(You can also manually look up any other date, browse a year, or go through the whole timeline.)
Published On: April 20, 2022
Disney+ streams the fourth episode of the Marvel series Moon Knight, starring Oscar Isaac (Dune, Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Ethan Hawke, and May Calamawy.
This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could help change that.
Published On: April 20, 2019
Having already visited and returned from the International Space Station in a successful uncrewed test flight, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon is set up for a critical ground test of its launch abort system, utilizing the capsule’s built-in SuperDraco engines – and explodes. While no injuries result from the explosion, the major setback results in delays to the Crew Dragon program, which would have flown the first astronauts from American soil since 2011 by the end of 2019 if all had gone as planned. SpaceX does not publicly discuss the specifics of the incident for well over a week until a company spokesman is repeatedly asked by the press about it at a publicity event for an uncrewed Falcon rocket launch.
Published On: April 20, 2008
After four years orbiting the enormous ringed planet Saturn and flying past its dozens of moons, NASA’s unmanned Cassini probe still hasn’t seen it all. The four successful years thus far included releasing the European Space Agency’s Huygens probe to make the first ever landing on the large moon Titan, discovering (and flying through) water geysers over another moon, and exploring other moons that have puzzled scientists since they were first viewed up close in the early 1980s by the Voyager probes. The mission extension – called the Cassini Equinox Mission – gives Cassini an added two-year lease of life, with a $160 million price tag (the mission so far has cost both NASA and ESA a combined total of $3.3 billion).
Published On: April 20, 2001
Sci-Fi Channel airs the 134th episode of The Outer Limits.
This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could help change that.
Published On: April 20, 1999
Canadian broadcaster CHCH-TV airs the 15th episode of Art Monterastelli’s sci-fi series Total Recall 2070, starring Michael Easton and Cynthia Preston, very loosely based on the 1990 film Total Recall. The series will air on the American pay cable channel Showtime later in the year. Anthony Zerbe (The Omega Man, Star Trek: Insurrection) guest stars.
This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could help change that.
Published On: April 20, 1997
The 93rd episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Darin Morgan guest stars.
This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could help change that.
Published On: April 20, 1993
NBC airs the 94th episode of Donald Bellisario’s science fiction series Quantum Leap, starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell. Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Cowboy Bebop, Digimon, Star Wars: Rebels) guest stars.
This series is not yet fully chronicled in the LogBook. You could help change that.
Published On: April 20, 1991
The 74th episode of the syndicated series Superboy, starring Gerard Christopher and Stacy Haiduk, airs. Sherman Howard guest stars in and directs this episode.
This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could help change that.
Published On: April 20, 1983
Soyuz T-8 lifts off from the Soviet Union, intended to dock with space station Salyut 7. Cosmonauts Vladimir Titov, Gennady Strekalov and Aleksandr Serebrov are due to take up residence on the station, but discover that the ejection of the nose cone of the Soyuz rocket – which protects the non-aerodynamic Soyuz vehicle during launch – has caused critical damage to the vehicle’s communication equipment. The mission is called off for safety reasons, and the crew returns to Earth after only two days.
Published On: April 20, 1967
The recently-rechristened Environmental Sciences Service Administration launches, with the help of NASA, ESSA-5, the latest in a constellation of weather satellites operated by the former U.S. Weather Bureau. Though suffering from a few technical glitches and system failures, ESSA-5 remains in service until late 1968.
Published On: April 20, 1967
NASA’s robotic explorer Surveyor 3 touches down safely on the moon, snapping pictures and – with an extendable scoop arm – gathering and analyzing samples of lunar soil. Its landing site, a lunar plain called the Ocean of Storms, becomes the site of a unique long-term experiment: in two years, Surveyor 3 will become the first (and, to date, only) unmanned spacecraft to be personally inspected by humans after its landing.
Published On: April 20, 1960
The 28th episode of the science fiction drama series Men Into Space airs on CBS, starring William Lundigan.
