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[Credit: NASA, Bill Ingalls] Explanation: Space shuttle Endeavour is home to stay. In a rare night landing last week, Endeavour glided onto a runway in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA completing a 16-day mission that included a visit to the International Space Station (ISS). All told, space shuttle Endeavour flew 25 flights since being deployed by NASA in 1992, spending a total of 299 days in space. Endeavour's next mission will be a stationary one in the California Science Center. Even as Endeavour was landing, the space shuttle Atlantis was being rolled out in preparation for the last mission of any...

[Credit: ISS Expedition 28, STS-134, NASA] Explanation: This luminous night view of the space shuttle orbiter Endeavour, docked with the International Space Station for a final time, was captured on May 28. Orbiting 350 kilometers above planet Earth, Endeavour's payload bay is lit up as it hurtles through Earth's shadow at 27,000 miles per hour. At the top of the frame, the jointed appendages of the station's robotic manipulator arm Dextre appear in silhouette. Motion during the long exposure produced streaks in the starry background and the city lights on the darkened planet below. Completing a 16 day mission, Endeavour...

Deorbit burn scheduled for 1:29am (weather permitting). Landing at Kennedy Space Center scheduled for 2:35am.

[Credit: NASA] Explanation: Explanation: Two days ago, powerful yet controlled explosions rocketed the Space Shuttle Endeavour on its final trip into Earth orbit. The above image was taken seconds after liftoff as the massive orbiter and six astronauts began a climb to a height where the atmosphere is so thin it is unbreathable. The shuttle, on mission STS-134, is expected to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) today. The Endeavour will deliver to the ISS, among other things, an ambitious detector called the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 2 (AMS), a detector that over the next few years could detect a...

In 2007, a little known creature called a tardigrade became the first animal to survive exposure to space. It prevailed over sub-zero temperatures, unrelenting solar winds and an oxygen-deprived space vacuum. On Monday, this microscopic cosmonaut has once again hitched a ride into space on the Nasa shuttle Endeavour. Its mission: to help scientists understand more about how this so-called "hardiest animal on Earth" can survive for short periods off it. Tardigrades join other microscopic organisms selected to be part of a project into extreme survival. Shuttle Endeavour Endeavour climbs into the sky on Monday Project Biokis is sponsored by...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Representative Gabrielle Giffords arrived in Florida for the this morning’s planned launch of the space shuttle Endeavour that will be commanded by her husband, Mark Kelly. A posting on the congresswoman’s Facebook page said she flew in on a NASA jet yesterday afternoon and got a quick fly-by of Endeavour at the pad. The Democrat from Arizona arrived with the family of Endeavour pilot Gregory Johnson. The shuttle was being fueled last night, and the weather looks good for Endeavour’s 8:56 a.m. launch. An April launch try was delayed because of electrical problems. Giffords suffered a...

President Obama plans to bring his family to the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour on April 29 to see Rep. Gabrielle Giffords's husband lead six astronauts into space. Giffords wrote on Twitter: "We are very happy that Pres. Obama is coming to Mark's launch! This historic mission will be Endeavour's final flight." The Orlando Sentinel reports that Obama decided to attend for a few reasons, one of which was that he was going to be in the state already to speak at Miami Dade College's

I am not sure who would be interested in viewing these pictures but I had the tremendous honor of being escorted by a friend who works at Kennedy Space Center in late February as a mission specialist around Endeavor, the tower, the waiting room, the walk out ramp, and a number of other area's of KSC. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity that will never happen again with the shuttles being retired. I am just getting around to loading up some of the photos and wanted to share them here. Enjoy!

NASA's space shuttle orbiters may not be destined for a museum in five months, after all. Agency officials are conducting a "what-if budget exercise" that could keep the orbiters potentially flight-worthy for several more years, NASA says. The option may offer a tantalizing alternative to the space shuttle workforce, who now must find new jobs before mid-year. Currently, NASA plans to retire all three orbiters - including Discovery after a scheduled flight in February, Endeavour after a planned trip in April and finally Atlantis after it returns from a scheduled launch in June. Meanwhile, NASA has asked the space industry...

