1969 – The Apollo 11 mission concluded with the splashdown of the command module Columbia in the Pacific Ocean, marking the safe return of the first humans to walk on the Moon. The three astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, were immediately placed in quarantine to prevent the potential spread of any lunar pathogens.
1950 – Bumper 8 lifted off at 9:28 am EST was the first rocket to be launched in Florida. It was eight years before NASA came into existence and this program was managed by the USA military. The launch was not a success. 83 seconds into the launch the WAC Corporal second stage separated from the V2 first stage, and likely broke up before falling into the ocean.
Birthdays
1932 – Gustav Andreas Tammann. In 2000 he received the Albert Einstein Medal that is given for “outstanding scientific findings, works, or publications related to Albert Einstein” and the Tomalla Prize for his efforts in measuring the expansion rate of the universe and especially for his pioneering work using Supernovae as standard candles. In 2005 he received the Karl Schwarzschild Medal. The asteroid 18872 Tammann was named for him in 2001. (d. 6 January 2019)