![]() ![]() Commander Dan Brandenstein and Pilot Kevin Chilton brought Endeavours’ record-setting maiden voyage to a perfect landing at Edwards AFB with the first deployment of a drag chute on a space shuttle mission. On a record-breaking spacewalk (the longest in history), the three astronauts took hold of the satellite and directed it to the shuttle where a booster motor was attached to launch it to its proper orbit. After a perfect rendezvous in orbit and numerous attempts to grab the satellite, spacewalking astronauts recovered the satellite on the third spacewalk with the support of the mission. Photo: Space Shuttle Endeavour concludes the planned 7-day mission extended by two days to allow extra time to rescue the Intelsat VI satellite and complete Space Station assembly techniques. The primary goal of the STS-49 mission was to retrieve an Intelsat VI satellite, Intelsat 603, which failed to leave Low Earth orbit two years before, attach it to a new upper stage, and relaunch it to its intended geosynchronous orbit. ![]() Akers (Mission Specialist 5, second spaceflight) Thornton (Mission Specialist 4, second spaceflight) Thuot (Mission Specialist 3, second spaceflight) Melnick (Mission Specialist 2, second and last spaceflight) Hieb (Mission Specialist 1, second spaceflight) Brandenstein (Commander, fourth and last spaceflight) It was the 49th space shuttle mission (STS-49). Space Shuttle Endeavour performs the first drag chute landingĮndeavour’s maiden voyage started with a successful launch on May 7, 1992. That’s why its name is spelled in the British English manner, “Endeavour”, rather than the American English (“Endeavor”). It is named after the HMS Endeavour, a British Royal Navy research vessel that took the British explorer Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) on his first voyage of discovery between 17. ![]() It completed 25 missions while carrying a total of 173 crew members aboard. It embarked on its first mission, STS-49, in May 1992 and its 25th and final mission, STS-134, in May 2011. Its Orbiter Vehicle Designation was OV-105. Space Shuttle EndeavourĮndeavour was the fifth and final operational Space Shuttle built. Today’s (May 16) story of what happened this day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration history. It was the first use of a drag chute for a Space Shuttle landing. Now the Hubble is sending back crisp, clear pictures from space.On May 16, 1992, Space Shuttle Endeavour completed its maiden voyage and landed safely on runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base in the California desert. In 1993, the Endeavour crews went out on multiple spacewalks to fix the problem, swapping out optics and other gear. Endeavour Saved The Hubble: When scientists realized the Hubble Space Telescope was taking blurry pictures, they turned to the Shuttle Endeavour for help. The recycling helped keep construction costs down to $1.7 billion.Ĥ. Built From Spare Parts: The Endeavour used a lot of left over parts from Discovery and Atlantis. Endeavour was named after a ship chartered to traverse the South Pacific in 1768 and captained by 18th century British explorer James Cook, an experienced seaman, navigator and amateur astronomer.ģ. The name had to be based on a historic oceangoing research or exploration vessel. From the Mouths of Babes: Children named the Endeavour in a contest staged by NASA. It was built to replace the Shuttle Challenger which was lost in 1986 in an accident just after launch that also killed seven astronauts.Ģ. It's The Baby of the Family: The Shuttle Endeavour is the fifth and youngest of the shuttle fleet.
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