The astronaut husband of wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has made his choice. He's headed to space in April. An official close to the space shuttle program confirmed Friday morning that astronaut Mark Kelly will be aboard Endeavour for its final flight. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the information has not yet been made public. Kelly is holding a news conference at Johnson Space Center in Houston on Friday afternoon. ...Kelly, 46, spent the past month debating whether to step down as commander of Endeavour's two-week mission. As he agonized over the decision, NASA named a backup commander,...

Workers started assembling twin solid rocket boosters this week to help power Endeavour toward orbit in February on the final scheduled launch of the space shuttle program. A heavy-lifting crane hoisted the aft segment of the shuttle's left solid rocket booster Monday and moved the motor atop a mobile launcher platform. The boosters for Endeavour's STS-134 mission are being stacked inside High Bay 1 of the Kennedy Space Center's cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building. Crews repeated the procedure Tuesday and lifted the right booster's aft segment from the VAB's transfer aisle into High Bay 1. It will take about three weeks...

The two final US space shuttle missions before the shuttle program is phased out will likely be postponed, a NASA spokesperson told AFP on Friday. "It's not official yet but it's very likely," said Allard Beutel, media services chief at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "The decision will be officially announced July 1st," he said. The US space shuttles are being retired after President Barack Obama opted not to fund a successor program, deciding instead to encourage private spacecraft development. The final two shuttle missions are both to the orbiting International Space Station (ISS). The shuttle Discovery's flight to...

Well it was a good mission... I'm going to miss those old birds...

Obama's Call to Endeavour Astronauts Gets Awkward Traci Watson Contributor (Feb. 18) -- Astronauts flying in space are used to VIP phone calls that don't always go as scripted, but Wednesday's conversation was probably one of the most awkward. President Barack Obama used his chat with the crews of the space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station to declare that he sees space exploration as "so important." "My commitment to NASA is unwavering," Obama said. He emphasized "how proud we are of you ... and how committed we are to continuing human space exploration in the future." A few...

1. 6048x4030 pixels, 4000x2665 pixels, 3024x2015 pixels, 2000x1332 pixels 2. 6048x4030 pixels, 4000x2665 pixels, 3024x2015 pixels, 2000x1332 pixels 3. 6048x4030 pixels, 4000x2665 pixels, 3024x2015 pixels, 2000x1332 pixels 4. 6048x4030 pixels, 4000x2665 pixels, 3024x2015 pixels, 2000x1332 pixels NASA Explains Earth's Colorful Horizon"The orange layer is the troposphere where all of the weather and clouds which we typically watch and experience are generated and contained. This orange layer gives way to the whitish stratosphere and then into the mesosphere. In some frames the black color is part of a window frame rather than the blackness of space." The PhotographerAn Expedition 22...

This is the live thread of the Space Shuttle Endeavour..

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The bathroom lines just got a lot longer at the linked space shuttle and space station. One of the two toilets on the international space station malfunctioned Sunday morning. The pump separator apparently flooded. Mission Control advised the astronauts to hang an "out of service" sign on the toilet, until it can be fixed. In the meantime, the six space station residents will have to get in line to use their one good toilet. And Endeavour's seven astronauts will be restricted to the shuttle bathroom. There have never been so many people — 13 — together...

Since we have this great clear summer weather at night, this is a great chance to get out and see the docked International Space Station and Shuttle as they fly overhead. NASA has set up a website to help track these viewing opportunities and there is an "applet" to download to help you track the overhead time according to your Zip Code. http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/SSapplications/Post/JavaSSOP/JavaSSOP.html

The shuttle Endeavour has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS). Before docking, the shuttle performed a backflip, allowing the ISS team to photograph Endeavour's heat shield to see if it has suffered launch damage. When the two crews join together shortly 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — As the space shuttle Endeavour lifted off into orbit Monday evening, several pieces of debris fell off the external fuel tank and at least one hit the orbiter.

