Feb 122024
 

NEARNEAR-Shoemaker in 2001 became the first spacecraft to land on a meteor. Launched on February 17, 1996, NEAR-Shoemaker landed on near-earth asteroid Eros and sent back data until February 28, 2001. The extreme cold on the asteroid probably prevented the return of more data. Older children can learn more at: http://science.nasa.gov/missions/near/.

Feb 122024
 

Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill met in 2016 in Cuba. This meeting marked the first time in a thousand years that the Pope and the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church had met. The Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox split in the Great Schism in 1054. The two leaders met for three hours.

Feb 172024
 

NEAR-Shoemaker

NEAR-Shoemaker was launched in 1996. Almost five years later, on February 12, 2001, it became the first spacecraft to land on a meteor. NEAR-Shoemaker landed on near-earth asteroid Eros and sent back data until February 28, 2001. The extreme cold on the asteroid probably prevented the return of more data. Older children can learn more at: http://science.nasa.gov/missions/near/.