The launch dates of space shuttle Endeavour and Discovery get pushed back due to "space traffic" and a delay in upgrades to parts destined for the International Space Station, NASA reports. – The last launch of NASAs storied space shuttle program has been pushed back to February 26, 2011 the space agency reported. Space shuttle Endeavour’s STS-134 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), which will deliver spare parts to the orbiting facility, will be the 36th mission to the sta…
Begun in February with the space shuttle Endeavour’s arrival, NASA scientists are studying the effects of microgravity on jatropha cells in hopes of accelerating the commercial use of biofuels. This is the first study to assess the effects of microgravity on cells of a biofuel plant.
– NASA scientists have launched a new experiment on the ISS
(International Space Station) in hopes of producing alternative energy
crops on Earth. Cell cultures of the jatropha curcas plant were sent to the space station in February in special flasks containing nutrients and vitamins.
The
cells …
The space shuttle Endeavour blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center Feb. 8 on one of NASA’s most anticipated missions to the International Space: the delivery of the Tranquility node, the final module of the U.S. portion of the space station. Tranquility will provide additional room for crew members and many of the space station’s life support and environmental control systems. Attached to the node is a cupola, which houses a robotic control station and has seven windows to provide a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecraft. eWEEK takes a look at NASAs latest mission. (All photos courtesy of NASA.)
– …
U.S. space shuttle Endeavour arrived back on Earth after a two-week mission to install the 16-ton Tranquility node and its attendant cupola on the International Space Station, which will give the facilitys crew more docking space for vehicles. The cupola includes windows for a sweeping view of Earth, the better for crew to manipulate a robotic arm used to help dock craft heading for the station. Endeavours was one of the few remaining missions before NASA plans on mothballing its shuttles by the end of the year.
– The shuttle Endeavour made a rare nighttime landing at
Kennedy
Space
Center Feb. 22, touching down at
10:20
pm EST. The vehicles six-member crew had successfully
completed a two-week mission to install the last major component of the
International Space Station, undocking from that orbital f…
Space shuttle Endeavour and its six crew members wrapped up a 14-day construction mission to the International Space Station on Sunday with a precision touchdown in Florida. Double-sonic booms rang through the balmy night as the spaceship dropped beneath the sound barrier for first
After successfully delivering and installing the 16-ton Tranquility node and its cupola, Endeavour undocks from the International Space Station and heads for a Feb. 21 return to the Kennedy Space Center.
– The space shuttle Endeavour and its six-member crew are expected to
return to Earth Feb. 21 after a successful 14-day mission in which
astronauts installed the last major component of the International
Space Station. Endeavour undocked from the ISS shortly before 8 p.m. EDT on Feb. 19.
Aft…
Spacewalkers Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken face their first major task of the 13-day mission to the International Space Station as they prepare to unload and begin the installation of the Tranquility node.
– The crew of the space shuttle Endeavour begins the first major portion of its
mission to the International Space Station Feb. 12 when astronauts Nicholas
Patrick and Robert Behnken will unload and prepare to install the Tranquility
mode, the last U.S.
portion of the ISS.
The new node will add…
Endeavour’s payload includes the Tranquility node — the last U.S. portion of the International Space Station — which will provide additional room for crew members and many of the space station’s life support and environmental control systems. Attached to Tranquility mode will be a a cupola, which houses a robotic control station and has seven windows to provide a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecraft.
– After inspecting their spacecraft for any launch damage, the crew of
the space shuttle Endeavour began Feb. 9 to prepare for an early Feb.
10 docking with the ISS (International Space Station. Once there, the
crew over three space walks will begin constructing the final U.S.
portion of the space…
Dynamic weather conditions at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida force NASA to order at least a 24-hour delay for the space shuttle Endeavour’s 11-day mission to the International Space Station.
– Last-minute weather concerns forced NASA to scratch the Feb. 7 predawn
launch of the space shuttle Endeavour. Less than an hour before the scheduled 4:39 a.m. EST blastoff, NASA was hopeful the
weather would clear, but the space agency finally ordered a stand-down at 4:31 a.m.
NASA now hopes a …
NASA officials gave a thumbs up Feb. 5 for the Feb. 7 launch of the space shuttle Endeavour, which is currently set for a 4:39 a.m. liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
– NASA officials gave a thumbs up Feb. 5 for the Feb. 7 launch of the space
shuttle Endeavour, which is currently set for a 4:39
a.m. liftoff from the Kennedy
Space Center
in Florida. As things currently
stand at NASA, the mission to the International Space Station is the first of
five last miss…
NASA is prepping what will be the last major component to be added to the International Space Station in February. The Tranquility node will provide additional room for crew members and come with an attached cupola offering views from six windows on the sides and one on top.
– NASA has officially taken possession of the Tranquility node, which will be
the last major component set to be added to the International Space Station. When
delivered to the ISS in February by the space shuttle Endeavour, the
pressurized node will provide additional room for crew members and man…
The space shuttle Endeavour recently completed a roundtrip 16-day, 6.5-million mile journey to the International Space Station. The primary purpose of the mission was to ferry and then install the Japanese Exposed Facility installation to the Kibo (which means peace in Japanese) laboratory module of the station. The Endeavour crew needed five spacewalks to install the outdoor platform and to perform other duties upgrading the station. The mission was the second longest in shuttle history and along the way the crews of both Endeavour and the International Space Station captured some spectacular images from space. eWEEK’s review of the NASA’s July mission.By Roy Mark
– …
Space shuttle Endeavour and its crew of seven astronauts ended a 16-day journey of more than 6.5 million miles on July 31, landing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
During the flight, Endeavour delivered the final piece of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory and a new crew member to the International Space Station [...]
