This vehicle is a wonderful machine and it’s an honor and a privilege for each one of us to be a part of her final flight.”Įndeavour has been promised to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. She’s performed absolutely magnificently. I fell in love with this vehicle the first time I got to fly, three years ago on STS-123. “It’s very bittersweet,” pilot Johnson said in an in-flight interview. Now that Endeavour is on the ground again, the shuttle will begin the next, Earth-bound, phase of its career: being prepared for public display at a museum.įour institutions across the country were selected by NASA to display Discovery, Atlantis, Endeavour and the test vehicle Enterprise, following the retirement of the agency’s shuttle program.
segment, the Unity node, in December 1998.Įndeavour went on to haul up crucial segments of the station, including sections of the backbone-like truss, solar arrays, the Tranquility module, Cupola observatory and most recently the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. The shuttle delivered and attached the station’s first U.S. NASA’s space shuttles have played instrumental roles in the construction of the space station, and Endeavour made 12 visits to the orbiting complex in 25 flights. On its last trip into space, the orbiter tacked more than 9 million kilometers onto its odometer, bringing the shuttle’s total distance traveled to more than 196 million kilometers. The fourth and final outing marked what is expected to be the final spacewalk ever taken by members of a shuttle crew. The crew performed four spacewalks to make upgrades to the station. “We’re looking forward to hearing what those discoveries are.” “We got the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer installed, which is a remarkable thing for physics and for science,” Kelly said before Endeavour undocked from the space station. The particle-physics detector will measure high-energy cosmic rays and search for signs of antimatter and mysterious dark matter in the universe. Johnson and mission specialists Greg Chamitoff, Mike Fincke, Andrew Feustel and Roberto Vittori delivered and installed the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the exterior of the station’s starboard truss. “As we begin the transition from the shuttle program to the commercial transportation of our crews and cargo, our ability to tackle big challenges remains steadfast and will ensure that NASA reaches even more destinations farther in the solar system.” “We are very proud of Endeavour’s legacy, and this penultimate flight of the space shuttle program once again demonstrated the amazing skill and dedication of our astronauts and the entire workforce,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement after the shuttle landed. The orbiter spent 11 days, 17 hours and 41 minutes parked at the orbiting outpost.
It was NASA’s second-to-last shuttle mission with only the final voyage of Atlantis remaining before NASA shuts down its space shuttle program after 30 years of service.Įndeavour launched on its 25th and final mission May 16 to deliver a $2 billion astrophysics experiment, called the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, and extra supplies to the international space station. The landing marked the end of NASA’s 134th shuttle mission since flights began in 1981. “It’s sad to see her land for the last time, but she really has a great legacy.” “On behalf of my entire crew, I want to thank every person who’s worked to get this mission going and every person who’s worked on Endeavour,” he said. “Thank you, Houston,” replied Endeavour commander Mark Kelly, adding that the shuttle is “really an incredible ship.” “Welcome home, Endeavour,” Mission Control radioed the shuttle crew after landing. After traveling 196 million kilometers during the course of 25 missions, Endeavour’s wheels rolled to a stop for the final time on Runway 15 at the Florida spaceport’s Shuttle Landing Facility. EDT, wrapping up a demanding 16-day mission to the international space station. In the dark, early morning hours, NASA’s Space Shuttle Endeavour landed for the final time June 1, ending its last space mission and returning to Earth for good.Įndeavour, the youngest shuttle in NASA’s orbiter fleet, touched down here at Kennedy Space Center at 2:34 a.m.