"I am really excited and charged up for this mission!" Johnson wrote on Twitter this morning.Īt 8:56 a.m. Johnson and mission specialists Mike Fincke, Greg Chamitoff, Andrew Feustel, and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori. Kelly is leading a veteran crew of six, including pilot Gregory H. There were no issues with the system during today's launch countdown. They replaced the box and about 20 feet of wiring connected to it, and conducted thorough tests to make sure the problem was resolved. Engineers traced the problem back to a switchbox feeding power to the heater. That earlier launch try was called off when a heater used to protect a critical power unit on the shuttle failed just hours before liftoff. ![]() "It's going to be Endeavour's 25th flight, and me and my crew are excited to be a part of it." "Endeavour has had a pretty amazing career," Kelly said after he and his crew arrived in Florida for a first launch attempt in April. After today, NASA has only one more shuttle mission planned before the shuttles are retired for good. The moment was bittersweet for the thousands of NASA workers who have devoted years to the maintenance of Endeavour and its two sister orbiters. It is in the DNA of our great country to reach for the stars and explore. "As Americans, we endeavor to build a better life than the generation before and we endeavor to be a united nation," Kelly said in the final moments at the launch pad. "On behalf of thousands of proud Americans who've been part of the journey, good luck, godspeed, see you back here on June 1."Įndeavour's commander Mark Kelly also shared some poignant words just prior to the launch. This was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles, wrapping up an illustrious spaceflight career."Looks like a great day to launch Endeavour for the final time," launch director Mike Leinbach told the crew as the minutes and seconds ticked down to liftoff. ![]() June 1, completing the STS-134 mission and marking the 24th nighttime landing in Space Shuttle Program history. Following a “go” for the deorbit burn from mission managers at Johnson Space Center in Houston and cooperating weather at Kennedy’s Shuttle Landing Facility, Endeavour made its final approach on the first opportunity.Įndeavour touched down on Runway 15 at 2:35 a.m. The payload bay doors were closed and the astronauts prepared for landing. May 29, the hatches between the space station and Endeavour closed for the last time as the shuttle’s crew members prepared for their return to Earth.Īfter a flyaround, Kelly took the controls for a test of the automated rendezvous and docking system called STORRM, which stands for Sensor Test for Orion Relative Navigation Risk Mitigation. The complex 16-day mission, dedicated to station assembly and maintenance, included four spacewalks and the installation of AMS, which already is sending data about cosmic particles to researchers on Earth.Īt 7:23 a.m. This was the first shuttle flight for Fincke, a veteran space flier, and Vittori, who is the last international astronaut to fly aboard a shuttle.Īfter a two-day race to catch up to the station, Endeavour docked and the hatches were opened uniting the Expedition 27 and shuttle crews. ![]() Johnson, Mission Specialists Mike Fincke, Drew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and Roberto Vittori with the European Space Agency rounded out the crew. Headed for the International Space Station, the agency’s youngest shuttle made its final flight delivering the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and critical supplies, including two communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank and additional parts for the Dextre robot. STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly and his crew of five blasted off Launch Pad 39A on space shuttle Endeavour from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, May 16, 2011, at 8:56 a.m.
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