As the year comes to an end, we can reflect on the sheer magnitude of exciting spaceflight milestones that were achieved in 2019. These achievements range from China being the first to touch down safely on the far side of the Moon, to the maiden flights of the Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon commercial crew vehicles. Although the list below is far from complete, these are a few of the highs and lows that had us on the edge of our seats in 2019.
Although launched in 2018, Change 4 became the first lunar lander in history to touch down on the far side of the Moon on January 3, 2019. The lander carried a number of scientific payloads and a small rover, the Yutu-2. Over the past 12 months, the Yutu-2 has transversed over 345 meters and surpassed all others before it operating longer on the surface of the Moon than any other rover in history, a record previously held by the Soviet Lunokhod 1 rover.Read More
The Beresheet lunar lander was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 on February 22. In addition to being the first non-governmental mission to attempt to land on the Moon, it was also the smallest to ever attempt the feat and the first to be launched as part of a ride-share mission. Unfortunately, during its approach to the landing site north of the Mare Serenitatis, a gyroscope failure caused the Beresheet lander to slam into the lunar surface at over 500km/hour.Read MoreImage credit: SpaceX
The SpaceX Crew Dragon became the first spacecraft designed as part of NASAs commercial crew program to complete an uncrewed test flight to the International Space Station. The spacecraft was launched aboard a Falcon 9 on March 2. It rendezvoused and docked autonomously to the space stations Harmony module a day later at 10:51 UTC. Following a 5-day stay aboard the station, the spacecraft undocked and returned to Earth safely splashing down in the Atlantic at 13:45 UTC on March 8.
Despite the successful maiden flight of the spacecraft, during a static fire test of the recovered vehicle on April 20, an anomaly occurred resulting in the total destruction of the vehicle. Following the explosion, an investigation was launched and the cause of the anomaly discovered and fixed. The redesigned Crew Dragon is expected to carry its first crewed mission to the International Space Station in 2020.Read More
Following the success of the Chandrayaan-1 mission, India set out to attempt its first soft landing on the surface of the Moon in 2019. Chandrayaan-2 was launched on July 22 aboard a GSLV Mark III and included an orbiter, the Vikram lander, and the Pragyan rover. The spacecraft successfully entered orbit around the Moon on August 20 with the Vikram lander separating from the orbiter just under two weeks later on September 2.
Initially, the Vikram landers descent seemed to be going according to plan. However, just 2.1 kilometers above the surface of the Moon, the lander began to deviate from its planned descent profile and just seconds before touchdown, all telemetry with it was lost. Although initially, officials remained hopeful that despite the loss of telemetry, the lander had successfully completed the descent. However, attempts to communicate with the lander were eventually abandoned after the wreckage of the lander was discovered by orbiting satellites.Read More
In aid of the development of the companys super heavy-lift Starship rocket, SpaceX built a small test vehicle dubbed StarHopper. The vehicle was used for short flights to test the companys next-generation Raptor rocket engine. Following a small maiden hop in July, SpaceX completed an extended hop in August with the vehicle reaching an altitude of around 150 meters and landing around 100 meters from the launchpad. Following the second hop, the Starhopper vehicle was decommissioned as work progressed on a full-sized Starship prototype.Read More
The first all-female spacewalk aboard the International Space Station had initially been planned for March 29. However, an issue with spacesuit availability resulted in NASA astronaut Anne McClain being replaced. A second attempt would, however, follow soon after with NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch performing the first all-female spacewalk on October 18, 2019. The pair replaced a faulty battery charge/discharge unit that had failed to activate after a previous spacewalk.Read More
On October 28, Virgin Galactic become the first commercial space tourism company to be listed on a public stock exchange. The listing was a result of a merger between the space tourism company and investment firm, Social Capital Hedosophia. Following the merger, Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson secured a 51% majority share in the new company, which was, at the time of listing valued at $1.5 billion.
The stock was listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol SPCE. It initially opened at $12.34 but began to slip almost immediately eventually falling as low as $7.22 in late November. It has since recovered and is currently trading at $11.49.Read More
The maiden flight of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft was launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V N22 on December 22, 2019. The spacecraft is expected to rendezvous and dock with the International Space Station for an extended stay. However, following a successful sub-orbital insertion from the Atlas V upper stage, the spacecrafts boosters failed to fire autonomously due to a timing error.
