![]() ![]() 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. “That’s really our mission.Congress authorized the construction of Endeavour - NASA's fifth spacegoing shuttle - in 1987, and the orbiter first blasted off in 1992. “If we can get people emotionally engaged, then you can inspire them,” he said. Like Reisman, Rudolph is hoping that emotional connection to space will inspire a new generation of scientists and astronauts. Rudolph described witnessing people get emotional as they realize how massive shuttles are in person. Once the entire display is ready to be unveiled, the Space Shuttle Endeavour – which has only been viewed horizontally at the science center since its arrival 11 years ago – will be the only shuttle in the world to be displayed vertically. In addition to moving one rocket motor into position on Tuesday, a second motor is scheduled to be lifted and positioned into place next to the first one on Wednesday. The president and CEO of California Science Center said it’s been a more than three-decade dream to get a vertical space shuttle display to L.A.īesides figuring out the logistics that go into carrying out such a gargantuan feat, science center staff have had to raise hundreds of millions of dollars to finance the building that will house the Endeavour. That sense of awe from students is music to Jeffrey Rudolph’s ears. ![]() last month, during their epic trip from the Mojave Air and Space Port north of Lancaster to their new home within Exposition Park. The motors, Robeny said, were “as big as a whale.” He recalled watching a pair of rocket motors travel down the streets of South L.A. Robeny, his parents said, has been learning about the solar system and reeling off facts about space that even his parents didn’t know. Robeny was supposed to be in his kindergarten classroom, like most weekdays, but on this day he stayed outside with his parents, Ariana and Walter Giron, and two younger brothers, as the family waited to see if the rocket motor would soon be moved. Perhaps that kid might be 5-year-old Robeny Giron. Among the millions of children who will visit the exhibit, he said, there could be “a kid that sees it and decides that they want to grow up and become an astronaut.” ![]()
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