1969 – Venera 6, a Soviet spaceprobe, lands on Venus.
Birthdays
1967 – Joseph Michael Acaba born in Inglewood, California, USA. Selection: NASA Group 19 (2004). EVAs 3, 19 hours, 46 mins. Missions: STS-119, Soyuz TMA-04M (Expedition 31/32), Soyuz MS-06 (Expedition 53/54)
1835 – J. Norman Lockyer was born in Rugby, Warwickshire, co-discoverer with Pierre Janssen of the element helium in 1868. Lockyer was making visual spectroscopic studies of the sun (helios) when he attributed unknown absorption lines to the new element, not “discovered” on earth until 1891. It’s the second simplest and most abundant element in the universe after hydrogen. Sir Lockyer is also known as the Father of Archeoastronomy and the founder and first editor of the influential journal Nature. He was among the first to propose scientifically that Stonehenge was an astronomicalobservatory and that the Egyptian pyramids and great medieval Christian cathedrals were built along important astronomical orientations. He died at age 84 in 1920.
