1990:24 April: Hubble telescope takes off for space
Nasa launches the Hubble space telescope into orbit 380 miles (611.5 km) above the Earth using Space Shuttle Discovery.
It has taken 20 years to build, at a cost of $1.55 billion and is seven years late.
10 August: Magellan starts mapping Venus1991:18 May: Sharman becomes first Briton in space
Britain's first astronaut, 27-year-old Helen Sharman from Sheffield, blasts into orbit.
1993:9 December: Astronauts put Hubble back in action
The mission is the result of a tiny mistake in the manufacture of the telescope. The mirror was flatter than it should have been by just one-fiftieth of the width of a human hair.
1995:9 February: Space pioneers take first small steps1997:6 April: Fault cuts short space shuttle mission
A defective fuel cell makes Nasa abort the latest space shuttle flight.
6 July: Mars buggy, Sojourner, released from space probe Pathfinder starts exploring the Red Planet1998:7 November: Oldest astronaut back on EarthNext: The 2000sSpace homepage
