1:00 PM
Astronomy Pirate
Space Shuttle Endeavour successfully lifted off into space this morning from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is the shuttle's final mission (STS-134), led by mission commander Mark Kelly. The crew will be delivering the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the International Space Station, among other science projects and spare parts.
You can watch the launch below (I attempted to embed the code from NASA's website, if it doesn't work, watch it here):
After nearly a month long delay due to a heater malfunction, the launch went flawlessly. Endeavour is the youngest of the shuttles, built to replace the Challenger, which was tragically lost in a 1986 launch accident. Endeavour saw it's first flight in 1992, almost exactly 19 years ago. After almost two decades of service, the heater malfunction shows Endeavour age and the need for replacements. The other shuttles have been in service for over 30 years.
After Endeavour's final 16-day mission is complete, the shuttle will be cleaned and prepared for public display at the California Science Center, a museum in Los Angeles. The final planned shuttle mission will be STS-135, the final voyage of Atlantis, scheduled for mid-July.
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34 comments:
I can never understand why rockets terrify me so much... >.<
how I would love to go into space. If I become a Billion dollar man I'm so going ! Also, is'nt NASA out of contract , or something? they are no longer in business?
I hope to witness this in person, I'll be listening to Space Oddity while it lifts off haha
The Shuttle is a beautiful design. I would love to go up in one.
YAY!!
so long
Great news. Good luck to the Endeavor on its final mission.
wow another space mission
I can not believe that we don't have a replacement in production yet.. it is embarrassing as an American.
sniffles and salutes*
There's something utterly inspiring about seeing something so large thrown into space.
Goodbye Endeavour
It's kind of sad
thannks for the update
A fitting ending for a trusty shuttle
The shuttle was really a great invention. I hope the space program will continue somehow. Space is the future, still!
I live here in FL and seen it in the air while going to work.
People think the future means the end of history, well, we haven't run out of history just yet.
This is great!
Yey!
and Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer? C'mon, that sounds so fake. ;)
thats awesome!!!
I saw the whole thing live this morning. It was pretty cool.
Glad to see the last launch went well!
This is the second to last one ever, right? So sad.
So long to this great achievement in engineering and discovering.
Does NASA have anything to replace the shuttles?
Good to see they finally launched. Its a little sad knowing that the era is coming to an end.
Wheyyy, 1 small step for man... :P
@Atley, NASA is still in business. NASA is still doing thousands of other science missions. Despite the temporary loss of a manned space mission, they still have lots of work to do exploring the solar system. This year Dawn will encounter the asteroid Vesta, one of the largest events of the year. Mercury is currently being scanned in the highest resolution yet, Mars rovers continue to function, a mission to Jupiter (Juno) is on its way to the launch pad, and the New Horizon's probe is at Pluto's door step (it will be there in 2015). At the same time the successor to Hubble is being manufactured, the James Webb telescope. NASA still has lots and lots of work to do.
@Jay, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, while silly sounding, is a unique $2 billion instrument that will study cosmic rays, dark matter, and anti matter. 'Alpha Magnetic' is just a literal description of how it studies particles, to most who have had physics, the name almost explains itself.
@m.m, Yep, second to last. The penultimate.
@Buck... No Siree Buckaroo (sorry, just wanted to say that.) NASA plans to rely on Russia until SpaceX gets itself solidified. NASA will still develop replacements, but I strongly feel that companies like SpaceX are the future.
Thats so awesome!!
wow, that's awesome
It's hard to believe that this era of manned exploration is coming to an end.
I don't often throw out the word majestic, but that video, that shuttle more specifically, was exactly that.
too bad we will only see one more of these launches
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