* Markus Weimer, The Peace Dividend: Analysis of a Decade of Angolan Indicators, 2002 – 2012

* 2012 – The Independent State of Azawad is declared.

* 1919 – István Anhalt, Hungarian-Canadian composer ( d. 2012 )

* 1983 – Anthony Sedlak, Canadian chef ( d. 2012 )

* 1916 – Dom Mintoff, Maltese politician and journalist, 8th Prime Minister of Malta ( d. 2012 )

* 1935 – Fortunato Baldelli, Italian cardinal ( d. 2012 )

* 1942 – Byard Lancaster, American saxophonist ( d. 2012 )

* 1945 – Aleksandr Gorelik, Russian figure skater ( d. 2012 )

* 1963 – Whitney Houston, American singer-songwriter, actress, and producer ( d. 2012 )

* 1914 – Big Walter Price, American singer-songwriter and pianist ( d. 2012 )

* 2012 – Ekrem Bora, Turkish actor ( b. 1934 )

* 2012 – Lionel Bowen, Australian politician ( b. 1922 )

* 2012 – Giorgio Chinaglia, Italian footballer ( b. 1947 )

* 2012 – Miguel de la Madrid, Mexican politician, President of Mexico ( b. 1934 )

* 2012 – Leila Denmark, American pediatrician ( b. 1898 )

* 2012 – Jamaa Fanaka, American director, producer, and screenwriter ( b. 1942 )

* 2012 – Jerry Lynch, American baseball player ( b. 1930 )

* 2012 – N. K. P. Salve, Indian politician ( b. 1921 )

* 1933 – Pierluigi Vigna, Italian magistrate ( d. 2012 )

* 1921 – Richard Adler, American songwriter and composer ( d. 2012 )

* 1923 – Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria ( d. 2012 )

* 1928 – Henning Moritzen, Danish actor ( d. 2012 )

* 2012 – John Berry, English motorcycle racing promoter and manager ( b. 1944 )

* 2012 – Martin Fleischmann, Czech-English chemist ( b. 1927 )

NASA's planned Space Interferometry Mission ( SIM PlanetQuest ) ( now cancelled ) was to utilize astrometric techniques to detect terrestrial planets orbiting 200 or so of the nearest solar-type stars, and the European Space Agency's GAIA ( due to launch in 2012 ), which will be applying astrometric techniques in its stellar census.

As of February 2012, NASA's Kepler mission had identified 2, 321 unconfirmed planetary candidates associated with 1, 790 host stars, based on the first sixteen months of data from the space-based telescope.

NASA's Earth-observing fleet as of June 2012.

By the end of 2012 cargo supply to the International Space Station will be flown by privately owned commercial craft under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services by SpaceX's successfully tested the partially reusable Dragon spacecraft, and Orbital Sciences ' Cygnus spacecraft ( also slated for testing in 2012 ).

Among other unique airplanes that have recently appeared at Oshkosh were the Airbus " Beluga " in 2003, the F-22 Raptor in 2006, 2007, and 2008, the V-22 Osprey in 2008 and 2010, NASA's Super Guppy in 2000, the B-2 Spirit in 2007, the C-5 Galaxy in 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012.

The extension will allow a continuation of biomedical research in support of a long-term human presence in space started by the institute and NASA's Human Research Program through 2012.

On April 8th 2011, it was announced in a press release made through NASA's LISA Project Office, that, based on the United States President's Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Request, NASA would likely be unable to continue participating in the LISA project.

In September 2012, at the JSTAR one year celebration, NASA's IV & V Program launched the JSTAR website.

Image of the Transit of Venus, 2012 | 2012 transit taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden during an overview briefing on NASA's fiscal year 2012 budget.

* Pleiades ( supercomputer ), a supercomputer at NASA's Ames Research Center, projected to be completed in 2012

However, data in 2012 from NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer ( IBEX ) and corroborated with results from the Voyagers, has found that due to refinements in the relative speed of the heliosphere and the local interstellar magnetic field strength it is believed the heliosphere is prevented from forming a bow shock in the region of our galaxy our sun is currently passing through.

* Hosted MarsFest with Seattle's Museum of Flight in 1999 ( Polar Lander ), 2007 ( Phoenix ), and 2012 ( Curiosity ).

* Curiosity rover-Rover sent to mars by NASA in 2012

Wheaton hosted a NASA video on the Mars Curiosity rover which landed on Monday August 6, 2012.

The Curiosity rover landed on Mars on Aeolis Palus in Gale Crater, near Aeolis Mons ( a. k. a. Mount Sharp ), on August 6, 2012.

In 2012 the Observatory received special signals from the Mars rover Opportunity ( MER-B ), to simulate the Curiosity rover UHF radio .< Ref name = prep > NASA-Opportunity Prepares for Curiosity's Arrival!

This helped prepare for the then upcoming Curiosity ( MSL ) landing in early Augustit successfully touched down on August 6, 2012 .< Ref name = prep />

It was selected as the 2012 landing site for the Curiosity Rover.

The Mars Science Laboratory mission landed the Curiosity rover on August 6, 2012, and it goals include investigation of the Martian climate, geology, and whether Mars could have ever supported life, including investigation of the role of water and planetary habitability.

Curiosity ( MSL ), the rover which landed on Mars in August 2012, used a spare sundial remaining from the Mars Exploration Rovers .< Ref name = popsci > Rebecca Boyle-How A Sundial Lets Curiosity See Mars in Living Color ( 2012 )-Poplular Science It has a new text that reads " Mars 2012 " and " To Mars To Explore ".< Ref name = popsci />