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Unmanned space missions are those using remote-controlled spacecraft. The first such mission was the Sputnik I mission, launched October 4, 1957. Unmanned missions are often more effective in carrying out scientific and observational missions than manned space missions, due to lower cost and lower risk factors. Since the early 1970s, most unmanned space missions have been based on space probes with built-in mission computers, and as such may be classified as embedded systems.Most American unmanned missions have been coordinated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and European missions by ESOC, part of ESA (the European Space Agency). ESA has conducted relatively few space exploration missions (one example is the Giotto mission, which encountered comet Halley). ESA has, however, launched various spacecraft to carry out astronomy, and is a collaborator with NASA on the Hubble Space Telescope.
Unmanned programs through the ages (first mission year given, if known):
1 Earth orbit and Lunar missions
1.1 Early Earth-orbital missions
- Sputnik program, 1957 - Earth orbit.
- Explorer program, 1958 - Earth orbit.
- Vanguard program, 1959Events January-February January 1 Cultivars of plants named after this date must be named in a modern language, not in Latin. January 1 Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when forces of Fidel Castro advance January 2 CBS Radio cuts four soap operas: Bac - Earth orbit.
1.2 Earth observation satelliteEarth observation satellites are satellites specifically designed to observe Earth from orbit, similar to reconnaissance satellites but intended for non-military uses such as environmental monitoring, meteorology, map making etc. Satellites or satellite ss
- Tiros programThe Tiros program (Television and InfraRed Observation Satellite) of weather satellites launched by the United States included the first weather satellite, Tiros 1. They used vidicon television cameras to monitor cloud cover patterns. Tiros 1 launched Apr (1960s).
- Nimbus programThe Nimbus satellites were second-generation U. unmanned spacecraft for meteorological research and development. The spacecraft were designed to serve as stablized, Earth-oriented platforms for the testing of advanced systems to sense and collect atmosphe (1960s).
- Landsat programThe Landsat program is the longest running enterprise for acqusition of imagery of Earth from space. The first Landsat satellite was launched in 1972; the most recent, Landsat 7, was launched on April 15, 1999. The instruments on the Landsat satellites ha.
- Syncom programSyncom was a program of three experimental, active communication satellites which was started by NASA in 1961. Syncom 1 Syncom 1 was launched on February 14 1963 with a launch vehicle Thor Delta #16 at Cape Canaveral and was lost on the way to geostationa ( 19611961 (As MAD Magazine pointed out on its first cover for the year) was the first "upside-down" year i. one that looked the same upside down since 1881, and the last until 6009. Events January January 1 The farthing coin, used since the 13th century, cease- 1964).
- Telstar ( 1962).
- Relay program ( 1963)
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