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The Telescope
Space Exploration Timeline
Welcome to the Space Exploration Timeline! In this section of Beyond Earth, you will view the dates and details of mankind's greatest achievements in space exploration. These space milestones are organized by date and grouped by decade.
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- April 24, 1990 - Launch of Hubble Space Telescope
Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off for mission STS-31,carrying the Edwin P. Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The telescope is successfully deployed, but is found to contain a seriously flawed primary mirror resulting in fuzzy images.
- August 10, 1990 - Magellan Arrives at Venus
U.S. spacecraft Magellan arrives at Venus where is begins mapping the planet's cloud-covered surface using radar.
- May 2, 1992 - Maiden Voyage of Endeavour
The Space Shuttle Endeavour lifts off on its maiden voyage, bringing the number of orbiters in America's Space Shuttle fleet once again to four.
- December 2, 1993 - First HST Servicing Mission
The Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched on on the first on-orbit service of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Special corrective lenses are attached to the telescope's instruments, correcting the original problem with the primary mirror.
- February 3, 1994 - First Russian Cosmonaut Aboard Shuttle
Sergei Krikalev becomes the first Russian Cosmonaut to fly on aboard a U.S. Space Shuttle during Discovery mission STS-60.
- February 6, 1995 - First Female Shuttle Pilot
Eileen M. Collins becomes the first woman to fly a Space Shuttle on mission STS-63. During the mission, Space Shuttle Discovery maneuvers to within 37 feet of Russian space station Mir, in preparation for a future shuttle-Mir docking.
- March 22, 1995 - New Space Endurance Record
Cosmonaut Valeriy Polyakov returns to Earth after a 438-day mission aboard Russian space station Mir, setting a new space endurance record.
- June 25, 1995 - First Shuttle Docks with Mir
Space Shuttle Atlantis rendezvous with Russian space station Mir during a ten-day mission on STS-71. Cosmonauts are transferred to and from Atlantis. Astronaut Norman Thagard is returned from Mir after setting a new American space endurance record of 115 days.
- December 7, 1995 - Galileo Arrives at Jupiter
The Galileo spacecraft arrives at Jupiter and a probe is dropped into the planet's atmosphere. The orbiter will spend the next two years orbiting and studying the planet and its moons.
- September 26, 1996 - Shannon Lucid Returns from Mir
Space Shuttle Atlantis touches down bringing home U.S. astronaut Shannon Lucid. Lucid set a new U.S. space endurance record after spending 188 days aboard the space station Mir.
- July 4, 1997 - Mars Pathfinder Lands on Mars
The Mars Pathfinder probe lands on the surface of Mars. A small robotic rover examines the nearby terrain, sending back amazing images of the planet's surface.
- November 20, 1998 - ISS First Module Launched
A Russian Proton rocket is launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on the steppes of the Asian nation of Kazakstan. This rocket carries the Russian0built Zarya Control Module, the first component of the new International Space Station (ISS).
- October 29, 1998 - John Glenn Returns to Space
Space Shuttle Discovery begins mission STS-95, carrying veteran astronaut John H. Glenn. Glenn was the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth during the Mercury program. This mission marks his return to space after 33 years.
- December 4, 1998 - First American ISS Module
The Space Shuttle Endeavour lifts off for space carrying the Unity module for the International Space Station (ISS). The unity module is attached to the Russian Zarya module, which was launched in November.
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