Editing 1966 in science (section)

==Astronomy and space exploration==
* February 3 – The unmanned Soviet [[Luna 9]] spacecraft makes the first controlled  rocket-assisted landing on the [[Moon]].
* March 1 – [[Venera 3]] Soviet [[space probe]] crashes on [[Venus]] becoming the first [[spacecraft]] to land on another [[planet]]'s surface.
* March 16 – [[NASA]] spacecraft [[Gemini 8]] ([[David Scott]], [[Neil Armstrong]]) conducts the first docking in space, with an [[Agena target vehicle]].
* March 31 – The [[Soviet Union]] launches [[Luna 10]] which later becomes the first spacecraft to enter orbit around the Moon.
* April 3 – [[Luna 10]] is the first manmade object to enter lunar orbit.
* May 25 – [[Explorer program]]: Satellite [[Explorer 32]] (Atmosphere Explorer-B) is launched from the United States.
* July 18 – [[Gemini 10]] ([[John Young (astronaut)|John Young]], [[Michael Collins (astronaut)|Michael Collins]]) is launched from the United States. After docking with an [[Agena target vehicle]], the astronauts then set a world altitude record of 474 miles (763&nbsp;km).
* August 10 – [[Lunar Orbiter 1]], the first U.S. spacecraft to orbit the Moon, is launched.
* November 17 – Notable display of the [[Leonids]] over the [[Americas]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Eye witness accounts of the 1966 Leonid Storm|publisher=P. Jenniskens/NASA-ARC|url=http://leonid.arc.nasa.gov/1966.html|accessdate=2011-10-13}}</ref>
* December 15 – [[Janus (moon)|Janus]], one of the [[moons of Saturn]], is identified by [[Audouin Dollfus]] (it had been first photographed on October 29).<ref>{{cite journal|last=Gingerich|first=Owen|title=Probable New Satellite of Saturn|date=1967-01-03|format=discovery|journal=[[IAU Circular]]|volume=1987|url=http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/01900/01987.html|accessdate=2011-12-28|ref={{sfnRef|IAUC 1987}}}}</ref>
* December 18 – [[Epimetheus (moon)|Epimetheus]], another of the moons of Saturn, is discovered, but mistaken for [[Janus (moon)|Janus]] which shares its orbit and they are not distinguished until [[1978 in science|1978]].
* [[Mullard Space Science Laboratory]] established in England.