Most of this equipment was later incorporated into the other three orbiters during out-of-service major inspection and modification programs. Spare parts from the construction of Discovery (OV-103) and Atlantis (OV-104), manufactured to facilitate the repair of an orbiter if needed, were eventually used to build OV-105.Įndeavour also featured new hardware, designed to improve and expand orbiter capabilities. Start structural assembly of aft-fuselage Just as James Cook set the standard with his seafaring Endeavour voyage, the Space Shuttle Endeavour missions have continued to uphold and surpass the standards set by its namesake, more than 200 years later. OV-105 became the first Space Shuttle orbiter to use a drag chute during a landing - only one of many technical improvements made to Endeavour. Image right: Space Shuttle Endeavour is moments away from touchdown at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, bringing to a close the STS-113 mission to the International Space Station.

The research tested the production of protein crystals grown in microgravity.īecause of Endeavour's excellent performance, NASA decided to extend the flight two days to complete more mission objectives and allow the crew enough time to prepare for landing. The crew also took part in the Commercial Protein Crystal Growth experiment. This was the first time four spacewalks were conducted on a Space Shuttle mission and one of them was the longest in space history, lasting more than eight hours. Once the new motor was attached, it propelled the satellite into the correct orbit, providing a relay link for the equivalent of 120,000 two-way simultaneous telephone calls and three television channels. They conducted medical tests assessing the human body's performance in microgravity, and recorded footage for an educational video comparing Cook's first voyage on Endeavour with the Space Shuttle orbiter's maiden voyage. An unprecedented three-person spacewalk took place after the procedure was evaluated by the astronauts and ground team.īetween rescue attempts, the STS-49 crew was busy with a variety of activities. It took three attempts to capture the satellite for repairs to be made. The project sparked public interest in the mission and NASA received a deluge of suggestions on possible ways for the crew to grab onto the satellite. Unfortunately, the Space Shuttle wasn't designed to retrieve the satellite, which created many repair challenges. One of Endeavour's primary assignments was to capture INTELSAT VI, an orbiting, but not functioning, communications satellite, and replace its rocket motor. Its first launch, the STS-49 mission, began with a flawless liftoff on May 7, 1992, beginning a journey filled with excitement, anticipation and many firsts. Space Shuttle Endeavour embodies similar experiences. Cook also established the usefulness of including scientists on voyages of exploration. Thousands of new plant specimens and animal species were observed and illustrated on this maiden voyage. This reading enabled astronomers to find the distance of the Sun from the Earth, which then could be used as a unit of measurement in calculating the parameters of the universe.Ĭook's achievements on Endeavour were numerous, including the accurate charting of New Zealand and Australia and successfully navigating the Great Barrier Reef. He commanded a crew of 93 men, including 11 scientists and artists.Ĭook's main objective, tasked by the British Admiralty and the Royal Society, was to observe the Transit of Venus at Tahiti. Image credit: NASAĮndeavour was named after a ship chartered to traverse the South Pacific in 1768 and captained by 18th century British explorer James Cook, an experienced seaman, navigator and amateur astronomer. Image left: Space Shuttle Endeavour blazes into the night sky on mission STS-113, the 19th for Endeavour, and the 112th flight in the Shuttle program.

In May 1989, President George Bush announced the winning name. They were asked to select a name based upon an exploratory or research sea vessel. Authorized by Congress in August 1987 as a replacement for the Space Shuttle orbiter Challenger, Endeavour (OV-105) arrived at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility on May 7, 1991, piggy-backed on top of NASA's new Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.įor the first time, an orbiter was named through a national competition involving students in elementary and secondary schools.

Images of the space endeavor