First lightning strike during a space mission

Less than a minute after Apollo 12 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA, on 14 November 1969, the spacecraft suffered severe electrical anomalies, including the loss of the fuel cells that provided power to the command module, leaving it on battery power alone, and also the ‘8 ball’ attitude indicator. Mission control and the crew were able to overcome these and stay on course for Earth orbit. It was determined that Apollo 12 had been struck twice by lighting at 36 and 52 seconds after launch, with the lightning discharges following the ionised plume left in the wake of the Saturn V’s rocket engines.