2005 – Eris, the largest known dwarf planet in the Solar System, is discovered by the team of Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David L. Rabinowitz using images originally taken on October 21, 2003, at the Palomar Observatory.
1972 – United States President Richard Nixon orders the development of a
Space Shuttle program.
1969 – Venera 5 (USSR) launched. The probe arrived at Venus on May 16, 1969. Then, before burning up in the atmosphere, for 53 minutes the capsule was suspended from a parachute while data from the Venusian atmosphere was returned. The spacecraft also carried a medallion bearing the coat of arms of the U.S.S.R. and a bas-relief of V.I. Lenin to the night side of Venus.