The International Space Station can date its birth to Endeavour's STS-88 mission in December 1998. Endeavour brought the International Space Station into being Endeavour, he added, "more or less saved Hubble and helped give it the legacy it has today."ĥ. "Without that mission, Hubble would be rather useless in orbit," said space-history expert Robert Pearlman, editor of (which is a partner). Soon the telescope was seeing the universe in crisp, sharp detail. In a series of complex operations involving multiple spacewalks, Endeavour's astronaut crew swapped out some of Hubble's optics and other gear. In 1993, Endeavour launched on its STS-61 flight - the first Hubble servicing mission - to fix the problem. Shortly after NASA's Hubble Space Telescope launched in 1990, scientists noticed that the instrument's images were a bit blurry. It helped save the Hubble Space Telescope This recycling ethic helped keep Endeavour's construction costs down to $1.7 billion, according to NASA officials.Ĥ. These pieces were left over from the construction of the shuttles Discovery and Atlantis. While Endeavour debuted a fair amount of new gear - it was the first shuttle to use a drag parachute during landing, for example, and it featured advanced avionics systems - much of the orbiter was built from spare parts. Endeavour was built on the cheap - sort of Endeavour, was commanded by Britain's James Cook on his epic 18th-century voyage of discovery in the South Pacific (hence the orbiter's British spelling).ģ. Bush announced the winning name in May 1989. The kids were given some guidance - the name had to be based on a historic oceangoing research or exploration vessel. In 1988, NASA staged a national competition among elementary and secondary school students to hang a name on the new shuttle. Friday's launch will initiate Endeavour's 25th space mission.Įndeavour is the only shuttle to have been named by children. Today, the shuttle will continue its journey through Southern California streets and is expected to reach the California Science Center by the evening.Congress authorized the construction of Endeavour - NASA's fifth spacegoing shuttle - in 1987, and the orbiter first blasted off in 1992. We've towed it up to 307,000 pounds, what we're towing here today is supposed to be 292,000," stuntman and driver of the truck Matthew McBride told KABC Friday. "We tested over and over to make sure it would do it. "This is unlike anything we've ever moved before," Jim Hennessy, a spokesman for the contract mover company Sarens, told the Associated Press.ĭuring its trek Friday, the shuttle while towed by a pickup truck was moved successfully over the Manchester Bridge of the 405 Freeway. Power lines were raised to make room for its tail. With a 78-foot wing span, hundreds of trees had to be cut so it could clear the roads. However getting home has been no easy feat.Įndeavour has already piggy-backed three flights from Kennedy Space Center to Los Angeles last month.įriday morning before dawn, the 170,000 pound shuttle left LAX and passed through winding roads and residential streets. PHOTOS: Space Shuttle Endeavour Heads Toward Final Home "It feels like I'm being part of history," Cameron Baker of Westchester told ABC News Los Angeles station KABC. The Space Shuttle Endeavour has traveled more than 123 million miles at speeds of more than 17,000 miles per hour.īut now the shuttle is cruising through Los Angeles at just two miles per hour in the two day, 12-mile trip to its new home at the California Science Center. In the state known for high speed chases, California now has a slow speed attraction that is gaining thousands of fans.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |