1580: Birth of the Flemish astronomer Godefroy (Godefroid) Wendelin in Herck-la-Ville (Herk-de-Stad). A canon and versatile scholar, he re-examined Tycho Brahe's data and demonstrated that it aligned with Kepler's laws of planetary motion, helping to spread Copernican astronomy in the Southern Netherlands. Author of works on lunar eclipses and the scale of the solar system, he maintained links with many European scholars. The lunar crater Vendelinus, named by Riccioli in the Almagestum Novum (1651), perpetuates his name.

1971: Launch of the Soviet mission Soyuz 11 from Baikonur. The crew, consisting of Georgy Dobrovolsky, Viktor Patsayev, and Vladislav Volkov, successfully achieved the first historical occupation of a space station, Salyut 1. After a record-breaking 22 days in orbit, a technical failure (the accidental opening of a decompression valve) occurred during the return to Earth on 30 June. The three cosmonauts, who lacked pressurised suits at the time, died of asphyxiation before landing. This tragedy forced a total redesign of Soyuz spacecraft safety, mandating the wearing of spacesuits during critical phases.

Image credits : USSR Post