Space shuttle Endeavor returned to earth on July 31 after succesfully completing a 16-day mission to the International Space Station for construction of Japan’s Kibo orbital laboratory. The $2.4 billion Kibo laboratory is a platform for telescopes and other science experiments. On board the shuttle for its landing at the Kennedy Space Center was Japan’s Koichi Wakata and six other astronauts. Wakata served as the space station’s flight engineer for 4 1/2 months in orbit.
– CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) Space
shuttle Endeavour and seven astronauts, including the first Japanese to
live on the International Space Station, landed in Florida on Friday,
capping a 16-day mission to complete construction of Japan’s orbital
laboratory.
Soaring over the Florida peninsu…
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven astronauts returned to Earth on Friday, completing a long but successful construction job that boosted the size and power of the international space station.
Endeavour glided through a slightly hazy sky and touched down on Kennedy Space Center’s landing strip. Its smooth and punctual late [...]
Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven-member crew are scheduled to return to Earth on Friday, July 31, after a 16-day mission.
There are two landing opportunities at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:48 a.m. and 12:23 p.m. EDT.
NASA will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy before permitting Endeavour and its crew to land.
If [...]
Having completed a major build-out phase at the International Space Station, Endeavour conducts a victory lap around the ISS before streaking toward Earth for a scheduled July 31 landing at Cape Canaveral.
– The Space Shuttle Endeavour successfully undocked from the International
Space Station July 28 and began the trek back to Earth. During the 11-day stay
at the ISS, the seven-person Endeavour crew combined with the six-person
permanent ISS crew to complete a major build-out at the station over fiv…
On their last full day at the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle Endeavour’s crew finishes the fifth and final spacewalk of the 16-day mission. The Endeavour is scheduled to depart the ISS July 28 and return to Earth July 31.
– Spacewalkers Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn completed their final mission
tasks July 27 as the Space Shuttle Endeavour prepares to leave the
International Space Station July 28 for a return trip to Earth. Cassidy and Marshburn’s
spacewalk was the fifth and final spacewalk of the 16-day mission t…
Astronauts from the Endeavour space shuttle are almost done replacing International Space Station batteries that store power collected by the ISS’ solar wings. As spacewalkers Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn toil on the 7.5-hour spacewalk, Russia launches a cargo ship to ISS.
– Construction on the International Space Station continued July 24 as the
Space Shuttle Endeavour crew engaged in a marathon 7.5-hour spacewalk to swap
out batteries for the ISS’ oldest set of solar arrays. The batteries store
power collected by the solar wings and cost $3.6 million each.
The 1…
The crew of space shuttle Endeavour has begun preparing to dock with the International Space Station (ISS).
Before docking, scheduled for 1755 GMT, the shuttle will perform a backflip, allowing the ISS team to photograph and inspect Endeavour’s heat shield.
When the two crews join together, there will be a record 13 astronauts on the orbiting outpost.
During their 11-day visit, the shuttle team will finish work on a Japanese research laboratory called Kibo.
Endeavour was finally launched successfully from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on Wednesday after five failed attempts.
The previous efforts to begin the 16-day mission were hampered by bad weather and fuel leaks.
The seven-strong crew on Thursday, their first full day in space, carried out a routine five-hour inspection of the craft’s thermal protection system using the shuttle’s robotic arm.
Mission experts back on Earth examined the data and gave the shuttle an initial all clear.
Officials for the US space agency said they were not overly concerned about some debris that was seen hitting the shuttle during launch.
"It didn’t hurt us apparently on this flight because because it came off so late," shuttle manager John Shannon is quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
A status report issued by Nasa on Thursday said: "The early review indicates only a few minor dings in some [thermal protection] tiles… due to some unexpected losses of small foam pieces from the external tank."
Shortly before the shuttle docks with the space station, the orbiter will perform a nine-minute backflip, known as a "Rendezvous Pitch Manoeuvre", allowing the ISS crew to take up to 300 photographs of the shuttle’s thermal protection system.
These images will be examined by engineers back at mission control to ensure there is no damage that could jeopardise the shuttle’s re-entry through the Earth’s atmosphere.
Once the backflip is completed, Commander Mark Polansky will gently guide Endeavour towards the ISS.
Although the shuttle will move towards the space station at about 3cm per second during the docking procedure, both spacecraft will be travelling at 28,160km/h (17,500mph), 350km (220 miles) above the Earth.
Finishing touches
During the mission, five spacewalks – each expected to last 6.5 hours – are scheduled to be completed.
The first, scheduled for Saturday, will add a platform to the Japanese laboratory complex, Kibo, which can be used for experiments that require materials to be exposed to the harsh environment of space.
The crew will also install new batteries to one of the solar arrays, which provide power to the space station, and perform other maintenance tasks.
In addition, Endeavour will deliver a new long-stay US crew member, Tim Kopra, to the ISS and bring back Japan’s Koichi Wakata, who has lived aboard the platform for more than three months.
The $100bn space station, now about the size of a four-bedroom house, has been under construction for more than a decade.
This is the 127th space shuttle flight, the 29th to the station, the 23rd for Endeavour and the third in 2009.
Seven further flights to the platform remain before the shuttles retire in 2010.</p
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