Joseph likes Astronomy, and they have been talking about Endeavour, the Space Shuttle that was launched on its first mission, STS-49, on a day like today in 1992.
Space Shuttle Endeavour (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-105) is a retired orbiter from NASA's Space Shuttle program and the fifth and final operational Shuttle built.
It embarked on its first mission, STS-49, in May 7 1992 and its 25th and final mission, STS-134, in May 2011. STS-134 was expected to be the final mission of the Space Shuttle program, but with the authorization of STS-135, Atlantis became the last shuttle to fly.
The United States Congress approved the construction of Endeavour in 1987 to replace the Space Shuttle Challenger, which was destroyed in 1986.
NASA chose, on cost grounds, to build much of Endeavour from spare parts rather than refitting the Space Shuttle Enterprise, and used structural spares built during the construction of Discovery and Atlantis in its assembly.
Following the loss of Challenger, in 1987 NASA was authorized to begin the procurement process for a replacement orbiter. Again, a major refit of the prototype orbiter Enterprise was looked at and rejected on cost grounds, with instead the cache of structural spares that were produced as part of the construction of Discovery and Atlantis earmarked for assembly into the new orbiter. Assembly was completed in July 1990, and the new orbiter was rolled out in April 1991.
More information: NASA
As part of the process, NASA ran a national competition for schools to name the new orbiter -the criteria included a requirement that it be named after an exploratory or research vessel, with a name easily understood in the context of space; entries included an essay about the name, the story behind it and why it was appropriate for a NASA shuttle, and the project that supported the name.
Endeavour was delivered by Rockwell International Space Transportation Systems Division in May 1991 and first launched a year later, in May 7 1992, on STS-49.
The orbiter is named after the British HMS Endeavour, the ship which took Captain James Cook on his first voyage of discovery (1768–1771).
This is why the name is spelled in the British English manner, rather than the American English (Endeavor). This has caused confusion, including when NASA itself misspelled a sign on the launch pad in 2007. The Space Shuttle carried a piece of the original wood from Cook's ship inside the cockpit. The name also honoured Endeavour, the command module of Apollo 15, which was also named for Cook's ship.
On its first mission, it captured and redeployed the stranded INTELSAT VI communications satellite. The first African-American woman astronaut, Mae Jemison, was launched into space on the mission STS-47 on September 12, 1992.
More information: Space
Endeavour flew the first servicing mission STS-61 for the Hubble Space Telescope in 1993.
In 1997 it was withdrawn from service for eight months for a retrofit, including installation of a new airlock.
In December 1998, it delivered the Unity Module to the International Space Station.
Endeavour's last Orbiter Major Modification period began in December 2003 and ended on October 6, 2005. During this time, Endeavour received major hardware upgrades, including a new, multi-functional, electronic display system, often referred to as a glass cockpit, and an advanced GPS receiver, along with safety upgrades recommended by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) for the shuttle's return to flight following the loss of Columbia during reentry on 1 February 2003.
The STS-118 mission, Endeavour's first since the refit, included astronaut Barbara Morgan, formerly assigned to the Teacher in Space project, and later a member of the Astronaut Corps from 1998 to 2008, as part of the crew. Morgan was the backup for Christa McAuliffe who was on the ill-fated mission STS-51-L in 1986.
More information: Space
as an example of why you shouldn't even attempt
to make something reusable.
But one failed experiment does not invalidate
the greater goal.
If that was the case,
we'd never have had the light bulb.
Elon Musk
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