Atlantis and Magellan – 1989

 Events
May 042024
 

Magellan fixed inside Atlantis

Atlantis, an American shuttle spacecraft, was launched in 1989. It successfully deployed Magellan, which traveled to Venus to map the planet’s surface. Magellan encountered Venus on August 10, 1990 and began taking high-quality radar images on September 15, 1990. It continued to photograph the planet’s surface, making six complete mapping cycles. Magellan mapped about 98 percent of Venus’s surface. It was commanded to plunge into Venus’s surface, still sending data, on October 13, 1994. Children could learn more at: Magellan.

Copiapo Miners Were Rescued in 2010!

 Events
Oct 132024
 
Copiapo Rescued and Rescuers Celebrate!

Copiapo Rescued and Rescuers Celebrate!

Copiapo miners were rescued in 2010!  A mine cave-in in the Atacama Desert near Copiapo, Chile, had trapped 33 men underground on August 5. The men had rushed to an emergency shelter underground. Drilling apparatus found the location of the men seventeen days later. Oxygen, food, water, and letters from friends and family began reaching the men a few days later. Meanwhile, rescue operations, an international effort, continued on the surface. At one point experts thought the miners would not be rescued until late December. However, good fortune and expert drilling finally created an escape plan. One by one the men were brought up in a capsule. They were all successfully brought to earth’s surface before midnight on October 13, 2010!

Psyche Lifted Off in 2023

 Events
Oct 132024
 

Psyche lifted off in 2023. The unmanned spacecraft will travel 1.37 billion miles to reach the asteroid 16 Psyche in August 2029. Scientists are interested in Psyche’s composition; they believe it be rich in iron and metal. They are wondering if 16 Psyche is the core remnant of a planet hit by another body or if it is simply unmelted metal. The spacecraft Psyche will orbit the asteroid and send back data until November 2031. Then it will just remain orbiting 16 Psyche. Children could learn more at: Psyche.