Anniversary- Pluto Reclassified as a Dwarf Planet (2006)
Our Solar System
Pluto’s classification as a planet has had a history of changes. Since 2006, per the International Astronomical Union’s planetary criteria, Pluto isn’t considered a planet because it hasn’t cleared the neighborhood around its orbit of other objects. However, it does meet IAU’s criteria for what constitutes a dwarf planet. Learn more here.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Historic Anniversary.
Sunday, August 24, 2025.
Anniversary - Mariner 2 Launch (1962)
Our Solar System
NASA's Mariner 2 was the world's first successful interplanetary spacecraft. The spacecraft flew by Venus, sending back valuable new information about interplanetary space and the Venusian atmosphere.
Event Type: Mission Event. Annual / Historic: Historic Anniversary. Mission Event Type: Launch.
Tuesday, August 26, 2025, 11:53 PM.
For more info visit solarsystem.nasa.gov. Anniversary - STS-51-I (Space Shuttle Discovery) Launch (1985)
Human Spaceflight
Commander Joe H. Engle, Pilot Richard O. Covey, and Mission Specialists James D. A. van Hoften, John M. Lounge and William F. Fisher. Info here.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Historic Anniversary.
Wednesday, August 27, 2025.
For more info visit www.nasa.gov. New "What's Up" Video Available
Our Sky
Get your monthly overview of the night sky.
Event Type: Online Presentation/Interaction. Online Event Type: For Classrooms.
Monday, September 1, 2025.
NASA Space Place's Art Challenge
Other
Do you love making art and using your imagination? So do we! Every NASA mission starts with a creative idea about how to explore something in a new way. Get creative and submit your art before the deadline at the end of the month!
Monday, September 1, 2025.
Anniversary - Voyager 1 Launch (1977)
Our Solar System
Launched Sept. 5, 1977 / 12:56:01 UT
No spacecraft has gone farther than NASA's Voyager 1. Launched in 1977 to fly by Jupiter and Saturn, Voyager 1 crossed into interstellar space in August 2012 and continues to collect data.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Mission Event. Annual / Historic: Historic Anniversary. Mission Event Type: Mission Highlight. Launch.
Friday, September 5, 2025, 5:56 AM.
For more info visit solarsystem.nasa.gov. Anniversary - STS-69 (Space Shuttle Endeavour) Launch (1995)
Human Spaceflight
Commander David M. Walker, Pilot Kenneth D. Cockrell, Payload Commander James S. Voss, Mission Specialists James H. Newman and Michael L. Gernhardt. More info here.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Historic Anniversary.
Sunday, September 7, 2025.
For more info visit www.nasa.gov. Anniversary - STS-106 (Space Shuttle Atlantis) Launch (2000)
Human Spaceflight
Commander Terrence W. Wilcutt, Pilot Scott D. Altman, Mission Specialists Daniel C. Burbank, Edward T. Lu, Richard A. Mastracchio, Yuri I. Malenchenko and Boris V. Morokov. More info here.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Historic Anniversary.
Monday, September 8, 2025.
For more info visit www.nasa.gov. Anniversary - 1st Star Trek Episode on TV (1966)
Other
NASA and Star Trek have been connected, directly and indirectly, since Star Trek: The Original Series premiered in September 1966. While the TV show featured large ships voyaging to stars far away on five year missions, NASA was only beginning stretch humanity's presence beyond Earth. When Star Trek premiered on Sept. 8, 1966, astronauts Pete Conrad and Richard Gordon were four days from launch aboard Gemini XI, a three-day mission that would reach an altitude of less than 200 miles. Conrad and Gordon practiced docking with a target vehicle, a skill that would be needed to get astronauts to and from the moon, as it seemed unlikely transporter beams would be invented by 1969.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Historic Anniversary.
Monday, September 8, 2025.
AnniversaryViking 2 Launch (Mars Orbiter/Lander) (1975)
Mars
Viking 2 landed on Mars in September 1976 -- immediately following the first successful spacecraft landing on Mars by Viking 1 -- and was part of NASA's early two-part mission to investigate the Red Planet and search for signs of life. While neither spacecraft found traces of life, they did find all the elements essential to life on Earth: carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen and phosphorus.
Like its predecessor, the Viking 2 mission consisted of a lander and an orbiter designed to take high-resolution images, and study the Martian surface and atmosphere. Both the Viking 1 and 2 landers benefited greatly from their orbiting counterparts, which snapped images that helped mission controllers navigate the landers to safe landing sites. More info.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Historic Anniversary.
Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
For more info visit www.jpl.nasa.gov. NASA Spring Internships Deadline
Throughout the year, thousands of student interns contribute to NASA's missions of human spaceflight, aeronautics, space science and Earth research. NASA interns use their creativity and innovation to work on projects that impact NASA’s mission, like sending the first woman and next man to the Moon. Be part of an amazing virtual team while contributing to NASA missions. Learn more at https://intern.nasa.gov/. (And for internships at NASA JPL, visit https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/internships/)
Visit the 10 Things You Can Do Now to Prepare for a NASA Internship webpage.
Event Type: Registration Deadline.
Friday, September 12, 2025.
National Hispanic Heritage Month
Other
September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic American Heritage Month
The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Annual Event.
Monday, September 15, 2025 – Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
For more info visit hispanicheritagemonth.gov. International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
Earth-Sun-Moon
The ozone layer, a fragile shield of gas, protects the Earth from the harmful portion of the rays of the sun, thus helping preserve life on the planet.
The phaseout of controlled uses of ozone depleting substances and the related reductions have not only helped protect the ozone layer for this and future generations, but have also contributed significantly to global efforts to address climate change; furthermore, it has protected human health and ecosystems by limiting the harmful ultraviolet radiation from reaching the earth.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Annual Event.
Tuesday, September 16, 2025.
For more info visit www.un.org. Anniversary - Jean-Bernard-Léon Foucault's Birthday (1819)
Other
Inventor of the Foucault pendulum, the classic demonstration that the Earth is rotating!
Event Type: Annual /Historic.
Thursday, September 18, 2025.
Anniversary - H.G. Wells' Birthday (1866)
Other
Herbert George Wells was an English writer, often called the "father of science fiction" along with author Jules Verne. In 1938, Orson Welles broadcast a radio adaption of his Martian invasion story, The War of the Worlds, causing widespread panic.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Historic Anniversary.
Sunday, September 21, 2025.
Anniversary -Neptune is Discovered (1846)
Our Solar System
Neptune has an intriguing history. It was Uranus that led astronomers to Neptune. Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun, is Neptune's inner neighbor. British astronomer Sir William Herschel and his sister Caroline found Uranus in 1781, 55 years before Neptune was spotted. Shortly after the discovery, Herschel noticed that the orbit of Uranus did not match the predictions of Newton's theory of gravity. Studying Uranus in 1821, French astronomer Alexis Bouvard speculated that another planet was tugging on the giant planet, altering its motion.
Twenty years later, Urbain Le Verrier of France and John Couch Adams of England, who were mathematicians and astronomers, independently predicted the location of the mystery planet by measuring how the gravity of a hypothetical unseen object could affect Uranus's path. Le Verrier sent a note describing his predicted location of the new planet to the German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle at the Berlin Observatory. Over the course of two nights in 1846, Galle found an…
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Historic Anniversary.
Tuesday, September 23, 2025.
For more info visit www.nasa.gov. New "What's Up" Video Available
Our Sky
Get your monthly overview of the night sky.
Event Type: Online Presentation/Interaction. Online Event Type: For Classrooms.
Wednesday, October 1, 2025.
NASA Space Place's Art Challenge
Other
Do you love making art and using your imagination? So do we! Every NASA mission starts with a creative idea about how to explore something in a new way. Get creative and submit your art before the deadline at the end of the month!
Wednesday, October 1, 2025.
Anniversary - STS-51-J (Space Shuttle Discovery) Launch (1985)
Human Spaceflight
Commander Frank L. Culbertson Jr. Pilot William F. Readdy, Mission Specialists James H. Newman, Daniel W. Bursch and Carl E. Walz. More info.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Historic Anniversary.
