1972
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Events
- Landsat 1, the first Earth-resources satellite, is launched.
It served as a orbiting platform that obtained information on agricultural and forestry resources, geology and mineral resources, hydrology and
water resources, geography, cartography, environmental pollution, oceanography and marine resources, and meteorological phenomena.
- Probe Mariner 9 sends pictures as it orbits Mars.
A robotic spacecraft that contributed greatly to the exploration of Mars, it was the first spacecraft to orbit another planet.
The orbiter sent back clear pictures of the planet's surface in total, sending 7,329 images over the course of its entire mission.
- A huge solar flare, one of the largest ever recorded, knocks out cable lines in the USA.
It begins with the appearance of sunspots, and a few days later, a flare kicks off high levels of activity for six days.
- At a scientific meeting, Herbert Boyer and Stanley N. Cohen conceive the concept of "recombinant DNA." Separately, Paul Berg also recombines DNA in a test tube.
Recombinant DNA technology has dramatically changed the field of biological sciences, especially biotechnology, and opened the door to genetically modified organisms.
DNA molecules formed by laboratory methods of genetic recombination, such as molecular cloning, recombinant DNA brings together genetic material from multiple sources,
creating sequences that would not otherwise be found in the genome.
- "Apollo 17," the last Human Moon mission for many, many decades, is launched.
Orange soil was discovered at the Shorty crater, and proved to be volcanic in origin, although from early in the moon's history.
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