This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could help change that.
Chandrayaan-3 lands on the moon
Launched by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) in July, the Chandrayaan-3 uncrewed lunar lander successfully touches down on the surface of the moon near the lunar south pole, the first human-made spacecraft to successfully land in that region. Pictures from the surface are transmitted back to Earth, though the lander's mission is to look for signs of subsurface water believed to be common in the shaded south pole region, a potentially vital resource for long-term human habitation of the moon. (This was the mission intended for the earlier, unsuccessful Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2018.) In accomplishing this feat, India becomes the fourth country to soft-land a payload on the lunar surface.
Ahsoka
Streaming service Disney+ releases the the first and second episodes of Dave Filoni's Star Wars: Ahsoka, starring Rosario Dawson and Natasha Liu Bordizzo. Following up on the events of Filoni's previous aniamted series, Star Wars: Rebels, the first two episodes also feature Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World), David Tennant (Doctor Who), Clancy Brown (Earth 2, Highlander), and the late Ray Stevenson. More about Ahsoka in the LogBook
Luna 25 mission ends
Russia's Luna 25 mission to the lunar south pole ends unsuccessfully when an engine burn intended to lower the vehicle's orbit around the moon into its final landing orbit goes awry. Luna 25 instead crashes into the moon as the result of the engine firing longer than expected. Contact with Luna 25 is not recovered following what the Russian space agency describes as an "abnormal situation". The mission was Russia's first attempt at a lunar landing in nearly 50 years.
Babylon 5: The Road Home
Warner Bros. releases the animated movie Babylon 5: The Road Home. direct to DVD, Blu-Ray, and digital. Written by series creator J. Michael Straczynski, and featuring surviving original series stars Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, Peter Jurasik, Bill Mumy, Tracy Scoggins, and Patricia Tallman, with new actors voicing other familiar characters from the series. More about Babylon 5 in the LogBook and theLogBook.com StoreBabylon 5 now streaming on Amazon Prime
Luna 25
Russia launches the Luna 25 uncrewed spacecraft on a mission to land near the south pole of the moon. This is the first mission in the Luna program, which has been dormant since the 1970s; if successful, the mission will be the first Russian soft-landing on the moon in almost 50 years. Much like India's Chanrayaan-3 mission, launched a few weeks earlier, Luna 25 is intended to search for signs of water in the shaded areas of the lunar south pole, which could be a necessary resource for future crewed missions and possible long-term habitation of the moon.
Galactic 02
Virgin Galactic launches the Galactic 02 suborbital spaceflight aboard the SpaceShipTwo-class VSS Unity. The flight is piloted by CJ Sturckow and Kelly Latimer, with Birgin Galactic's Beth Moses aboard as the astronaut instructor. The passengers are space tourists Jon Goodwin, Keisha Schahaff, and Anastatia Mayers. Goodwin is the first space traveler to fly after being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.
Chandrayaan-3
India launches the Chandrayaan-3 uncrewed lunar lander mission, expected to reach the moon in August after weeks of gradually increasing the vehicle's orbital altitude until it slips from Earth orbit into lunar orbit. The mission profile is very similar to that of the Chandrayaan-2 mission, which attempted to put a lunar lander named Vikram on the surface near the lunar south pole to look for signs of water.
Galactic 01
Virgin Galactic launches the Galactic 01 suborbital spaceflight aboard the SpaceShipTwo-class VSS Unity. The flight is piloted by Michael Masucci and Nicola Pecile, with Italians Walter Villadei, Pantaleone Carlucci, and Angelo Landolfi, and British citizen Colin Bennett, as the passengers. Some research objectives are carried out on this flight, which was delayed from a 2021 launch date.
