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Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-105), is the fifth and final operational NASA space shuttle to be built. Endeavour is often referred to as "the baby of the shuttle fleet," as it is the youngest shuttle.
History The United States Congress authorized the construction of Endeavour in 1987 to replace ''Challenger'', which was lost in an explosion 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 Endeavour was withdrawn from service for eight months in 1997 for a retrofit, including installation of a new airlock.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 6th, 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 Center 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. Endeavours upgrades include: Modifications resulting from a 2005-2006 refit of Endeavour include: Flights
The Endeavour in fiction See also: Space Shuttles in fiction Decommissioning of Space Shuttle Endeavour See also | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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