On this date, Jan. 5, 1970, President Richard Nixon officially announced his direction to NASA to build the space shuttle program.

A Dec. 5 house fire in LaPorte County's unincorporated Fish Lake community killed a 64-year-old man, the sheriff's office said.

Beachside spectators have monitored the rocket and Launch Complex 36 pre-launch activities on the horizon for weeks, including a Dec. 27 hot-fire test.