Home > 1999 in science

The year 1999 in science and technology included many events, including those below.

1 Aeronautics

• February 27 - While trying to circumnavigate the world in a hot air balloon, Colin Prescot and Andy Elson set a new endurance record after being in a hot air balloon for 233 hours and 55 minutes.
• March 3 - Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones begin their attempt to circumnavigate the world in a hot air balloon without stopping. Their journey ended in success on March 20.

2 Astronomy and space exploration

• February 7 - Stardust is launced on a mission to collect samples of a cometHalley's Comet nucleus sunlit from the left. A comet is a relatively small astronomical object similar to an asteroid but composed largely of ice. In Earth's solar system, the orbits of comets may extend past that of Pluto; of the comets which enter the i comaIn astronomy, the nebulous envelope around the nucleus of a comet is called its coma (from the Latin word for "hair"). It is formed when the comet passes close to the sun on its highly elliptical orbit; as the comet warms, parts of it melt and/or vaporize, and return them to EarthEarth also known as the Earth or Terra is the planet on which we live, the third planet outward from the Sun. It is the largest of the solar system's terrestrial planets, and the only planetary body that modern science confirms as harbouring life. The pla.
• July 20July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 164 days remaining. Events 1304 Fall of Stirling Castle: Edward I of England takes the last rebel stronghold in the Wars of Scottish Independence. 1712 In the Unite - Mercury program: Liberty Bell 7 is raised from the Atlantic OceanFor other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation The Atlantic Ocean is Earth's second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. The ocean's name, derived from Greek mythology, means the " Sea of Atlas". This ocean occupies an elongated,.
• July 31July 31 is the 212th day (213th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 153 days remaining, as the final day of July. Events 1423 Hundred Years War: Battle of Cravant The French army is defeated at Cravant on the banks of the river Yonn - NASA intentionally crashes the Lunar Prospector spacecraft into the Moon, thus ending its mission to detect frozen water on the moon's surface.
• NASA loses two Mars probes, the Mars Climate Orbiter and the Mars Polar Lander.
• The Subaru 8.3-m and Gemini North 8.1-m reflecting telescopes open at the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii.