NASA’s Top 30 Achievements In The History

16. X-38, Ship #2 (1999)

(By Nasa on the Commons, flickr.com)

Taken on July 9, 1999, this picture shows the X-38 research vehicle as it detaches from the mothership, NASA’s B-52.

17. Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) (2001)

(By Nasa on the Commons, flickr.com)

The Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft was launched on June 30, 2001, on a Boeing Delta II rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Base to measure temperature fluctuations to create a sky map.

18. CONTOUR Launch (2002)

(By Nasa on the Commons, flickr.com)

NASA’s Comet Nucleus Tour (CONTOUR) was also initially launched on a Boeing Delta II rocket, one year later than MAP, on July 3, 2002, from the very same Cape Canaveral.

19. Mars Explorer Rover-B launch (2003)

(By Nasa on the Commons, flickr.com)

Sent up in the sky on a Delta II launch vehicle on July 7, 2003, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the Mars Explorer Rover-B launch was initially planned to last for only 3 months but finally returned to Earth 15 years later on June 10, 2018.