Although Boeing ground controllers were eventually able to fire the boosters manually, the error required too much fuel to correct negating the chance of a rendezvous with the space station. After raising its orbit successfully and completing a number of important milestones, the spacecraft returned to Earth safely just two days after it was launched.Read More
Chinas Long March 5 heavy-lift rocket is a key element of the countrys future ambitions in space. In 2020 alone, the rocket is set to be used to launch the Mars Global Remote Sensing Orbiter and accompanying rover, the Change 5 lunar sample return mission, and the maiden flight of the countrys new crewed spacecraft.
After a below-par maiden flight in 2016 and a complete failure on its second time out in 2017, the Long March 5 returned to action in 2019 after a major redesign. The rocket was successfully launched on December 27 blasting off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site carrying the Shijian-20 test satellite.Read More
The rest is here:
The Most Important Spaceflight Moments of 2019 - Rocket Rundown
- Who are We? - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Vilsack targeted for his Pro-GMOs stand - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Call for technology to produce cellulosic ethanol - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Kenyan scientists weigh on GMOs - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Indian researcher makes a case for biotechnology - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Michigan smoothens the way for alternative energy investors - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Link of ethanol use to high food prices questioned - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- EU challenges France on GM Maize - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- POET rolls out cellulosic ethanol plant - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- There’s a bright future for cellulosic ethanol investment - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Cellulosic ethanol can considerably reduce gasoline use by 2030 - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Human Genetic Engineering - Background - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Human Genetic Engineering - History - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Human Genetic Engineering - Methods - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Human Genetic Engineering - Uses - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Human Genetic Engineering - Controversy - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Human Genetic Engineering - In popular culture - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Human genetic engineering - An Introduction - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Human Genetic Engineering - A Very Hot Issue! - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- What are the risks of genetic engineering in humans? (human genetic engineering) - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- What are the benefits of human genetic engineering? (human genetic engineering) - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Genetic Engineering - Ethics and Controversy - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Genetic Engineering Ethics In Science Fiction - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Genetic Engineering Ethics - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Welcome to Pest Control Exterminator Network - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- OMD - Genetic Engineering - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]
- X-Ray Spex - Genetic Engineering - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]
- Ancient Alien Nephilim, Giants, Mutants, Genetic Engineering, and Hybrids (2-6) - August 28th, 2011 [August 28th, 2011]
- Human-Plant Hybrid (Genetic Engineering at Home) - August 28th, 2011 [August 28th, 2011]
- Ancient Alien Nephilim, Giants, Mutants, Genetic Engineering, and Hybrids (1-6) - August 29th, 2011 [August 29th, 2011]
- 3. Genetic Engineering - August 29th, 2011 [August 29th, 2011]
- Genetic engineering nightmare - August 31st, 2011 [August 31st, 2011]
- Ancient Alien Nephilim, Giants, Mutants, Genetic Engineering, and Hybrids (3-6) - August 31st, 2011 [August 31st, 2011]
- Future of genetic engineering - by Futurist Dr Patrick Dixon. Genetic mutations and genetic disorders. Gene science by conference keynote speaker - September 2nd, 2011 [September 2nd, 2011]
- Genetic engineering: The world's greatest scam? - September 3rd, 2011 [September 3rd, 2011]
- Watch Fed Up! Genetic Engineering, Industrial Agriculture and Sustainable Alternatives Full Movie Online Part 1/15 - September 3rd, 2011 [September 3rd, 2011]
