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Space Shuttle Endeavour

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Space transport

                           Space Shuttle Endeavour
     Space Shuttle Endeavour on the launch pad prior to mission STS-113,
                             November 22, 2002.

                                  Endeavour

   Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-105
   Country: United States
   Contract award: 31 July 1987
   Named after: HM Bark Endeavour
   First flight: STS-49
   May 7, 1992 - May 16, 1992
   Last flight: STS-113
   24 November 2002 – 7 December 2002
   Number of missions: 19
   Time spent in space: 206.60 days
   Number of orbits: 3,259
   Distance Travelled: 136,910,237 km
   Satellites deployed: 3
   Dockings with Mir: 1
   Dockings with ISS: 6
   Status: Operational

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

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 shuttles Discovery and
   Atlantis were used in its assembly. The decision to build Endeavour was
   favored over refitting Enterprise because it was cheaper.

   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 Endeavour was withdrawn from service for eight months in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."

   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.

   As of September 2006, Endeavour is housed in the Orbiter Processing
   Facility Bay 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, where it is
   prepared for its next mission to the International Space Station,
   STS-118, currently scheduled for June 2007.

Upgrades and features

   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.

   Endeavour Launch Pad 39-B before the launch of STS-97
   Enlarge
   Endeavour Launch Pad 39-B before the launch of STS-97
     * 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 voltage 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 will be
       added to ISS during the planned 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 Notes
   1992 May 7 STS-49 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 Spacelab mission J
   1993 Jan 13 STS-54 Deploy TDRS-F
   1993 Jun 21 STS-57 Spacelab experiments. Retrieve European Retrievable
   Carrier
   1993 Dec  2 STS-61 First Hubble Space Telescope service mission (HSM-1)
   1994 Apr  9 STS-59 Space Radar Laboratory experiments
   1994 Sep 30 STS-68 Space Radar Laboratory experiments
   1995 Mar 30 STS-67 Spacelab Astro-2 experiments
   1995 Sep  7 STS-69 Wake Shield Facility and other experiments
   1996 Jan 11 STS-72 Retrieve Japanese Space Flyer Unit
   1996 May 19 STS-77 Spacelab experiments
   1998 Jan 22 STS-89 Rendezvous with Mir space station and astronaut
   exchange
   1998 Dec 4 STS-88 International Space Station assembly mission
   (assembled the Unity Module (Node 1), first American component of the
   ISS)
   2000 Feb 11 STS-99 Shuttle Radar Topography Mission experiments
   2000 Nov 30 STS-97 International Space Station assembly mission ( P6
   truss segment)
   2001 Apr 19 STS-100 International Space Station assembly mission (
   Canadarm2 robotic arm and hand)
   2001 Dec  5 STS-108 International Space Station rendezvous and
   astronaut exchange ( Expedition 3/ Expedition 4)
   2002 Jun  5 STS-111 International Space Station rendezvous and
   astronaut exchange ( Expedition 4/ Expedition 5)
   2002 Nov 23 STS-113 International Space Station assembly mission and
   astronaut exchange/final successful shuttle flight before the Columbia
   disaster ( Expedition 5/ 6 exchange; P1 truss segment assembly)
   Space Shuttle Endeavour being carried on top of a Boeing 747 Shuttle
   Carrier Aircraft.
   Enlarge
   Space Shuttle Endeavour being carried on top of a Boeing 747 Shuttle
   Carrier Aircraft.

The Endeavour in fiction

     * The Space Shuttle Endeavour was briefly shown in the 2003 film The
       Core.
     * Endeavour appears in the first episode of season 2 of Stargate
       SG-1, where it rescues SG-1 from two stranded alien spacecraft.
     * Endeavour is mentioned in the movie Contact with Jodie Foster

Decommissioning of Space Shuttle Endeavour

     * According to NASA, Space Shuttle Endeavour will be decommissioned
       in 2010, which will be 18 years old by then, along with Discovery (
       Atlantis is scheduled for retirement in 2008). NASA expects to have
       a reusable launch vehicle ready no later than 2014.
     * If the expected mission schedule is adhered to, Endeavour will be
       the last shuttle to fly.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Endeavour"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
