Editing 1964 in science (section)

==Astronomy and space exploration==
* January 30 – The Soviet Union launches the first [[Elektron (satellite program)|Elektron]] satellites.
* Spring – First recognition of [[cosmic microwave background radiation]] as a detectable phenomenon.<ref>In a brief paper by [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] astrophysicists [[A. G. Doroshkevich]] and [[Igor Dmitriyevich Novikov|Igor Novikov]]. {{cite web|last=Penzias|first=A. A.|year=2006|title=The origin of elements|url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1978/penzias-lecture.pdf|work=Nobel lecture|publisher=[[Nobel Foundation]]|accessdate=2006-10-04}}</ref>  The discovery and confirmation of the [[Cosmic microwave background]] in 1964 secured the Big Bang as the best theory of the origin and evolution of the universe.
* March 20 – The precursor of the [[European Space Agency]], [[ESRO]] (European Space Research Organization) is established (under an agreement of June 14, 1962).
* July 31 – [[Ranger program]]: [[Ranger 7]] sends back the first close-up photographs of the [[Moon]]; images are 1,000 times clearer than anything ever seen from Earth-bound [[telescope]]s.
* October 12 – The Soviet Union launches the [[Voskhod 1]] into Earth [[orbit]] as the first spacecraft with a multi-person crew and the first flight without [[space suit]]s (the crew wouldn't fit in the space capsule otherwise).