Shuttle Endeavour has been plagued by storms and not able to the launch the last couple of attempts but what will the weather be like for Wednesday's planned launch? Also how are the tropics looking today and when will it cool down in the Plains and southern U.S? These questions are answered in today's weather video briefing. Please take a look.

The launch of US shuttle Endeavour is to be further delayed after a thunderstorm around Cape Canaveral, Nasa officials say. Blast-off has been postponed for 24 hours to allow technical teams to assess the effects of lightning strikes near the launch pad on Friday. Two previous launch attempts in June were scrapped because of a potentially hazardous leak in a hydrogen vent line. The craft is to take and install a last piece of Japan's space station lab. Lift-off had been scheduled for 1939 local time (2339 GMT). But on Friday evening, the area surrounding the launch pad was hit...

Launch countdown operations are continuing on schedule today at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The countdown to space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 launch began on time July 8 at 10 p.m. EDT.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- Racing against the clock, NASA began fueling shuttle Endeavour for a Wednesday launch to the international space station after thunderstorms caused a three-hour delay. The fueling finally got under way late Tuesday, just when it should have been ending. NASA acknowledged it would be tight to meet the 5:40 a.m. liftoff time. But launch controllers spent the long weather delay figuring out ways to save time during the remainder of the countdown, and mission managers felt they had a good shot at getting Endeavour flying. "We're not going to shortcut anything," said Mike Leinbach, assistant...

This is the live thread for the Space Shuttle Endeavour Landing (despite the missing tools in space). It was a good mission, however, I do have mix feelings about drinking urine..

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Endeavour pulled up to the international space station and docked Wednesday, kicking off almost two weeks of demanding construction work. Before the late-night linkup, Endeavour's commander, Dominic Gorie, guided the shuttle through a 360-degree backflip to allow for full photographic surveillance. It's one of the many safety-related procedures put in place following the Columbia tragedy in 2003. The space station crew used cameras with high-powered zoom lenses to photograph Endeavour from nose to tail, especially all the thermal tiles on its belly. The pictures — as many as 300 — will be scrutinized by...

This is the official thread for the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour.. During the launch I'm going to be in bed sleeping since I have to go to work the next day..

The crew of the shuttle Endeavour strapped in today at pad 39A for a dress-rehearsal countdown that sets the stage for launch March 11 on a 16-day space station assembly mission featuring five spacewalks, installation of a Japanese logistics module and assembly of a complex hand-like attachment for the lab's robot arm. Shuttle commander Dominic Gorie, pilot Gregory Johnson, flight engineer Michael Foreman, Richard Linnehan, Robert Behnken, Japanese astronaut Takao Doi and space station flight engineer Garrett Reisman boarded Endeavour early today and worked through the final hours of a terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, that ended with the...

This is will be the official Space Shuttle Endeavour Landing Thread.

The space shuttle Endeavour left the International Space Station (ISS) a day ahead of schedule and has started its journey home to get the jump on what looks to be a diminishing threat from Hurricane Dean. The spaceship, which launched on August 8, is set to land at Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Tuesday (US time), a day earlier than planned. NASA had ordered the early return on fears Dean could turn toward the Texas coast and Johnson Space Centre, home of Mission Control, in Houston. But forecasters say the storm is instead on a collision course with Mexico....

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA on Saturday ordered space shuttle Endeavour back to Earth a day early out of fear that Hurricane Dean might disrupt flight operations. The shuttle is now scheduled to depart from the international space station on Sunday, and landing is set for Tuesday. The astronauts had hurriedly completed a shortened spacewalk Saturday and were still cleaning up from it when the decision came down from mission managers. The two crews shook hands and said goodbye, then closed the hatches between their docked spacecraft. NASA worried the hurricane might veer toward Houston, the home of Mission Control,...

