Herschel Observatory decommissioned
The European Space Agency officially shuts down the Herschel Space Observatory, having exhausted the unmanned orbital telescope’s remaining fuel supply with a maneuver to push it safely out of Earth’s L2 LaGrange point, opening that part of space up for future missions. Herschel’s science observations had ended when its supply of helium coolant, required to keep its instruments super-cooled to detect distant objects at the far-infrared end of the spectrum, ran out in April. Its replacement, the Gaia Space Observatory, is already being prepared for launch by ESA later in 2013.
Doctor Who: Love & Monsters
The 722nd episode of Doctor Who (the 24th since the series’ revival) airs on BBC1. Peter Kay and Marc Warren guest star, and you can’t beat a bit of ELO.
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Steve Winwood: About Time
The Steve Winwood solo album About Time is released via Winwood’s own newly-founded label.
Witchblade: Agape
The 14th episode of Witchblade airs on cable channel TNT, based on the Top Cow comic book of the same name, starring Yancy Butler, David Chokachi and John Hensley.
Cable channel TNT premieres Star Trek: DS9: Broken Link
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 96th episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Andrew Robinson, Salome Jens and Robert O’Reilly guest star in the final episode of the show’s fourth season.
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TekWar: Cyberhunt
The 12th episode of the sci-fi crime series TekWar, based on William Shatner’s novel series, airs as part of the Universal Action Pack syndication package. Greg Evigan, William Shatner, and Maria del Mar (Mercy Point) star.
Star Trek Volume 2 soundtrack
GNP Crescendo releases a CD of music from the original Star Trek television series, presenting selections from the episodes The Doomsday Machine by Sol Kaplan and Amok Time by Gerald Fried.
Star Trek: TNG Volume 2 soundtrack
GNP Crescendo Records releases the second CD of Star Trek: The Next Generation soundtrack music, containing Ron Jones’ music from the fan favorite two-part story The Best Of Both Worlds.
Star Trek: TNG: Redemption
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 99th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Whoopi Goldberg and Tony Todd guest star. This episode ends the fourth season.
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Doctor Who: The New Adventures
With no new series in sight on TV, Virgin Publishing begins its long-awaited line of original print fiction with the first Doctor Who New Adventures novel, “Timewyrm: Genesys” by John Peel. The first book in a four-book cycle of linked stories, the novel picks up where the television series left off, featuring the seventh Doctor and Ace. Three further books are already in the works in the Timewyrm series, with other authors lining up for a chance to write later books in 1992 and beyond.
STS-51G
Space Shuttle Discovery returns to orbit for a week-long flight including the deployment of three communications satellites. American, Mexican and Saudi Arabian satellites are launched via payload assist modules. Discovery crew consists of Commander Daniel Brandenstein, Pilot John Creighton, mission specialists Shannon Lucid, John Fabian and Steven Nagel, and payload specialists Patrick Baudry and Sultan Salman Al-Saud (the first Saudi Arabian national to fly in space).
Talking Heads: Little Creatures
Sire Records releases the Talking Heads album Little Creatures, featuring the singles “And She Was”, “Road To Nowhere” and “Perfect World”.
Electric Light Orchestra: Secret Messages
Electric Light Orchestra‘s ninth album, the science fiction/time travel concept album Secret Messages, is released, featuring the single “Rock ‘n’ Roll Is King”. Originally a double album (slated to include the legendary lost song “Beatles Forever“), Secret Messages is pared down to a single LP late in production, and the resulting orphan tracks become the source of most of the group’s unreleased songs for several box sets to come.
Into The Labyrinth: Revolution
ITV airs the sixth episode of the HTV West-produced children’s fantasy series Into The Labyrinth, co-created by Bob Baker (Sky, Doctor Who, K-9) and starring Ron Moody and Pamela Salem.
Doctor Who: The Time Monster, Part 5
The 328th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Roger Delgado guest stars as the Master; future Star Wars star David Prowse appears as the Minotaur.
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Introducing the third Doctor
The BBC announces that popular radio comedian Jon Pertwee will become Doctor Who‘s new star. With his penchant for character voices and other gags, the show’s producers – who will also be departing after the new Doctor’s installation – expect that Pertwee, and the series, will continue in a light-hearted vein with an increasingly comedic element. Though Pertwee’s first four-part story as the Doctor will reflect this thinking, the actor will actually take the role of the Doctor in a far more dramatic direction.
Doctor Who: The Evil Of The Daleks, Part 5
The 167th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This is the second Doctor’s second and final encounter with the Daleks, and this story also introduces Deborah Watling as new companion Victoria Waterfield. This episode is now missing from the BBC’s archives.
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Test No. 6
The People’s Republic of China conducts a nuclear weapons test under the nondescript code name Test No. 6, which is in fact China’s first thermonuclear (hydrogen) bomb test. Dropped by an aircraft, Test No. 6 has a yield of 3.3 megatons. For context, China had conducted its first nuclear test barely three years earlier.
Twilight Zone: The Mighty Casey
The 35th episode of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs on CBS. Jack Warden (Being There) stars in an episode written by Serling.
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