Friday, October 3, 2025.
For more info visit www.nasa.gov. World Space Week
Our Solar System
Join educators and space enthusiasts around the world to celebrate the United Nations-declared World Space Week,. This international event commemorates the beginning of the Space Age with the launch of Sputnik 1 on Oct. 4, 1957.
World Space Week is the largest public space event in the world, with celebrations in more than 70 nations. During World Space Week, teachers are encouraged to use space-themed activities to excite students about science and technology.
Participating is easy. Visit the World Space Week website to find educational resources to use in the classroom. Share your own lessons and events to get maximum recognition for your school. After your events, visit the website to share details and lessons learned.
To learn more about World Space Week, visit http://www.worldspaceweek.org.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Annual Event.
Saturday, October 4, 2025 – Friday, October 10, 2025.
Anniversary STS-41 (Space Shuttle Discovery) Launch (1990)
Human Spaceflight
Commander Richard N. Richards, Pilot Robert D. Cabana, Mission Specialists William M. Shepherd, Bruce E. Melnick and Thomas D. Akers. More info.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Historic Anniversary.
Monday, October 6, 2025.
For more info visit www.nasa.gov. Anniversary - STS-92 (Space Shuttle Discovery) Launch (2000)
Human Spaceflight
Commander Brian Duffy, Pilot Pamela A. Melroy, Mission Specialists Koichi Wakata, Leroy Chiao, Peter J. K. Wisoff, Michael Lopez-Alegria and William S. McArthur. More info.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Historic Anniversary.
Saturday, October 11, 2025.
For more info visit www.nasa.gov. Ada Lovelace Day
Other
Ada Lovelace Day (http://findingada.com/) is an international celebration day of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and math. It aims to increase the profile of women in STEM and, in doing so, create new role models who will encourage more girls into STEM careers and support women already working in STEM.
The Chandra mission featured Ms. Lovelace and other women in science ; download a poster of her here.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Annual Event.
Tuesday, October 14, 2025.
Deadline: Design the Mission Patch for NASA’s Next HERA Campaign
Human Spaceflight
Did you know NASA simulates crewed space missions with the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA)? HERA is a two-and-a-half story, 650-square-foot habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. In 2026, four missions will take place inside HERA with crews of four volunteers who will live isolated and confined during 45-day simulated trips to the Moon. K-12 students at private and public schools in the U.S. are invited to design the patches for these upcoming missions. Winners will work with a Human Research Program graphic designer to turn their concept into a reality.
Event Type: Registration Deadline.
Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
For more info visit www.nasa.gov. Anniversary - STS-73 (Space Shuttle Columbia) Launch (1995)
Human Spaceflight
Commander Kenneth D. Bowersox, Pilot Kent V. Rominger, Payload Commander Kathryn C. Thornton, Mission Specialists Catherine G. Coleman, Michael E. Lopez-Alegria, Payload Specialists Fred W. Leslie and Albert Sacco, Jr. More info.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Historic Anniversary.
Monday, October 20, 2025.
For more info visit www.nasa.gov. Anniversary - First Close Asteroid Pictures (1991)
Comets/Asteroids
This picture of asteroid 951 Gaspra is a mosaic of two images taken by the Galileo spacecraft from a range of 5,300 kilometers (3,300 miles), some 10 minutes before closest approach on October 29, 1991.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Historic Anniversary. Mission Event Type: Flyby.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025.
For more info visit solarsystem.nasa.gov. Anniversary - Orson Welles "War of the Worlds" Radio Broadcast (1938)
Mars
The fictional Martian invasion was heard round the world when Orson Welles broadcast a radio adaption of the book by H.G. Wells on October 30, 1938. There have been many productions since then but Welles' show is by far the most famous and infamous, since it caused true terror in the United States.
Thursday, October 30, 2025.
Halloween Fun!
Other
Spooky on the Space Station and Halloween on the ISS , NASA Halloween Playlist , Here are 10 Ways to Celebrate Halloween with NASA , Take a tour and print out posters of some of the most terrifying and mind-blowing exoplanets discovered, in the Galaxy of Horrors , Enjoy some Halloween-y astronomical images from NASA’s Astronomy Photo of the Day , Need a quick costume? Check out the planet masks activity , Halloween History from space , Spooky Sounds from Across the Solar System Playlist on Soundcloud.
Event Type: Annual /Historic.
Friday, October 31, 2025.
New "What's Up" Video Available
Our Sky
Get your monthly overview of the night sky.
Event Type: Online Presentation/Interaction. Online Event Type: For Classrooms.
Saturday, November 1, 2025.
Native American Heritage Month
Other
November is National Native American Heritage Month. The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans.
Event Type: Annual /Historic.
Saturday, November 1, 2025 – Sunday, November 30, 2025.
Anniversary - Expedition 1 Docks at ISS (2000)
Human Spaceflight
NASA astronaut Commander William Shepherd and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko, the first resident crew members of the International Space Station, begin a planned four month stay.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Historic Anniversary. Mission Event Type: Mission Highlight.
Sunday, November 2, 2025.
For more info visit www.nasa.gov. NASA Space Place's Art Challenge
Other
Do you love making art and using your imagination? So do we! Every NASA mission starts with a creative idea about how to explore something in a new way. Get creative and submit your art before the deadline at the end of the month!
Monday, November 3, 2025.
Anniversary - Mariner 3 Launch Failure (1964)
Mars
Mariner 3 was designed to fly by Mars and conduct other interplanetary experiments along the way. However, soon after its launch, the shroud encasing the spacecraft atop its rocket failed to open properly and the mission was unsuccessful.
Three weeks later, the Mariner 4 spacecraft launched successfully on an eight-month journey to the Red Planet and collected the first up-close photographs of another planet.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 11:22 AM.
For more info visit www.jpl.nasa.gov. Anniversary - Robert Millikan Confirms Cosmic Rays From Outer Space (1925)
Astrophysics
Cosmic rays provide one of our few direct samples of matter from outside the solar system. They are high energy particles that move through space at nearly the speed of light. Most cosmic rays are atomic nuclei stripped of their atoms with protons (hydrogen nuclei) being the most abundant type but nuclei of elements as heavy as lead have been measured. Within cosmic-rays however we also find other sub-atomic particles like neutrons electrons and neutrinos. More from Imagine the Universe! here.
Event Type: Annual /Historic.
Sunday, November 9, 2025.
Origami Day
Other
Did you know that NASA uses origami principles for space exploration? Check out the Chandra Observatory's Origami Universe website for hands-on activities and real-world STEM applications of origami principles, and fold your own Starshade (also available in Spanish)!
Event Type: Annual /Historic.
Monday, November 10, 2025.
Anniversary STS-74 (Space Shuttle Atlantis) Launch (1995)
Human Spaceflight
Commander Kenneth D. Cameron, Pilot James D. Halsell Jr. Mission Specialists Jerry L. Ross, William S. McArthur Jr. and Chris A. Hadfield. More info.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Historic Anniversary.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025.
For more info visit www.nasa.gov. Anniversary - Mariner 9 Orbit Insertion, First spacecraft to orbit Mars (1971)
Mars
Mariner 9. At 00:18 UT Nov. 14, 1971, Mariner 9 ignited its main engine for 915.6 seconds to become the first human-made object to enter orbit around another planet: Mars.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Historic Anniversary. Mission Event Type: Launch.
Thursday, November 13, 2025, 4:18 PM.
For more info visit solarsystem.nasa.gov. Anniversary - STS-33 (Space Shuttle Discovery) Launch (1989)
Human Spaceflight
Commander Frederick D. Gregory, Pilot John E. Blaha, Mission Specialists F. Story Musgrave, Manley L. Carter, Jr. and Kathryn C. Thornton. More info.
Event Type: Annual /Historic. Annual / Historic: Historic Anniversary.
Saturday, November 22, 2025.
For more info visit www.nasa.gov.