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Published On: April 26, 2017

ArrowThe 111th episode of Arrow, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ Green Arrow superhero starring Stephen Amell, airs on the CW.

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Published On: April 26, 2016

Makemake and moonAstronomers reveal that Makemake, an icy dwarf planet orbiting in the distant Kuiper Belt region of the solar system, has a moon, first spotted in 2015 by a team using the Hubble Space Telescope. (The news comes just days after the 26th anniversary of Hubble’s launch.) With an estimated diameter of 100 miles (compared to the 870 mile diameter of its parent body), the satellite orbits Makemake at a distance of 13,000 miles, taking twelve days to complete one orbit. Previous observations failed to pick up on the dark, dim body due to the relatively bright glare of Makemake itself.

Published On: April 26, 2003

Soyuz TMA-2The seventh full-time crew of the International Space Station lifts off from Russia aboard Soyuz TMA-2, a drastic change from their original mission plan. Originally planned to be another short-term “ferry flight” to swap out the station’s Soyuz lifeboat vehicle, Soyuz became the only way to send full-time crews to the station during the post-Columbia-disaster grounding of the American shuttle fleet. Yuri Malenchenko and Ed Lu took up residence aboard the ISS for 184 days, returning in October 2003 with Spanish astronaut Pedro Duque. With the shuttle fleet landlocked, two-man ISS crews became the norm, as three-man crews relied on the greater resupply capacity of the shuttles.

Published On: April 26, 2002

Dark AngelThe 41st episode of James Cameron & Charles H. Eglee’s cyberpunk series Dark Angel, starring Jessica Alba and Michael Weatherly, airs on Fox. Ashley Scott (Birds Of Prey, Jericho) guest stars.

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Published On: April 26, 1998

From The Earth To The MoonPay cable channel HBO’s heavily-promoted docudrama miniseries From The Earth To The Moon, continues, executive produced by actor Tom Hanks (Apollo 13) through Ron Howard’s Imagine Films. The series chronicles NASA’s quest to reach the moon, and two episodes debut each Sunday of the show’s run. The fourth night premieres the episodes That’s All There Is (Apollo 12) and We Interrupt This Broadcast (Apollo 13). Dave Foley (The Kids In The Hall) stars as Alan Bean, with Paul McCrane (ER, The Shawshank Redemption) as Pete Conrad. Jay Mohr and Ethan Phillips (Star Trek: Voyager) guest star.

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From The Earth To The Moon now streaming on HBO Max

Published On: April 26, 1998

The X-FilesThe 114th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Glenn Morshower guest stars.

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Published On: April 26, 1996

The X-FilesThe 70th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Jennifer Hetrick (Star Trek: The Next Generation and Amanda Tapping (Stargate SG-1) guest star.

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Published On: April 26, 1993

Space ShuttleSpace Shuttle Columbia lifts off on a mission lasting nearly ten days, carrying the Spacelab laboratory module in its cargo bay. This flight, Spacelab D-2, includes medical and material experiments, with one experiment controlled by an Apple Macintosh computer carried into orbit. Amateur radio messages are exchanged with the crew of the Mir space station. Aboard Columbia for her 14th flight are Commander Steven Nagel, Pilot Terence Henricks, mission specialists Jerry Ross, Charles Precourt and Bernard Harris Jr., and payload specialists Ulrich Walter and Hans Schlegel.

Published On: April 26, 1992

Mann & MachineThe fourth episode of the science fiction police series Mann & Machine, co-created by Dick Wolf and Robert de Laurentiis, is broadcast on NBC, starring David Andrews and Yancy Butler. Curtis Armstrong (Revenge Of The Nerds) and Mitchell Ryan guest star. The series is cancelled due to low ratings after this episode, with the five remaining produced episodes “burned off” over the summer.

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Published On: April 26, 1992

SuperboyThe 97th episode of the syndicated series Superboy, starring Gerard Christopher and Stacy Haiduk, airs. Sherman Howard and Bill Mumy (Lost In Space, Babylon 5) guest star.

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Published On: April 26, 1986

Chernobyl disasterA major accident at the #4 reactor of the Soviet Union’s Chernobyl nuclear power facility, near the border of Ukraine and Belarus, causes a significant release of radioactive material into the air. Much of the material has immediate consequences for the nearby city of Pripyat, but the effects are felt both elsewhere in the Soviet Union and in Europe. Worse still, the Soviet government tries to cover up the incident, until the mounting evidence of a major incident forces them to admit, two days after the fact, that a core meltdown occurred and that the resulting release of radioactive material has international reach and consequences. Some emergency workers die of massive radiation exposure, and an increase is seen in other illnesses, including cancer, in exposed human populations nearby. Over 100,000 people are evacuated from nearby areas. Premature deaths and genetic mutations are observed in nearby wildlife for years after the incident. The costs of mitigation and containment of the toxic reactor site will become a major factor in the collapse of the Soviet Union a few years later. The exclusion zone established around the facility may be a safe place for humans to live again for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years.

Published On: April 26, 1972

Escape Into NightITV broadcasts the second episode of Escape Into Night, adapted by Ruth Boswell from the Catherine Storr novel Marianne Dreams. Though originally shown in color, the color master tapes are lost over time, and the series survives only in black & white recordings.

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Published On: April 26, 1964

The StrangerThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation airs the third episode of the science fiction series The Stranger, starring Ron Haddrick.

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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

Categories Television
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

Categories Music
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

Categories Music
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

Categories Television
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

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