Date in year · 1964 · The 1960s
On April 21, 1964, a Transit-5bn satellite fails to reach orbit after launch; as it re-enters the atmosphere, 2.1 pounds (0.95 kg) of radioactive plutonium in its SNAP RTG power source is widely dispersed. The year's #1 song was "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles. Davis Love III, Niall Ferguson, John Carney would arrive in the same year.
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1964
1960s
Featured · April 21, 1964
The Transit system, also known as NAVSAT or NNSS, was the first satellite navigation system to be used operationally. S. Navy to provide accurate location information to its Polaris ballistic missile submarines, and it was also used as a navigation system by the Navy's surface ships, as well as for hydrographic survey and geodetic surveying.
Around 1964
Ruth, Michael. "Andy Serkis | Biography | Research Starters | EBSCO Research". EBSCO. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
What happened
Satellite navigation system
The Transit system, also known as NAVSAT or NNSS, was the first satellite navigation system to be used operationally. S. Navy to provide accurate location information to its Polaris ballistic missile submarines, and it was also used as a navigation system by the Navy's surface ships, as well as for hydrographic survey and geodetic surveying.
Elsewhere that year
The class of 1964
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