Editing 1986 in science (section)

==Astronomy and space exploration==
* January 24 – NASA ''[[Voyager 2]]'' space probe makes first encounter with [[Uranus]].
* January 28 – NASA [[Space Shuttle Challenger|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'']] explodes on launch, killing all seven astronauts aboard. Their bodies are located by [[United States Navy]] divers on March 9.
* February 19 – The [[Soviet Union]] launches the ''[[Mir]]'' [[space station]].
* March 8 – Japanese spacecraft ''[[Suisei (spacecraft)|Suisei]]'' flies by [[Halley's Comet]], studying its UV hydrogen corona and solar wind.
* October 10 – [[Aten asteroid]] [[3753 Cruithne]], in [[co-orbital configuration]] with Earth, is identified by [[Duncan Waldron]].