November 26

Archaeologist Howard Carter, funded by Lord Carnarvon, had been excavating in the Valley of the Kings for several weeks before uncovering the steps to Tutankhamun’s tomb. On this day, Carter made the first entrance into Tomb KV62 in over 3,000 years. His famous "wonderful things" remark captured the world’s imagination. The nearly intact tomb contained thousands of artifacts, including a gold funerary mask and chariots. Conservation and cataloging efforts would take years to complete. The discovery revolutionized Egyptology and sparked a global fascination with ancient Egypt.

On November 26, 1965, France successfully placed the Astérix satellite into orbit using its domestically developed Diamant A booster. The launch from the Hammaguir launch site in Algeria marked France as the third nation, after the USSR and the USA, to achieve independent satellite launches. Astérix carried instrumentation to test the performance of the launch vehicle and communication systems in space. This milestone laid the foundation for the Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES) and Europe’s future collaborative space efforts. The mission showcased France’s technological prowess during the Cold War and bolstered its position in international space research.

NASA launched the Mars Science Laboratory mission on November 26, 2011, aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral. The spacecraft carried Curiosity, a car-sized rover designed to assess Mars's past and present habitability. Curiosity's advanced suite of instruments includes a laser spectrometer, radiation detector, and powerful cameras. The mission aimed to study the planet's climate, geology, and potential for microbial life. Five days of cruise-stage operations preceded a dramatic landing in Gale Crater in August 2012. Curiosity's discoveries have since reshaped our understanding of Mars's watery past.

On November 26, 2018, NASA's InSight probe successfully landed on Elysium Planitia, a flat volcanic plain on Mars. InSight's primary goal is to study the planet's interior structure using seismic and heat flow measurements. The lander's SEIS seismometer and HP3 heat probe were designed to detect Marsquakes and measure thermal properties. This mission marked the first time such instruments operated on another planet's surface. Initial data provided groundbreaking insights into Mars's core, crust, and mantle. InSight continues to relay information that deepens our knowledge of planetary formation.

On November 26, 2021, the WHO designated the newly identified B.1.1.529 lineage as the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. First reported by South African scientists, it exhibited an unprecedented number of spike protein mutations. These genetic changes raised alarms over potential increases in transmissibility and immune escape. Within days, the variant was classified as a Variant of Concern by the WHO. Countries around the world imposed travel restrictions and updated public health measures. Researchers accelerated studies on vaccine efficacy and diagnostic test sensitivity. Global surveillance efforts intensified to monitor the spread and impact of Omicron. The announcement underscored the continuing challenges in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.