1999: The Year in Space - Table 3. Some Significant Space Events in 1999

1999: The Year in Space
Table 3. Some Significant Space Events in 1999

Designation Date Country Event
Mars Polar Lander January 3 United States First attempt to land near Mars' south pole. Arrived 12/3, after 9/23 loss of Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO), but was also lost. Given up by NASA early in 2000.
STARDUST February 7 United States NASA's comet probe, launched on Delta-2. Currently on its way to Comet Wild-2 where it is to arrive in 2004.
Soyuz TM-29/Mir-27 February 20 Russia Launch of Mir-27 crew of three, incl. French researcher Jean-Pierre Haignère & Slovak Ivan Bella; left Mir on 8/27 unoccupied for first time in 10 years.
WIRE March 4 United States Wide-Field Infrared Explorer, launched on a Pegasus XL; lost after Earth orbit insertion due to excessive tumbling.
Landsat 7 April 15 United States Launch of new Earth observation satellite as a major part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth program. Carries Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM Plus).
STS-96 (Discovery) May 27 United States First human visit in history to the new International Space Station ISS & the first supply & service mission, a pathfinder for future heavy logistics flights to ISS.
QuikScat June 20 United States NASA's Quick Scatterometer spacecraft; measures wind speeds & directions over the world's oceans from space.
FUSE June 24 United States NASA's Far-UV Spectroscopic Explorer; determines relationships between interstellar medium & star formation, mass created during Big Bang, etc.
Progress M-42 July 16 Russia Second uncrewed resupply mission to Mir of '99; brought equipment & propellants to prepare Mir for an extended period of unoccupied dormancy
DSSTS-93 (Columbia)-1 July 23 United States Launch of the $1.5billion Advanced X-ray Facility (AXAF), now called Chandra X-Ray Observatory, third in NASA's series of Great Observatories.
IKONOS September 24 United States First of a new generation of non-military Earth-imaging satellites to provide high- resolution images with detail at the 1m (3.3 ft) level for commercial use.
Shenzhou November 19 China Uncrewed 14-orbit test flight & recovery, on an uprated CZ-2F, of China's human space flight "Project 921", using a modified Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
XMM December 10 Europe X-Ray Multi Mission Observatory, Europe's equivalent of Chandra & Hubble, launched on the first operational flight of Europe's Ariane 5 heavy lifter.
Terra December 18 United States "Flagship" of NASA's new-millennium Earth Observation System, for new research into the interactions of Earth's land, ocean, air, ice, and life as a whole system.
STS-103 (Discovery) December 20 United States Third maintenance and repair mission to Hubble Space Telescope, "rescuing" it after loss of four gyroscopes, by major overhaul with new systems.

Designation	Date	Country	Event
Mars Polar Lander	January 3	United States	First attempt to land near Mars' south pole. Arrived 12/3, after 9/23 loss of Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO), but was also lost. Given up by NASA early in 2000.
STARDUST	February 7	United States	NASA's comet probe, launched on Delta-2. Currently on its way to Comet Wild-2 where it is to arrive in 2004.
Soyuz TM-29/Mir-27	February 20	Russia	Launch of Mir-27 crew of three, incl. French researcher Jean-Pierre Haignère & Slovak Ivan Bella; left Mir on 8/27 unoccupied for first time in 10 years.
WIRE	March 4	United States	Wide-Field Infrared Explorer, launched on a Pegasus XL; lost after Earth orbit insertion due to excessive tumbling.
Landsat 7	April 15	United States	Launch of new Earth observation satellite as a major part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth program. Carries Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM Plus).
STS-96 (Discovery)	May 27	United States	First human visit in history to the new International Space Station ISS & the first supply & service mission, a pathfinder for future heavy logistics flights to ISS.
QuikScat	June 20	United States	NASA's Quick Scatterometer spacecraft; measures wind speeds & directions over the world's oceans from space.
FUSE	June 24	United States	NASA's Far-UV Spectroscopic Explorer; determines relationships between interstellar medium & star formation, mass created during Big Bang, etc.
Progress M-42	July 16	Russia	Second uncrewed resupply mission to Mir of '99; brought equipment & propellants to prepare Mir for an extended period of unoccupied dormancy
DSSTS-93 (Columbia)-1	July 23	United States	Launch of the $1.5billion Advanced X-ray Facility (AXAF), now called Chandra X-Ray Observatory, third in NASA's series of Great Observatories.
IKONOS	September 24	United States	First of a new generation of non-military Earth-imaging satellites to provide high- resolution images with detail at the 1m (3.3 ft) level for commercial use.
Shenzhou	November 19	China	Uncrewed 14-orbit test flight & recovery, on an uprated CZ-2F, of China's human space flight "Project 921", using a modified Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
XMM	December 10	Europe	X-Ray Multi Mission Observatory, Europe's equivalent of Chandra & Hubble, launched on the first operational flight of Europe's Ariane 5 heavy lifter.
Terra	December 18	United States	"Flagship" of NASA's new-millennium Earth Observation System, for new research into the interactions of Earth's land, ocean, air, ice, and life as a whole system.
STS-103 (Discovery)	December 20	United States	Third maintenance and repair mission to Hubble Space Telescope, "rescuing" it after loss of four gyroscopes, by major overhaul with new systems.

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