2003 in science.html

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The year 2003 in science and technology involved some significant events.

Anthropology

March 13 - The journal Nature reports that 350,000-year-old upright-walking human footprints had been found in Italy.

February 11 - NASA's WMAP satellite completes the first detailed cosmic microwave background radiation map of the universe. The image reveals the universe is 13.7 billion years old (within one percent error) and provides evidence that supports the inflationary theory.
May 31 - Annular solar eclipse in Northern Scotland, Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland, with partial eclipse covering much of Europe and Russia.
August 27 - Perigee of Mars, closest of Mars since 57,617 BC
October–November - The sun is at solar maximum with a period of high activity, generating many large solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
November 23 - Total solar eclipse in Antarctica.
The 2dF Survey of galaxy redshifts is published.

October 13 - The open access scientific journal PLoS Biology from the Public Library of Science, commences operation.

February 26 - A US businessman is diagnosed with the first known case of SARS in Hanoi, Vietnam by WHO doctor Carlo Urbani.

NOAA hurricane experts issue first experimental Eastern Pacific Hurricane Outlook

February 1 - Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates over Texas upon reentry killing all seven astronauts onboard.
June 2 - The first European Mars mission Mars Express launched.
September 27 - The first European lunar mission Smart 1 launched.
October 15 - The People's Republic of China launches Shenzhou 5, their first manned space mission.
December 25 - Mars Express enters orbit around Mars. Its lander, Beagle 2 was to land on the surface but is lost (presumed crashed).

March - The world's first digital camera with an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display is released by Kodak.
July 30 - The last old-style Volkswagen Beetle rolled of its production line in Puebla, Puebla, Mexico.
October 24 - Concorde makes its last flight, bringing the era of civilian supersonic travel to a close, at least for the time being.
Intel releases the Pentium M microprocessor.