![]() ![]() You can follow senior writer Clara Moskowitz on Twitter ClaraMoskowitz. ![]() The mission will be the second-to-last shuttle flight before NASA retires its three orbiters. Launch of the STS-134 mission took place at 8:56 a.m. The shuttle was used to launch the first Hubble servicing mission, STS-61 in December 1993, which famously corrected the observatory's faulty optics. Six astronauts are preparing to fly the space shuttle Endeavour on itsher last voyage to space April 19. Space shuttle Endeavour rolls into the heads-down position after clearing the launch tower at NASAs Kennedy Space Center. Construction on the orbiter began in September 1987, and completed in April 1991.ġ: The number of times Endeavour has visited the Hubble Telescope in orbit. ģ.5: The number of years it took NASA to build Endeavour. Endeavour was hard mated and firmly secured in place as of 9:15 p.m. Its predecessors include Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, and Atlantis. space station mission, the STS-88 flight in December 1998 that launched the first American space station module, Unity.Ĥ: The number of space shuttles that NASA built before Endeavour. Cranes lifted Endeavour off a Los Angeles side street and onto an external tank with solid rocket boosters for display. The shuttle's trips to the orbiting laboratory include the very first U.S. A space shuttle is standing upright for the first time in more than a decade. The orbiter carried seven astronauts to space on the STS-49 mission to rescue and repair a broken communications satellite.Ģ99: The total number of days Endeavour has spent in space, counting those during this final flight STS-134.ġ33: The number of crew members Endeavour has carried to orbit, not including the six astronautsslated to ride the shuttle on the STS-134 mission.Ģ5: The number of missions Endeavour will have flown by the time it is retired.ġ2: The number of times Endeavour will have visited the International Space Station before it is retired. It's about Mach 25, or five times the speed of a bullet.Ĥ,671: The number of orbits Endeavour made of Earth during all of its missions.ġ992: The year Endeavour lifted off on its first flight. ![]() ![]() The name Endeavour honors the 17th century sailing ship HMB Endeavour, which was captained by British seaman James Cook on a famous voyage of exploration in the South Pacific.ġ7,400: The speed at which Endeavour traveled (in miles per hour) to remain in orbit. ĥ00,000: The number of spectators estimated to turn out to Florida's Space Coast to watch Endeavour's final launch.Ħ,154: The number of entries in a national student contest to name the space shuttle Endeavourwhen it was built. On the third attempt, Endeavour Commander Daniel Brandenstein carefully maneuvered the orbiter to within a few feet of the communications satellite and it was finally captured by hand by using a team of three astronauts, Thuot, Hieb and Thomas Akers. This marked the first and only time that three astronauts have been on an extravehicular activity (EVA) or spacewalk at the same time. An ASEM, or Assembly of Station by EVA Methods structure was erected in the cargo bay by the crew to serve as a platform to aid in the hand capture and subsequent attachment of the capture bar. The satellite was later released, and the new motor fired to put it into a geosynchronous orbit for operational use. Endeavour landed at Edwards Air Force Base on after an 8-day,21-hour mission.Here's a by-the-numbers look at Endeavour's lasting legacy in space:ġ22,883,151 : The total miles Endeavour has traveled after its last voyage. NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, a Navy SEAL and STS-127 mission specialist, is set to be the 500th person in space aboard Endeavour after a vote by his crewmates.(Image credit: NASA.) This story. To attach the kick motor would end up requiring three separate spacewalks. The first was a planned one by astronauts Pierre Thuot and Richard Hieb. They were supposed to attach a capture bar to the satellite from a position on the Endeavour’s robotic arm but were unsuccessful. A second unscheduled attempt was made the following day to attach the capture bar but was also unsuccessful. ![]()
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