October 28, 2019 - Calling is as Easy as 3, 2, 1
Calling is as Easy as 3, 2, 1 In the 1990s, the proliferation of fax machines and cell phones resulted in the need for new area codes to accommodate the increase in new phone numbers. Residents of Brevard County, Florida (home of Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center) were in line for a new, randomly assigned area code to supplement the existing one (407), when a local resident began lobbying for a specific—and relevant—area code: 321. Although 321 was originally slated for a Chicago suburb, the national agency that oversees the codes was easily convinced to bestow the countdown finale to Brevard County 20 years ago this week. In this ISS image, nearly the entire state of Florida can be seen illuminated by artificial lights on the ground. Cape Canaveral juts out, halfway up the eastern coast.
Image credit: NASA
Weekly Calendar
October 28 - November 3, 2019
Holidays - Sky Events - Space History
Monday 28
Uranus at opposition
1971: Britain launches its first satellite
1974: Luna 23 launched
2009: Ares I-X test flight
Tuesday 29
Venus 4° south of Moon
Mercury 7° south of Moon
1964: First flight of Lunar Landing Research Vehicle
1987: Cosmos 1894 becomes 2,000th satellite
1991: Galileo flies past Gaspra
1998: STS-95 Discovery launched
Wednesday 30
Mercury 3° south of Venus
1981: Venera 13 launched
1985: STS-61A Challenger launched
1997: First successful Ariane 5 rocket launched
Thursday 31
Halloween
Jupiter 1.3° south of Moon
Jupiter appears stationary
2005: Hubble Space Telescope discovers two new moons orbiting Pluto
2006: NASA announces SM4, the fifth and final Hubble servicing mission
2014: SpaceShipTwo crashes during atmospheric test flight, one pilot killed
Friday 1
1962: Mars 1 launched
1999: Area Code 321 goes into effect for areas near Kennedy Space Center
Saturday 2
Saturn 0.6° north of Moon
Pluto 0.4° north of Moon
1885: Harlow Shapley born
1917: First light for Mount Wilson Observatory 100-inch Hooker telescope
Sunday 3
Daylight Saving Time ends 2:00 AM
Taurid meteor shower
1957: Sputnik 2 carries dog Laika, first living creature to orbit Earth
1966: Test flight of Manned Orbital Laboratory components
1973: Mariner 10 launched
1994: STS-66 Atlantis launched