Hubble telescope
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 Venus
1991:
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 steps
1997:
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 Planet
1998:
7 November: Oldest astronaut back on Earth
Next: The 2000s
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