non-steerable anti-aircraft gun (for defending the station, though from what is never made clear). Fortunately, the space war never happens and Salyut 3 is never forced to defend itself.
The Soviet Union launches the Soyuz 14 mission, sending cosmonauts Yuri Artyukhin and Pavel Popovich to embark on a two-week stay aboard the Salyut 3 military space station. Though some medical science experiments are performed at Salyut 3, the majority of the crew’s time is taken up with observations of the Earth’s surface, essentially making Salyut 3 the first manned military surveillance satellite. Before leaving, the crew of two offloads supplies so that the new Salyut 3 crew can stay for several months.
The Soviet space program continues with the launch of Soyuz 15, carrying cosmonauts Lev Dyomin and Gennadi Sarafanov. This is intended to be the second crew to occupy the Salyut 3 military space station, but spacecraft systems intended to automate the rendezvous and docking process fail. After manual dockings are attempted, the Soyuz vehicle is running low on fuel and the crew is recalled to Earth after only two days. (Trying to dodge questions about the nature of Salyut 3’s mission objectives, Soviet space authorities later claim that Soyuz 15 was never going to dock with the station.) No further crews are sent to board Salyut 3.
Virgin Records releases Mike Oldfield‘s second prog-rock instrumental album, Hergest Ridge, the eagerly-awaited follow-up to his debut LP, Tubular Bells. 
The first episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series premieres on CBS, starring Jackson Bostwick, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne. Ty Henderson (Space Academy) guest stars.
The first episode of Land Of The Lost premieres on NBC. The series is produced by Sid & Marty Krofft (H.R. Pufnstuf, Lidsville), and this episode is written by former Star Trek writer David Gerrold, who also had a hand in creating the series.
The 17th episode season of the animated Star Trek series airs on NBC. The second season premiere is written by 19-year-old Star Trek fan (and future Trek novelist) Howard Weinstein.
The first episode of the TV spinoff of Planet Of The Apes premieres on CBS. Roddy McDowall is the sole cast carryover from the movies, but plays a different character in the TV series; Star Trek’s Mark Lenard makes the first of many appearances as the human refugees’ ape arch-nemesis.
The 14th episode of The Six Million Dollar Man is broadcast on ABC, starring Lee Majors and Richard Anderson. Carol Lawrence and Sid Haig (Jason Of Star Command) guest star in the second season premiere.
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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.
ABC premieres the first episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker, based on Jeff Rice’s novel and the 1972 TV movie The Night Stalker, starring Darren McGavin. Beatrice Colen (Wonder Woman) guest stars. 
Astronomer Charles Kowal discovers Leda, a tiny, previously undiscovered moon of Jupiter, using Mount Palomar Observatory’s telescope. With a radius of less than seven miles and an inclined orbit, Leda is the first Jovian moon discovered in over two decades, and is among the last to be discovered using ground-based telescopes in the 20th century.
The second episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring Jackson Bostwick, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne.
The second episode of Land Of The Lost premieres on NBC. This episode, written by David Gerrold, introduces the show’s primarily recurring villains, the reptilian Sleestaks.
The 18th episode of the animated Star Trek series on NBC. The episode is written by The Trouble With Tribbles writer David Gerrold.
The 15th episode of The Six Million Dollar Man is broadcast on ABC, starring Lee Majors and Richard Anderson. Mike Farrell (The Questor Tapes, M*A*S*H) guest stars.
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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.
The second episode of the TV spinoff of Planet Of The Apes premieres on CBS. Future V star Marc Singer guest stars.
ABC airs the second episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker, based on Jeff Rice’s novel and the 1972 TV movie The Night Stalker, starring Darren McGavin. Scatman Crothers guest stars.
NASA’s unmanned space probe Mariner 10 makes its second pass of the planet Mercury, six months after its first flyby. This time Mariner passes under the planet’s south pole, getting the first views of that part of Mercury, but barely flying within 30,000 miles of the surface. Once again, following its encounter with Mercury, Mariner 10 slipped into a solar orbit that would bring it back to Mercury several months later.
The third episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring Jackson Bostwick, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne. Pamelyn Ferdin (Star Trek, Space Academy) guest stars.
The third episode of Land Of The Lost premieres on NBC. This episode introduces the Marshall family’s recurring dinosaur friend Dopey, and is written by Margaret Armen (Star Trek: The Animated Series).
The 19th episode of the animated Star Trek airs on NBC, featuring scenes set in the Enterprise’s “recreation deck”, which can simulate any environment – more than a decade before Star Trek: The Next Generation’s holodeck.
The 16th episode of The Six Million Dollar Man is broadcast on ABC, starring Lee Majors and Richard Anderson. Pat Hingle (Batman) guest stars.
More about The Six Million Dollar Man in the LogBook and theLogBook.com Store
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.
The third episode of the TV spinoff of Planet Of The Apes premieres on CBS.
ABC airs the third episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker, based on Jeff Rice’s novel and the 1972 TV movie The Night Stalker, starring Darren McGavin. Dick Van Patten guest stars.