Perseverance Rover launched toward Mars
NASA launches the Perseverance Rover on its way to the planet Mars atop an Atlas V rocket. Though built around an assembly of flight spares left over from the Curosity Rover, Perseverance (known more formally as the Mars 2020 Rover) carries new experiments, including an ability to gather soil samples and seal them for pickup and return to Earth by a later (as yet unannounced) mission, over 20 built-in cameras, and – in a first for planetary exploration – a microphone designed to record the sounds of the Martian environment. Also attached to Perseverance is a drone, Ingenuity, designed for independent flight in the Martian atmosphere. Perseverance is aimed at Jezero Crater, an environment where liquid surface water is believed to have existed in Mars’ distant past, with a February 2021 landing date. The vehicle alarms ground controllers by going into a “safe mode” after launch, but communications and telemetry resume shortly afterward.
Eureka: The Story Of O2
Syfy airs the 47th episode of the science fiction series Eureka, starring Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, and Joe Morton. James Callis (Battlestar Galactica) guest stars.
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Stargate Atlantis: Thirty-Eight Minutes
Sci-Fi Channel airs the third episode of Stargate Atlantis. Christopher Heyerdahl (Sanctuary) guest stars.
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Stargate Atlantis now streaming on Amazon Prime
Farscape: Jeremiah Crichton
Sci-Fi Channel premieres the 14th episode of Farscape. Natalie Mendoza guest stars.
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Stargate SG-1: Point Of View
Pay cable channel Showtime premieres the 49th episode of Stargate SG-1.
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Sliders: A Current Affair
Sci-Fi Channel airs the 76th episode of the science fiction series Sliders, starring Cleavant Derricks, Kari Wuhrer, Robert Floyd, and Tembi Locke. Eric Pierpoint (Alien Nation) guest stars; Maggie Egan, who played a news reporter on Babylon 5, plays… a news reporter.
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The Outer Limits: Stranded
Showtime airs the 105th episode of The Outer Limits, a revival of the 1960s science fiction anthology series.
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The Outer Limits: If These Walls Could Talk
Premium cable channel Showtime airs the 19th episode of The Outer Limits, a revival of Leslie Stevens’ 1960s science fiction anthology series. Dwight Schultz (The A-Team, Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) guest star in an episode written by Manny Coto (Odyssey 5, 24, Star Trek: Enterprise).
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Star Trek v4.0
With planning for a Paramount television network underway, the studio initiates the development of another Star Trek spinoff, which has no name or concept as yet. Rick Berman and Michael Piller, the creators of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, along with TNG head writer Jeri Taylor, will create the new series – the first Star Trek series to air on network TV since the animated series of the early 1970s. Since it won’t air until after TNG’s finale, the new show is certain to be a ship-based show set on a new Starfleet ship, and the trio of creators decide early on to propel that ship into unknown territory, where its crew will face completely new threats – and the writers won’t have to worry about existing Star Trek continuity.
HL-20: the mini-shuttle that almost was
NASA begins intensive work, including the construction of a full-sized test article, on the HL-20, a vehicle being considered for “assured access” to the space station NASA plans to build in the 1990s. HL-20 is based upon the scale-model unmanned BOR4 vehicle test-launched four times by the Soviet Union, and testing will get as far as NASA conducting simulations to determine seating and cargo placement. Despite the relatively recent Challenger disaster, the HL-20 project is quietly dropped in the early 1990s since no urgent need is seen on a widespread basis throughout NASA to phase out or replace the Space Shuttle. The design will be revived in the 21st century by Sierra Nevada Corproation as the proposed Dream Chaser vehicle.
Lindsey Buckingham: Go Insane
Warner Bros. Records releases Lindsey Buckingham‘s second solo album, Go Insane, featuring the single of the same name.
Astro Blaster
Sega introduces Astro Blaster to an arcade scene already awash in space shoot-’em-ups, but the game carves out a small niche for itself. Its greatest contribution, later on, may be in providing much of the inspiration for Activision’s home video game hit Megamania.
The Tomorrow People: The Vanishing Earth, Part 4
The 13th episode of The Tomorrow People is broadcast on ITV. Kevin Stoney (Doctor Who) and John Woodnutt (Knights Of God) guest star in the fourth and final part of a four-part serial, and the last episode of the show’s first season. This marks the final appearances of original cast members Sammie Winmill and Stephen Salmon.
Batman: The Movie
Based on the popular television series of the same name, 20th Century Fox’s feature film Batman premieres in American theaters, starring Adam West, Burt Ward, and, reprising their villain roles from the series, Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith, and Frank Gorshin, while Lee Meriwether takes over the role of Catwoman. With a budget significantly greater than that of its TV counterpart, the movie introduces new Bat-vehicles, including a helicopter and a boat, footage of which will be spliced into many a later episode of the TV series.
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Science Fiction Theatre: The Frozen Sound
The 15th episode of the syndicated science fiction Science Fiction Theatre airs on stations across the U.S. Hosted by Truman Bradley, the episode stars Marshall Thompson and Marilyn Erskine.
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