September 12

1838 – Astronomer Arthur von Auwers is born, known for his life's work making extremely accurate catalogs of stellar positions and motions.
1962 – USA President Kennedy delivered a speech in which he declares his intention to put a man on the moon.
1970 – The Soviet rocket Luna 16 is launched, conducting the first successful return of lunar soil samples by an automatic spacecraft.
1992 – NASA launches Space Shuttle Endeavor, marking the organization's 50th shuttle mission.

• On board are Mae Carol Jemison (first African-American woman in space), Mamoru Mohri (first Japanese citizen to fly in a US spaceship), and Mark Lee and Jan Davis (first married couple in space).
  

2013 – NASA confirms that its Voyager 1 probe has become the first manmade object to enter interstellar space.

2409 – Aloysia Yvette is assigned as acting commanding officer of the USS Gettysburg, BC-1863.