The US Justice Department filed criminal charges against former BP engineer Kurt Mix, who was arrested, for intentionally destroying evidence. The arrest marked the first criminal charges filed against anyone involved with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill since the spill happened in 2010. Kurt Mix had been accused of deleting text messages that contained details on the progress of trying to cap the spill.

The Space Shuttle Discovery launched the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit. It is hoped that the Telescope will be able to see up to the edge of the known universe. Although Hubble had some problems in the beginning with the original mirror design after repairs consisting of a series of corrective mirrors which are carried out in space, Hubble has sent back a series of stunning photographs of deep space, and revolutionized thinking about the universe.