1992

	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.

1993

	December 2, 1993 First HST Servicing Mission The Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched 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.

1994

	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.

1995

	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.

1996

May 18, 1996 X PRIZE Competition Announced Underneath the famous arch in St. Louis, Missouri, the creation of the X PRIZE competition is officially announced to the world. Featuring a large number of high-profile sponsors and supporters, the X PRIZE offers 10 million dollars to the first person or team to safely launch and land a spacecraft capable of carrying three people to a suborbital altitude of 100 kilometers (62.5 miles) and repeat the trip again within two weeks. It is hoped that the X PRIZE will help to jump start civilian and commercial space programs.

	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.

1997

	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.

1998

	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.

2000

February 14, 2000 First Detailed Study of an Asteroid The U.S. Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft arrives at the asteroid Eros. It begins a yearlong mission to study the gravity and composition of Eros in addition to sending back detailed images of the asteroid's surface. Eros is an S-class asteroid approximately 20 miles (33 km) and 8 miles (13 km) wide. The Valentine's Day arrival date is most appropriate for an asteroid named after the Greek god of love.