Zeus IV

The Zeus IV was a manned atmospheric probe flown by International Space Command and tracked from the Snowcap station in December 1986. It was crewed by astronauts Glyn Williams and Dan Schultz. They were the first to detect the rogue planet Mondas as it came closer to Earth, but they were killed when their craft was pulled into Mondas' gravity. When they tried to break free, it exploded, killing them both. By the time this news reached Space Command headquarters, another probe, Zeus V, had already been launched to help Zeus IV get back to Earth. (DW: The Tenth Planet)