Endeavour space shuttle booking
NASA has one final shuttle mission planned before its 30-year space shuttle program is retired for good. On its last trip into space, the orbiter tacked more than 6 million miles onto its odometer, bringing the shuttle's total distance travelled to over 122 million miles. The fourth and final outing marked 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. The six member crew for space shuttle Endeavour's final mission poses for an STS-134 in-flight crew portrait in the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo lab on the International Space Station on May 26, 2011.
"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," Bolden said in a statement after the shuttle landed.
The orbiter spent 11 days, 17 hours and 41 minutes parked at the orbiting outpost. (Image credit: NASA TV)Įndeavour launched on its 25th and final mission on May 16 to deliver a $2 billion astrophysics experiment, called the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, and extra supplies to the International Space Station. The space shuttle Endeavour on the landing strip at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after the orbiter's 25th and final landing.