This week in 1998, space shuttle Discovery, mission STS-91, launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on the ninth and final docking of a shuttle and Russia’s Mir space station. The successful nine-day mission featured the first in-orbit test of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and the first use of the space shuttle super lightweight external tank. Today, the Payload Operations Integration Center at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center serves as “science central” for the International Space Station, working 24/7, 365 days a year in support of the orbiting laboratory’s science experiments. After 20 years of continuous human presence, the space station remains the sole space-based proving ground and stepping stone toward achieving the goals of the Artemis program. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage. (NASA)