Superman & Lois: What Kills You Only Makes You Stronger
The CW airs the 43rd episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. This is the third season finale; the CW announces that a shortened fourth season will be made, but will be the show's last. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max
Star Trek: Prodigy cancelled
Streaming service Paramount Plus abruptly announces that the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy, created by Dan & Kevin Hageman, will be leaving the service a week after the announcement, at the end of June. The second season, deep into the post-production process, will be completed, and an attempt will be made to sell both the first and second seasons to another distribution outlet (though, as with recent cancellations on other streaming services, there is also a possibility of the show being shelved entirely as a tax write-down). After the announcement that Star Trek: Discovery's upcoming fifth season will be its last, Prodigy is the second Star Trek series to be cancelled in 2023. (It is one of several shows to leave PAramount Plus on extremely short notice at the end of June.) More about Star Trek: Prodigy in the LogBook
Superman & Lois: Injustice
The CW airs the 42nd episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max
Superman & Lois: Complications
The CW airs the 41st episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max
Superman & Lois: Collision Course
The CW airs the 40th episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max
Virgin Galactic Unity-25
Virgin Galactic launches the Unity-25 suborbital spaceflight aboard the SpaceShipTwo-class VSS Unity. Both crew and passengers are employees of Virgin Galactic, as this is effectively a proving flight following the Federal Aviation Administration's grounding of the Virgin Galactic fleet in 2021 after its first passenger flight. Pilots Michael Masucci and C.J. Sturckow are at the controls; Beth Moses, Luke Mays, Jamila Gilbert, and Christopher Huie are the passengers. Flights following this one will be designated "Galactic" followed by the flight number.
Superman & Lois: The Dress
The CW airs the 39th episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max
The Wonders Of The Universe
Dragon's Domain Records releases the soundtrack album The Wonders Of The Universe: Music From The Big Finish Space: 1999 Audio Dramas, collecting composer Joe Kraemer's music created for the Big Finish Productions audio drama reboot of Space: 1999, as both a download and a CD. More about Space: 1999 in the LogBook
Superman & Lois: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
The CW airs the 38th episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max
Superman & Lois: Forever And Always
The CW airs the 37th episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 soundtrack
Lakeshore Records digitally releases an album of selections from JNami Melumad's soundtrack to the first season of the streaming series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. More about Star Trek soundtracks in Music Reviews
Superman & Lois: Of Sound Mind
The CW airs the 36th episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 soundtrack
Lakeshore Records digitally releases an album of selections from Stephen Barton and Frederik Weidmann's soundtrack to the third and final season of the streaming series Star Trek: Picard. More about Star Trek soundtracks in Music Reviews
Superman & Lois: Head On
The CW airs the 35th episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max
Tron: Identity soundtrack
Disney Music digitally releases an album of selections from Dan le Sac's soundtrack to the computer game Tron: Identity. More about game soundtracks in Music Reviews
Superman & Lois: Too Close To Home
The CW airs the 34th episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max
Superman & Lois: In Cold Blood
The CW airs the 33rd episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max
Superman & Lois: Uncontrollable Forces
The CW airs the 32nd episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max
Superman & Lois: Closer
The CW airs the 31st episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin. This is the third season premiere. More about Superman & Lois in theLogBook.com StoreSuperman & Lois now streaming on HBO Max
The Mandalorian: Chapter 17
Streaming service Disney+ releases the the 17th episode of Jon Favreau's The Mandalorian, starring Pedro Pascal. Katee Sackhoff and Carl Weathers guest star in the third season premiere. More about The Mandalorian in the LogBook
Star Trek: Picard: Disengage
Streaming service Paramount Plus debuts the 22nd episode of Star Trek: Picard, starring Patrick Stewart, Michelle Hurd, and Jeri Ryan. Amanda Plummer, Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes and Gates McFadden guest star. More about Star Trek: Picard in the LogBook
Star Trek: Picard: The Next Generation
Streaming service Paramount Plus debuts the 21st episode of Star Trek: Picard, starring Patrick Stewart, Michelle Hurd, and Jeri Ryan. Jonathan Frakes and Gates McFadden (Star Trek: The Next Generation) guest star in the heavily hyped third season premiere, which promises to reunite the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast. More about Star Trek: Picard in the LogBook
Retrogram #9060: What Did You Do During The Syndication Wars?
theLogBook.com releases the 34th episode of the Retrogram podcast, hosted by Earl Green, covering the history of first-run syndication in American television as a prelude to Retrogram beginning to cover genre TV from the 1990s. [audio mp3="https://www.thelogbook.com/podcast/retrogram/retrogram_9060.mp3"] More about the Retrogram podcast here
Doctor Who: The Power Of The Doctor soundtrack
Silva Screen Records digitally releases an album of music from Segun Akinola's soundtrack to The Power Of The Doctor, the third of the 2022 Doctor Who "specials" starring Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor. The album will get a physical release the following month. More about Doctor Who soundtracks in Music Reviews
Doctor Who: Legend Of The Sea Devils soundtrack
Silva Screen Records digitally releases an album of music from Segun Akinola's soundtrack to Legend Of The Sea Devils, the second of the 2022 Doctor Who "specials" starring Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor. The album will get a physical release the following month. More about Doctor Who soundtracks in Music Reviews
Doctor Who: Eve Of The Daleks soundtrack
Silva Screen Records digitally releases an album of music from Segun Akinola's soundtrack to Eve Of The Daleks, the first of the 2022 Doctor Who "specials" starring Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor. The album will get a physical release the following month. More about Doctor Who soundtracks in Music Reviews
Retrogram #8347: The Day After The Day Of The Doctor
theLogBook.com releases the 33rd episode of the Retrogram podcast, hosted by Earl Green, covering the following shows from the week of November 20, 1983: TV movie: The Day After Terrahawks: The Gun Doctor Who: The Five Doctors Dungeons & Dragons: The Box [audio mp3="https://www.thelogbook.com/podcast/retrogram/retrogram_8347.mp3"] More about the Retrogram podcast here
Support us through theLogBook’s affiliates
La-La Land Records releases a 2-CD set of David Arnold’s complete score from the 1996 science fiction blockbuster Independence Day.
The national syndication window opens for the 18th episode of the posthumous Gene Roddenberry science fiction series Earth: Final Conflict.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 142nd episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This episode introduces the character of holodeck nightclub singer Vic Fontaine, played by actor/director/singer James Darren (who, ironically, co-starred with William Shatner in the cop show T.J. Hooker).
The week-long national syndication window opens for the ninth episode of Babylon 5. Sarah Douglas (Superman II, Falcon Crest) and Robin Curtis (Star Trek III: The Search For Spock) guest star.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 119th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Majel Barrett Roddenberry guest stars.
The eighth episode of a vastly retooled Battlestar Galactica (or, depending on how you look at it, the show’s 29th episode) premieres on ABC. Wolfman Jack guest stars.
The 34th episode of The Six Million Dollar Man is broadcast on ABC, starring Lee Majors and Richard Anderson. Martine Beswick guest stars.
The 374th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. This a sequel to 1972’s The Curse Of Peladon, with many cast members returning to reprise their roles.
ABC airs the 26th episode of Irwin Allen’s sci-fi series Land Of The Giants, starring Gary Conway, Don Matheson, Deanna Lund, and Don Marshall. This episode concludes the first season.
The 203rd episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This story sees the departure of Deborah Watling as the Doctor’s companion, Victoria Waterfield. This episode is now missing from the BBC’s archives.
The 29th episode of Batman airs on ABC. Roddy McDowall (Planet Of The Apes, The Fantastic Journey) guest stars as the Bookworm.
The 28th episode of Irwin Allen’s science fiction series Lost In Space premieres on CBS, starring Guy Williams, June Lockhart, and Jonathan Harris.
ABC airs the 30th episode of Leslie Stevens’ anthology series The Outer Limits. George Macready, Rudy Solari, and Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek) star.
The 96th episode of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs on CBS. Joseph Schildkraut and Noah Keen star in an episode written by Serling.