Counted together, the space shuttles have carried people, flown over million miles, and spent over 1, days in orbit. The space shuttle was actually made up of several separate components. The main engines are part of the orbiter. All the components were reusable except for the external tank, which by design burned up in the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean following each launch.
Built to replace space shuttle Challenger , Endeavour was the final orbiter to join the shuttle fleet. Many newer features were added to Endeavour during construction, such as updated steering mechanisms, upgraded plumbing and electrical connections to allow for longer missions, and a drag chute that reduced wear and tear on the shuttle's brakes and tires.
Many of the innovations that were developed for Endeavour were added later to the other shuttles in the fleet. The center describes the move on its website:. After arrival, Endeavour honored many California landmarks as it flew over the State from Sacramento to Southern California while onlookers marveled at the sight all along the way.
After landing at Los Angeles International Airport, the biggest adventure was yet to come, transporting Endeavour through the heart of urban Los Angeles to its new home at the California Science Center. At 78 feet wide, 57 feet high and feet long — longer than two school buses — navigating the streets of Los Angeles and Inglewood required the guidance and skill of over people.
Police controlled traffic; engineers and technicians lifted power lines and took down traffic lights while approximately 1. Photographers and filmmakers were on hand to document this once-in-forever moment in history. Space Shuttle Endeavour on Crenshaw Blvd. During the two-day journey, the ,pound spacecraft will travel at no more than 2 mph along a mile route from LAX to it's final home at the California Science Center.
Good Morning, Pennsylvania. Sign up now for Good Morning, Pennsylvania , and get the most important headlines delivered free to your inbox by 6 a. Within weeks of Endeavour landing, Hubble embarked on a succession of stunning and still unfolding discoveries that have helped to confirm the existence of black holes, refine the age of the universe and reveal star- and planet-forming processes.
Endeavour lifted off again on Dec. Over the day flight led by Robert Cabana, currently the director of Kennedy Space Center, six astronauts joined the first U. On subsequent missions, Endeavour lifted components of the station's solar power system, Japan's Kibo science module, supplies, research gear and astronauts assigned to live and work aboard the ISS.
On Endeavour's 20th flight, it picked up the torch first lit by one of Challenger's fallen crew. Morgan rejoined the space agency in and trained as an astronaut, drawing the opportunity to fly on Challenger's successor on a mission that added to the station's backbone truss. STS was also a return to flight for Endeavour, which had undergone a month extensive upgrade, including installation of a glass cockpit and a power transfer system that enabled electricity to be siphoned from the station to extend the orbiter's stay in space.
It will now fall to his twin brother, Mark, to return Endeavour from space one last time. The day mission will also perform the first test flight of an autonomous rendezvous system developed for NASA's new generation crew vehicle, which will carry astronauts on future missions beyond low Earth orbit. Perhaps more significantly, Endeavour's final mission will complete construction of the ISS, an activity it began just over 12 years ago.
But, it was really designed to build the space station. All rights reserved. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! Carefully, with Thuot giving hand gestures as instructions to the astronauts inside the shuttle, the Canadarm was maneuvered to a spot where Thuot, Hieb and Akers could all grasp the satellite and successfully install the capture bar. It was a remarkable maneuver considering how little room there was for error in moving the Canadarm and Thuot near the shuttle's payload bay.
The astronauts equipped Intelsat VI with a new "kick motor" and sent it on its way. The communications satellite successfully entered geosynchronous orbit and started service in time for the Summer Olympics. Endeavour was also the shuttle that ferried the first Hubble Space Telescope repair crew. Astronauts on STS fitted Hubble with adaptive optics to correct a faulty mirror, installed new solar arrays and swapped out other telescope components. The December mission had five spacewalks in five days, with more than 35 hours outside.
NASA says it was one of the most challenging spacewalks in the history of the space program. The shuttle program is best remembered for launching satellites, visiting Mir and building the International Space Station. However, there were thousands upon thousands of hours of science performed during the program. Endeavour's crews took part in a lot of that.
In , Endeavour flew a pair of Space Radar Laboratory missions. NASA wanted to take high-quality radar images of the Earth to learn how the environment was changing, particularly focusing on those areas affected by climate change. The images also produced some unique applications. For example, researchers used pictures of Cambodia to track down ancient settlements near Angkor, whose temples date back to the ninth century. The space radar was able to peer past trees and other obstacles to see what lay underneath.
Six months later, STS crew members on Endeavour released Spartan, a payload that watched over the sun's outer atmosphere for two days in space before being retrieved. Endeavour also visited the Mir space station for a few days in
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