MST3K episode "Santa Claus Conquers The Martians" airs 1991

One of the best television shows of all time riffed one of the worst movies of all time December 21, 1991 when Mystery Science Theater 3000 featured Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. Joel and the bots sit through a poorly-acted, poorly-written movie with a lame plot.  Martians kidnap Santa Claus and take him back to Mars because there isn't anyone there to give presents to the children. It marked the film debut of Pia Zadora.

Vega 2, Venus and Halley's Comet spacecraft, launched 1984

 

Vega 2, launched December 21, 1984 by the Soviet Union, visited Venus and Halley's Comet.  The descent module was released from the flyby probe on June 13, 1985 and reached Venus two days later.  It consisted of a surface lander and a balloon explorer.

The lander touched down in the northern region of Aphrodite Terra.  Pressure was 91 atm and the temperature was 865° F or 463° C. The lander transmitted data for 56 minutes. The balloon explorer floated at a stable altitude of 53-54 km where the pressure was about 0.5 atm and the temperature of 95° - 109° F or 35° - 43° C. It transmitted for almost two days, during which it travelled 11,100 km or 6900 mi.   until the final transmission.

The Vegas' motherships were redirected to intercept Halley's Comet and reached its destination on March 9, 1986. The encounter lasted about 3 hours at its closest approach at 8030 km or 4990 mi.   Contact with Vega 2 was lost on March 24, 1987 after it measured dust as it passed through orbits of Comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa, Biela's Comet and Comet 289/Blanpain.

https://youtube.com/shorts/mRZbpLc1NT0?si=HxvXIaM11n7in_s-

First issue of "Captain America" published 1940

The first issue of Captain America was published on December 20, 1940, although the cover had a date of March 1941. The issue focuses on the creating of Captain America by injecting a super-serum into the scrawny form of Steve Rogers, who, as a result, becomes the super-hero Captain America.  The issue ends with the scientist who created the super-serum is killed by a Nazi sympathizer.  The assassin is electrocuted in his attempts to escape an attack from Captain America. 

The cover art shows Captain America hitting Adolph Hitler.  After publication, members of an American Nazi organization sent threatening letters and phone calls to Timely, the publishers of Captain America. New York City police were assigned to ensure the employees of Timely.  

Glenn Miller disappears 1944

One of the biggest mysteries of the twentieth century is what happened to Glenn Miller. He was on an unscheduled flight from London to Paris on December 15, 1944, after his reservation the previous day was cancelled.  He stood by for an earlier flight on December 13, but it was cancelled as well.  

He was frustrated and worried that he would miss his engagements in Paris, so he managed to get on a Norseman airplane, with Lieutenant Colonel Normal Baesell of the Eighth Air Force Service Command  piloted by Flight Officer John Stuart Morgan.  His orders did not allow him to board a 'casual' flight, and he did not report this change in schedule to his superiors, so no one knew where he was that day.

Shortly after takeoff, while they were over the English Channel, the plane and its occupants disappeared and were never seen again.  The next morning the Germans launched a new attack that became the Battle of the Bulge, so nobody realized Glenn Miller was missing until three days later.

The Eighth Air Force Board of Inquiry determined that the cause of the plane's disappearance was due to a combination of human error, mechanical failure, and weather.  The weather that day made the pilot fly lower than normal because of the cloud cover, and the prevailing theory is icing brought the plane down.  Of course, nothing has been proven and won't be unless the wreckage is ever found. 

The X-Files episode "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas" airs 1998

I'm always looking for horror-comedies, so the sixth episode of the sixth season of the X-Files How the Ghosts Stole Christmas is a treat. It aired December 13, 1998.  Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) explore a haunted house.  Apparently, two lovers killed each other in a lovers' pact some 81 years before, but it seems they still reside there.

Lily Tomlin had previously mentioned her interest in appearing in an episode and Ed Asner was also on board for the episode.  Scares and laughs abound.  It is a great episode and I look forward to watching it again.

Happy birthday, astronaut Frank Rubio!

Francisco "Frank" Rubio, born December 11, 1975 in Los Angeles, California, went in to space aboard Soyuz MS-22, in September 2022 to the International Space Station.  While on board he participated in Expeditions 67-69.  His mission was scheduled to last about six months, but damage to the spacecraft extended his mission.  He returned to Earth on Soyuz MS-23 in September 2023, spending almost 371 days in space. He is the first American to spend more than a year in space.  

Happy birthday, Inspiration4 astronaut Hayley Arceneaux!

Hayley Arceneaux, born December 4, 1991 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, went into space aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon Resilience, as part of the Inspiration4 crew. Resilience was launched in September 2021 and she spent almost 3 days in space.  She is the youngest person to orbit the Earth.

She survived a bout with cancer when she was 10 years old, and the experience sparked her interest in working with cancer patients. She works as a Physician's assistant, working with patients suffering from leukemia and lymphoma.  She is the first astronaut to launch with a prosthesis.  

The Naked Gun released 1988

Naked Gun, the first of three movies from the Files of Police Squad, was released in the US December 2, 1988.  It starred Leslie Nielsen as Lt. Frank Drebin, Priscilla Presley, Ricardo Montalban, 'Weird Al' Yankovic, and disgraced professional athlete OJ Simpson.  

The movie followed Ricardo Montalban's character trying to attempting to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II, and Frank Drebin trying to stop him.   The result is a hilarious non-stop ride of slapstick humor and dark comedy.  

It opened to pretty positive reviews with a 90% rating from Rotten Tomatoes.  Naked Gun spawned two sequels.  

Endeavour (STS-61) launched 1993

STS-61 crew

Front row (L-R): Ken Bowersox, Kathryn Thornton, Story Musgrave, Claude Nicollier

Back row (L-R): Richard Covey, Jeffrey Hoffman, Thomas Akers

STS-61 mission patch

Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-61), launched December 2, 1993, was the first Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.  Its crew consisted of Commander Richard Covey, Pilot Ken Bowersox, Kathryn Thornton, Claude Nicollier (ESA), Jeffrey Hoffman, Story Musgrave, and Thomas Akers. The crew conducted 5 EVAs during the mission.  Musgrave and Hoffman conducted three EVAs for a total of around 22 hours.  Thornton and Akers performed two spacewalks for about 13 hours.  

They returned to Earth December 13, after spending almost 11 days in space.