1990

January

• January 24: The Voyager 1 spacecraft took its final photograph of the entire Solar System, known as the "Family Portrait," before its cameras were shut off to conserve power.

March

• March 2: The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), a joint ESA/NASA mission, was launched to study the Sun's atmosphere and solar wind.

April

• April 24: The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31). Despite initial optical issues, Hubble would go on to revolutionize our understanding of the universe.

August

• August 10: Magellan, an American space probe, entered orbit around Venus to study its surface using radar mapping.

September

• September 5: The Lunar Prospector mission was launched to study the Moon, including mapping its surface composition and searching for resources.

October

• October 6: The Ulysses spacecraft was launched to study the Sun's polar regions and solar wind at high latitudes.

November

• November 13: The Galileo spacecraft made its first flyby of Earth, using the planet's gravity to gain momentum for its journey to Jupiter.

December

• December 2: The Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-35) launched the ASTRO-1 observatory, a mission to study celestial objects across various wavelengths.

Other Notable Events

• Space Shuttle Program: Several Space Shuttle missions took place in 1990, including Discovery (STS-31), Atlantis (STS-36), and Columbia (STS-35), contributing to various scientific and technological advancements.
• Soviet Space Program: The Soviet Union continued its space activities, including launches of satellites and progress in space station operations.
• International Collaborations: International cooperation in space exploration continued to grow, with missions like SOHO (ESA/NASA) and Ulysses (ESA/NASA).

Conclusion

1990 was a year marked by significant achievements in space exploration, including the launch of iconic missions like Hubble and SOHO, as well as advancements in planetary exploration, Earth observation, and scientific research. These milestones set the stage for further discoveries and collaborations in the years to come.