INPE - 1986

• First Record of lightning from space in Brazil.
• The Vegetation Fire Monitoring begins.
• The Division of Image Processing System launches SITIM System (Image Processing) for MS-DOS environment (originally a PC-286 with 8Mhz and 256 Kb of memory) and a graphics card capable of locally developed 1024x1024x24 bits. With the goal of integrating the images to maps and other measurements made directly on the ground, DPI has developed parallel to the MS-DOS environment, a geographic information system called SGI. The two systems now operate in an integrated way, giving rise to what came to be known as system SITIM / SGI.
• Associated Laboratories for Research and Development activities in subjects such as physics and Plasma technology, Sensors and Materials, Computing and Applied Mathematics, and Combustion and Propulsion is created.
  
  
  Materials Building (called GAMA), where the Associated Laboratory of Plasma and Associate Laboratory of Sensors and Materials are installed.
• Beginning activities to develop silicon microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).
• Beginning activities of specification, design and analysis of SCD-1 solar panels at Associated Laboratory of Sensors and Materials (LAS).
• In the controlled thermonuclear fusion area, Associated Plasma Laboratory (LAP) was one of the firsts research center to develop concept of spherical tokamak. Since 1986, LAP was responsible for a conceptual project of Advanced Toroidal Experiment – ETA, a tokamak with 1,5 aspect ratio and almost 1MA plasma current, dedicated to explore techniques for generating radiofrequency current. MCT approved ETA experiment in 1987 as the main National Plasma Laboratory experiment.
• Three astronauts know Brazilian Space Program. The American Story Musgrave, who participated in two missions aboard the spacecraft Challenger and made the first spacewalk; Rodolfo Neri Vela, first Latin American to participate in a space shuttle mission, in the U.S.; and Soviet Valeri Kubassov, a major Soviet cosmonauts.

  Worldwide

• The first structures of the Russian space station MIR are transported to space.

• Nuclear accident at Chernobyl nuclear central in Chernobyl, Ukraine (at that time was part of Soviet Union). It is considered the worst nuclear accident ever, producing a cloud of radioactivity that has reached the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and UK. About 4000 people have died.

• Year of Halley's Comet appearance. Apace age was 28 years old and was sent a spacecraft fleet to observe the comet.