- Ancient Alien Nephilim, Giants, Mutants, Genetic Engineering, and Hybrids (5-6) - September 5th, 2011 [September 5th, 2011]
- Genetic Engineering, Humans with Animals. - September 6th, 2011 [September 6th, 2011]
- Is Genetic Engineering Good for the Environment? - September 7th, 2011 [September 7th, 2011]
- Open Source Food and Genetic Engineering - Michael Pollan - September 10th, 2011 [September 10th, 2011]
- Ancient Alien ( demons ) Nephilim Giants, Mutants Genetic Engineering and Hybrids.avi - September 11th, 2011 [September 11th, 2011]
- MUST SEE : Genetic Engineering Corn Grows in Sand ! For Those That Appreciate Nature ! - September 12th, 2011 [September 12th, 2011]
- Designing Humanity - Genetic Engineering - September 14th, 2011 [September 14th, 2011]
- Genetic Modification | QUEEN ANNE SCIENCE CAFE - September 14th, 2011 [September 14th, 2011]
- Genetic Engineering in California Agriculture - September 15th, 2011 [September 15th, 2011]
- Genetic Engineering Animation - September 15th, 2011 [September 15th, 2011]
- Proof Of Ancient Genetic Engineering - September 15th, 2011 [September 15th, 2011]
- Joad Cressbeckler Fears Genetic Modification Causes 'Wrath-Minded Taters' - September 16th, 2011 [September 16th, 2011]
- Ethical Concerns With Genetic Engineering - September 16th, 2011 [September 16th, 2011]
- Scientists under Attack - Genetic Engineering in the magnetic Field of Money TRAILER - September 17th, 2011 [September 17th, 2011]
- Genetic Modification - September 18th, 2011 [September 18th, 2011]
- Genetic Engineering Not a New Science - Pamela Ronald - September 23rd, 2011 [September 23rd, 2011]
- The Island of Dr. Moreau prt. IV - September 28th, 2011 [September 28th, 2011]
- Ancient Alien Nephilim, Giants, Mutants, Genetic Engineering, and Hybrids (4-6) - September 30th, 2011 [September 30th, 2011]
- 4. Genetic Engineering (cont.) - October 2nd, 2011 [October 2nd, 2011]
- Ancient Alien Nephilim, Giants, Mutants, Genetic Engineering, and Hybrids (6-6) - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Islands at Risk (Part 3) - Genetic Engineering in Hawai'i - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Morgellons Is Genetic Engineering , A Silent Superbug - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Islands at Risk (Part 2) - Genetic Engineering in Hawai'i - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- The Ethics of Genetically Engineering Children - Arthur Caplan - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Disney Geneticists Debut New Child Stars - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Genetic Engineering and Society, Lecture 1a, Honors Collegium 70A, UCLA - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- OMD - Genetic Engineering (312mm Version) (Audio Only) - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- The difference between normal and genetically modified food - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Bioethics Of Human Genetic Engineering - Documentary Video - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- Islands at Risk (Part 1) - Genetic Engineering in Hawai'i - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- Coast To Coast AM: Genetic Engineering 3-24-2011 Download Link - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- Lloyd Pye - Ancient Genetic Engineering - October 13th, 2011 [October 13th, 2011]
- X RAY SPEX - ROUNDHOUSE LONDON GENETIC ENGINEERING - Video - October 13th, 2011 [October 13th, 2011]
- OMD - Genetic Engineering 1983 - Video - October 14th, 2011 [October 14th, 2011]
- OMD - GENETIC ENGINEERING - Video - October 14th, 2011 [October 14th, 2011]
- Mechanism of Recombination - Video - October 15th, 2011 [October 15th, 2011]
- Harvard Prof. Michael Sandel on Human Genetic Modification, Berkeley, CA, 7 May 2007 - Video - October 15th, 2011 [October 15th, 2011]
- Genetic Engineering [Medical Ethics Series] - (excerpt) - Video - October 15th, 2011 [October 15th, 2011]
- Genetic Engineering and Society, Lecture 1b, Honors Collegium 70A, UCLA - Video - October 24th, 2011 [October 24th, 2011]
- Genomics: genetic modification (genetic engineering) and the human gene project - Video - October 26th, 2011 [October 26th, 2011]
- Genetically Engineering Intelligent Babies - Horizon: Are We Still Evolving? Preview - BBC Two - Video - October 27th, 2011 [October 27th, 2011]
- "GENETIC ENGINEERING" GERMAN REGIME feat THIRSTIN HOWL THE3RD - Video - October 28th, 2011 [October 28th, 2011]
- Science 360: Genetic Engineering - Video - October 31st, 2011 [October 31st, 2011]
- UFOTV Presents... - Bad Seed: Danger of Genetically Modified Food - Video - November 8th, 2011 [November 8th, 2011]