Mathematical & Astronomical Society

Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final voyage

NASA has begun fueling its youngest orbiter, the space shuttle Endeavour, for one last journey to space today (May 16th).
Endeavour is set to launch on its 25th and last voyage at 3:47 p.m. EDT (1947 GMT) from here at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Weather forecasts predict a 70 percent chance of clear skies, but if clouds or strong winds linger at the launch pad NASA may have to delay the liftoff. Endeavour will journey to the International Space Station for a two-week visit to deliver a $2 billion astrophysics experiment designed to hunt for exotic subatomic particles.
After 26 years of faithful service, space shuttle Discovery has embarked on its swan song -- a final mission to the International Space Station.
The shuttle's veteran crew of six, including pilot Gregory H. Johnson and mission specialists Michael Fincke, Greg Chamitoff, Andrew Feustel, and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, will be led by commander Mark Kelly.
Endeavour's last launch has drawn throngs of spectators to the Florida Space Coast to glimpse the shuttle liftoff – one of only two orbiter launches remaining before NASA retires its 30-year-old shuttle program for good.

Space shuttle Endeavour clears the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Monday, May 16, 2011.

The astronauts of STS-134 came to Kennedy Space Center recently for countdown rehearsal.

Endeavor's main mission is to carry up a particle detector that aims to revolutionize astrophysics and cosmology. The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) will be installed on the space station to search for cosmic ray particles that might shed light on cosmic mysteries such as the invisible dark matter that is thought to permeate the universe
In addition to carrying AMS, Endeavour will also be packed full of 14,000 pounds (6,350 kg) of spare supplies to outfit the space station for the era after the shuttles stop flying. The mission will deliver a new tank of ammonia coolant, equipment for the Dextre robot, and spare parts for the laboratory's antenna communications system.
To help install some of this equipment, and to perform various maintenance tasks on the space station's exterior, the shuttle astronauts plan four ambitious spacewalks. The mission is slated to last 14 days, but NASA officials have said they may extend the flight by two extra days to allow the astronauts to get more work done.
NASA mission managers, and the astronauts themselves, have said Endeavour's mission will be bittersweet, as it represents the end of the line for this orbiter, and almost the end of an era.
One final voyage
After each orbiter completes its last mission, it must go through a months-long process to outfit it for public display. Museum goers can expect to get their first up-close look at the space shuttles sometime in the next year or two.
After Endeavour's STS-134 mission, NASA plans one more shuttle flight — the June launch of Atlantis — before the space shuttle program draws to a close.
"The legacy for the shuttle fleet and the shuttle program undoubtedly, in my mind, will be the space station," NASA’s mission management team leader LeRoy Cain told reporters yesterday. "We could not have assembled this marvelous facility in orbit without the capabilities of the space shuttle."

Space shuttle Endeavour, STS-134, blasts off, Monday, May 16, 2011, on its historic 25th and final flight from the Kennedy Space Center.

Technicians examine the $2 billion Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer instrument in a work stand ahead of its planned launch on NASA's space shuttle Endeavour. The AMS instrument will search for cosmic rays from the International Space Station. CREDIT: NASA/Glenn Benson

From : http://blogs.sacbee.com/photos/2011/05/space-shuttle-endeavours-final.html

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