Space Shuttle Endeavour

Endeavour

Space Shuttle Endeavour on the launch pad prior to mission STS-113, November 22, 2002.
Construction number	OV-105
Country	United States
Contract award	31 July 1987
Named after	HM Bark Endeavour
Status	Active
First flight	STS-49 May 7, 1992 - May 16, 1992
Last flight	STS-113 24 November 2002 – 7 December 2002
No. of missions	19
Days spent in space	206.60 days
No. of orbits	3,259
Distance travelled	136,910,237 km
Satellites deployed	3
Mir dockings	1
ISS dockings	6

Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-105), is the fifth and final operational NASA space shuttle.

History

The United States Congress authorized the construction of Endeavour in 1987 to replace Challenger, which was lost in an accident in 1986. Structural spares from the construction of the other two still active shuttles Discovery and Atlantis were used in its assembly. The decision to build Endeavour was favored over refitting Enterprise because it was less expensive.

Endeavour being transported by the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

Endeavour was delivered by Rockwell International in May 1991 and first launched a year later, in May 1992, on STS-49. Rockwell International claimed that it had made no profit on Space Shuttle Endeavour, despite it costing $2.2 billion USD. On its first mission, it captured and redeployed the stranded INTELSAT VI communications satellite.

In 1993, it made the first service mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. Endeavour was withdrawn from service for eight months in 1997 for a retrofit, including installation of a new airlock. In December 1998, it delivered the Unity Module to the International Space Station.

Endeavour was named through a national competition involving students in elementary and secondary schools. The orbiter is named after HM Bark Endeavour, the ship commanded by 18th century explorer James Cook; the name also honored Endeavour, the Command Module of Apollo 15. This is why the name is spelled in the British English manner, rather than the American English spelling of "Endeavor." This has caused confusion, most notably when NASA themselves misspelled a sign on the launch pad in 2007.

Endeavour completed its latest Orbiter Major Modification period, which began in December 2003, and ended on Thursday, October 6, 2005. During this time, the Orbiter received major hardware upgrades, including a new, multi-functional, electronic display system, often referred to as glass cockpit, and an advanced GPS receiver, along with safety upgrades recommended by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) for Shuttle return to flight after the disintegration of sister-ship Columbia during re-entry on February 1, 2003.

Endeavour is currently at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it is awaiting launch on its next mission to the International Space Station, STS-118, currently scheduled for August 7th, 2007. This mission's crew includes Educator Astronaut Barbara Morgan.

Upgrades and features

Endeavour Launch Pad 39-B before the launch of STS-97

Endeavour features new hardware designed to improve and expand orbiter capabilities. Most of this equipment was later incorporated into the other three orbiters during out-of-service major inspection and modification programs. Endeavour's upgrades include:

• A 40-foot diameter drag chute that is expected to reduce the orbiter's rollout distance by 1,000 to 2,000 feet.
• The plumbing and electrical connections needed for Extended Duration Orbiter (EDO) modifications to allow up to 28-day missions (although a 28-day mission has never yet been attempted; the current record is 17 days, which was set with the Columbia orbiter).
• Updated avionics systems that include advanced general purpose computers, improved inertial measurement units and tactical air navigation systems, enhanced master events controllers and multiplexer-demultiplexers, a solid-state star tracker and improved nose wheel steering mechanisms.
• An improved version of the Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) that provide power to operate the Shuttle's hydraulic systems.

Modifications resulting from a 2005-2006 refit of Endeavour include:

• The Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System (SSPTS), which converts 8 kilowatts of DC power from the ISS main voltage of 120VDC to the orbiter bus voltage of 28VDC. This upgrade will allow Endeavour to remain on-orbit while docked at ISS for an additional 3- to 4-day duration. The corresponding power equipment was added to the ISS during the STS-116 station assembly mission, and Endeavour will first fly with SSPTS capability during planned STS-118.

Flights

Space Shuttle Endeavour has flown 19 flights, spent 206.60 days in space, completed 3,259 orbits, and flown 85,072,077 miles (136,910,237 km) in total, as of February 2003. It last flew in November 2002.

Date	Designation	Launchpad	Landing location	Notes
1992 May 7	STS-49	39-B	Edwards Air Force Base	First flight of Endeavour: Capture and redeploy Intelsat VI. First three-man EVA and longest US EVA since Apollo 17
1992 Sep 12	STS-47	39-B	Kennedy Space Center	Spacelab mission J
1993 Jan 13	STS-54	39-B	Kennedy Space Center	Deploy TDRS-F
1993 Jun 21	STS-57	39-B	Kennedy Space Center	Spacelab experiments. Retrieve European Retrievable Carrier
1993 Dec  2	STS-61	39-B	Kennedy Space Center	First Hubble Space Telescope service mission (HSM-1)
1994 Apr  9	STS-59	39-A	Edwards Air Force Base	Space Radar Laboratory experiments
1994 Sep 30	STS-68	39-A	Edwards Air Force Base	Space Radar Laboratory experiments
1995 Mar 30	STS-67	39-A	Edwards Air Force Base	Spacelab Astro-2 experiments
1995 Sep  7	STS-69	39-A	Kennedy Space Center	Wake Shield Facility and other experiments
1996 Jan 11	STS-72	39-B	Kennedy Space Center	Retrieve Japanese Space Flyer Unit
1996 May 19	STS-77	39-B	Kennedy Space Center	Spacelab experiments
1998 Jan 22	STS-89	39-A	Kennedy Space Center	Rendezvous with Mir space station and astronaut exchange
1998 Dec 4	STS-88	39-A	Kennedy Space Center	International Space Station assembly mission (assembled the Unity Module (Node 1), first American component of the ISS)
2000 Feb 11	STS-99	39-A	Kennedy Space Center	Shuttle Radar Topography Mission experiments
2000 Nov 30	STS-97	39-B	Kennedy Space Center	International Space Station assembly mission (P6 truss segment)
2001 Apr 19	STS-100	39-A	Edwards Air Force Base	International Space Station assembly mission (Canadarm2 robotic arm and hand)
2001 Dec  5	STS-108	39-B	Kennedy Space Center	International Space Station rendezvous and astronaut exchange (Expedition 3/Expedition 4)
2002 Jun  5	STS-111	39-A	Edwards Air Force Base	International Space Station rendezvous and astronaut exchange (Expedition 4/Expedition 5)
2002 Nov 23	STS-113	39-A	Kennedy Space Center	International Space Station assembly mission and astronaut exchange/final successful shuttle flight before the Columbia disaster (Expedition 5/6 exchange; P1 truss segment assembly)
Targeted for 2007 Aug. 7	STS-118	39-A		Scheduled International Space Station assembly mission; S5 truss segment assembly)

File:Ec01-0129-17.jpg

Space Shuttle Endeavour being carried on top of a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

Decommissioning of Space Shuttle Endeavour

According to NASA, Space Shuttle Endeavour will be decommissioned in 2010, after 18 years of service, along with Discovery. NASA expects to have the Orion spacecraft, a reusable launch vehicle, ready no later than 2014. Based on the July 2007 launch manifest, Endeavour will be the last Orbiter to fly, on the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station, which will carry the final two components of the station, Node 3 and the Cupola, to orbit.

See also

• List of space shuttle missions

External links

• Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour (OV-105)
• 04/16/07: Consolidated Launch Manifest: Space Shuttle Flights and ISS Assembly Sequence.