CAPE CANAVERAL, United States (AFP) - Space shuttle Endeavour linked up with the International Space Station on Friday, bringing the first teacher in space and a new truss segment to expand the orbiting laboratory. Borrowing a navy tradition, a bell rang inside the ISS to welcome the shuttle after it docked with the outpost at 1802 GMT some 341 kilometers (212 miles) above the South Pacific, NASA television images showed. The astronauts will enter the ISS after leak and pressure checks between the two spacecraft, NASA said. Before docking, shuttle commander Scott Kelly made a tricky maneuver to make Endeavour...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - When Endeavour lifts off, former schoolteacher Barbara Morgan will be seated on the lower deck in the middle, exactly where Christa McAuliffe sat 21 years ago. And she'll be flying aboard Endeavour, the space shuttle that was built to replace the Challenger. Morgan, who was McAuliffe's backup, is used to all the comparisons. In fact, she welcomes them. "I think the great thing about it is that people will be thinking about Challenger and thinking about all the hard work lots of folks over many years have done to continue their mission," Morgan said last month....

This is the live launch thread for the Space Shuttle Endeavour. If you can't see it live on tv go to www.nasa.gov Ad Astra!

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A computer sabotaged by a disgruntled worker for a NASA supplier has been repaired and loaded aboard the space shuttle Endeavour for a Wednesday liftoff. A top NASA manager said Monday it was apparently an isolated event and that there was no reason to believe anyone had tampered with anything else on the spacecraft. "We have found no other areas of concern," space shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said. "We have thoroughly reviewed all the parts made by that contractor and gone back through our records to make sure that all the orbiter systems on board...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA began the countdown Sunday night for the launch of Endeavour after completing one final test to make sure the space shuttle's crew cabin was airtight. "The team is ready. Endeavour is ready," said NASA test director Stephen Payne. Last week, NASA replaced a leaky valve in Endeavour's cabin with one taken from the shuttle Atlantis. Engineers discovered that air had been escaping from the removed valve because of a small piece of debris on its seal, Payne said. The valve itself turned out to be fine. Because of the extra work to replace and test...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A week before Endeavour's planned liftoff, NASA was analyzing a cabin leak in the space shuttle Tuesday. The leak was detected over the weekend. NASA thought it fixed the problem by tightening a loose bolt, but testing Monday night confirmed air was still escaping from the crew cabin, said NASA spokeswoman Tracy Young. Engineers have yet to pinpoint the leak, which could require so much work that NASA might not be able to launch Endeavour on Aug. 7. NASA's planned launch of the Mars lander Phoenix later this week could also interfere with Endeavour's flight. The...

The first NASA sign at launch pad 39A encouraging the next launch of space shuttle Endeavour at Kennedy Space Center was misspelled and noticed by someone looking at the craft. When the shuttle rolled out from the Vehicle Assembly Building Wednesday, a giant "Go Endeavour" sign was put on a fence in front of the craft. However, one item was missing from the sign: the "u" in Endeavour. Someone spotted the mistake and called KSC to fix it, WKMG-TV reported. NASA scrambled someone out to pad 39A with a new sign that has orbiter Endeavour's name spelled correctly. A photo...

GOTTA SEE THIS - War for Enduring Freedom 12/7/02 - Endeavour, Soyuz, International Space Station, Kourou, Kabul BREAKING: From Cape Canaveral, Florida, women and Native American soar BREAKING: Endeavour, International Space Station, heroes everywhere. BREAKING: Kourou, French Guyana ========= International Space Station ========= Space shuttle Endeavour, and tracked from campfire onMerritt Island, Florida, November 23, 2002, launched with a crew of seven for crew exchange and a construction mission at the International Space Station. Space Shuttle Endeavour over New Zealand on approach to the International Space Station. The International space station is visble in the cross hairs of space shuttle...

            The information contained in this report is a compilation of the last 24 hours of new updates. Older items are removed daily during the mission. Time Posted News Item 12/6/2002 8:5:22 Flight controllers are once again closely watching weather conditions at the Kennedy Space Center. Endeavour and its seven-member crew is slated for a Florida landing today, weather permitting. There are two landing opportunities in Florida today. The first begins with a deorbit firing of Endeavour’s engines at 11:51 a.m. resulting in a 12:57 p.m. Central Time landing. If weather does not permit a...