2002 Space & Exploration Events — Verified Historical Highlights

2002 Space & Exploration Events — Verified Historical Highlights | TakeMeBack.to

19 Feb NASA Mars Odyssey begins surface mapping: On February 19, 2002, NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft commenced its science mapping mission, turning its instruments toward Mars to begin capturing data about the planet's surface composition. source: jpl.nasa.gov
12 May Russian Shuttle Buran Hangar Collapse: On May 12, 2002, the roof of a hangar at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan collapsed due to poor maintenance, resulting in the destruction of the Buran space shuttle and the Energia rocket mock-up stored inside. The incident also led to the deaths of eight workers who were performing maintenance on the roof at the time. source: aviationweek.com
24 Sep Motorola Advances Satellite Navigation Technology: On September 24, 2002, Motorola announced advancements in satellite navigation technology, including the development of a new GPS receiver chip designed to improve accuracy and reduce power consumption for mobile devices. source: motorola.com
17 Oct Astronomers observe star orbiting black hole at Milky Way's center: On October 17, 2002, astronomers reported direct observations of a star, designated S2, orbiting the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. This finding provided strong evidence for the existence of supermassive black holes. source: apod.nasa.gov

Discover what the world looked like in 2002: