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Columbia suffered a fatal accident in 2003 and was never replaced.
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Atlantis, which flew the final shuttle mission in July, 2011, is set to go on display at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It is one of three surviving shuttles to be sent to a museum in the US.ĭiscovery, NASA's oldest shuttle, is on display at the Smithsonian Institute outside Washington. Space shuttle Endeavour, atop its Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, takes off on NASAs last-ever ferry flight from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. Endeavour was built in California as a replacement for the Challenger, which blew up shortly after launch in 1986, killing all seven astronauts on board.Įndeavour went on to fly 25 missions during 18 years of service, logging nearly 123 million miles (198 million km) in flight during 4,671 orbits. NASA ended its space shuttle program last year after three decades of operation. "It's really a testament to American ingenuity." "It was pretty spectacular … The people of Tucson got an incredible view of this remarkable machine," Kelly told CNN. Her husband, Mark Kelly, is a retired astronaut who commanded the Endeavour's final mission. Crowds cheered at Endeavour's three low-altitude passes, each closer than the previous.īefore reaching the west coast, the shuttle passed by Tucson, Arizona to honor former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who survived a shooting last year. Tens of thousands of onlookers packed into the Los Angeles' Griffin Park Observatory and the surrounding area in the Hollywood Hills to see the 75-ton spacecraft's final moments in the air. The space shuttle began its journey Wednesday in Cape Canaveral, Florida. HOUSTON Six astronauts are almost ready to fly NASAs space shuttle Endeavour on one last mission a space voyage slated to blast off on April 19. Its scheduled departure was postponed by around an hour due to fog over the San Francisco Bay area, but it landed safely at Los Angeles international airport several hours later. It flew over a series of Californian landmarks that included Disneyland and San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge as well as the state capital of Sacramento. To keep up with Endeavour’s cross-country journey, log on to for the latest updates.The space shuttle Endeavour departed Edwards Air Force base early Friday morning, piggybacked on top of a 747 jumbo jet. Endeavour’s final destination is the California Science Center in Los Angeles, where it will be on display to inspire future generations with the storied history of the space shuttle era.įirst Flight Launch Weight: 256,597 poundsĪs Endeavour makes its way across the country, our friends at NASA encourage people who spot it to use the Twitter hashtags #SpotTheShuttle and #OV105 (Endeavour’s official orbiter designation). The STS-134 mission is shuttle Endeavour’s final scheduled flight. EDT on Friday, April 29, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. When a space shuttle is mounted above a 747, the NASA term for it is a “ferry flight,” which is quite appropriate since Magic Kingdom Park is a place where fairies fly.Ĭonducted in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration Endeavour’s cross-country journey is the final ferry flight of the Space Shuttle Program. Space shuttle Commander Mark Kelly and his five crewmates are scheduled to begin a 14-day mission to the International Space Station with a launch at 3:47 p.m. As part of its flight path, Endeavour soared over Magic Kingdom Park and could be seen from various points across property. EmbedVideo(572, 482, 304) Space shuttle Endeavour, NASAs youngest orbiter, blasted off into space for the final time at 8:56 am ET today, marking the next-to-last scheduled launch of the 30-year. The historic flight took place in the early morning hours and was a space-explorer surprise for early-rising guests across Walt Disney World Resort. In a place where fairies fly, Space Shuttle Endeavour made a “ferry flight” today, mounted atop a NASA-modified 747 airliner.