NASA

Historical eventSeptember 121992

NASA

NASA launches Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-47, which marks the 50th shuttle mission. On board are Mae Carol Jemison, the first African-American woman in space, Mamoru Mohri, the first Japanese citizen to fly in a US spacecraft, and Mark Lee and Jan Davis, the first married couple in space.

Everything on September 12Original source

In context

When
Saturday, September 12 199234 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1990s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1958-07-29.

Place: United States.

Type: space agency and independent agency of the United States government.

Founded / initiated by: Dwight D. Eisenhower and United States Congress.

What came beforeAI-assisted

The Space Shuttle program had flown 49 missions since Columbia's inaugural flight in 1981. Endeavour itself was built as a replacement after Challenger's 1986 disaster, with its first flight occurring in May 1992.

NASA had been gradually increasing diversity in astronaut selection since the 1970s, but STS-47 marked a milestone moment with multiple historic crew members selected for a single mission.

Catalyst / how it startedAI-assisted

STS-47 was planned as a Spacelab mission focused on life sciences and material sciences experiments. The mission's crew composition reflected NASA's commitment to international cooperation and expanding representation in the astronaut corps.

Who was involvedAI-assisted

Commander Robert Gibson and Pilot Curtis Brown led the seven-person crew. Mission specialists included Mae Jemison (first African-American woman in space), Mamoru Mohri (first Japanese national on a US spacecraft), Mark Lee, Jan Davis (first married couple in space), and N. Jan Davis and payload specialists Anita Lonsdale and Jay Apt.

TimelineAI-assisted

Endeavour launched from Kennedy Space Center on September 12, 1992 at 8:23 AM EDT. The mission lasted eight days, landing on September 20, 1992 at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

What happened

History Creation A US Air Force Bell X-1 test flight Main article: Creation of NASA NASA traces its roots to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). Although Dayton, Ohio, is considered the birthplace of aviation , by 1914 the United States recognized that it lagged significantly behind Europe in aviation capability. Determined to regain American leadership in aviation,

NASA launches Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-47, which marks the 50th shuttle mission. On board are Mae Carol Jemison, the first African-American woman in space, Mamoru Mohri, the first Japanese citizen to fly in a US spacecraft, and Mark Lee and Jan Davis, the first married couple in space.

September 12 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1992NASA
  2. 2005Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  3. 2007Joseph Estrada
  4. 20072007 Bengkulu earthquakes
  5. 2008Metrolink (California)
  6. 20082008 Chatsworth train collision
  7. 2012Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Air Flight 251 (2012)
  8. 2013NASA
  9. 2014Synagogue Church of All Nations
  10. 2015Petlawad explosion
  11. 2021Siberian Light Aviation Flight 51

Also in 1992

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  • September 14Croatian Republic of Herzeg-BosniaThe Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared the breakaway Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia to be unconstitutional.
  • September 14Bosnia and HerzegovinaThe Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina declares the breakaway Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia to be illegal.
  • September 16Pound sterlingThe British pound (coin pictured) was forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism on Black Wednesday and suffered a major devaluat…
  • September 16Manuel NoriegaThe trial of the deposed Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega ends in the United States with a 40-year sentence for drug trafficking and mo…
  • September 16Black WednesdayBlack Wednesday: The British pound is forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism by currency speculators and is forced to devalue…
  • September 17Mykonos restaurant assassinationsAn Iranian Kurdish leader and his two joiners are assassinated by political militants in Berlin.
  • September 18Giant MineAn explosion rocks Giant Mine at the height of a labor dispute, killing nine replacement workers in Yellowknife, Canada.

Everything we record for 1992 →

Sources

Cite this page

“NASA”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/nasa-1992-september-12, accessed October 26, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did NASA happen?

September 12 1992 — 34 years ago, on a Saturday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints. Panels marked AI-assisted were filled where the sources left a heading empty.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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