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Space Shuttle Endeavour
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
First flight: STS-49 May 7, 1992 - May 16, 1992
Last flight: STS-123 March 11, 2008 - March 26, 2008 1 Current status
Current status
Endeavour is currently on the ground, having completed a 16 day mission to the
International Space Station. Launch from Kennedy Space Center took place on 2008-03-11, at 2:28:14 a.m. EDT (06:28 GMT) On board; seven astronauts, four of them being rookies.[2]
History
The United States Congress authorized the construction of Endeavour in 1987 to replace
Challenger, which was lost in an accident in 1986. Structural spares from the construction of Discovery and Atlantis, two of the three remaining operating shuttles at the time, were used
in its assembly. The decision to build Endeavour was favored over refitting Enterprise on
cost grounds.
Endeavour mounted on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.Endeavour was named through a national
competition involving students in elementary and secondary schools. Tallulah Falls School in
Tallulah Falls, Georgia, was the winner of the secondary school competition. The orbiter is
named after HM Bark Endeavour, the ship commanded by 18th century explorer James Cook; the
name also honored Endeavour, the Command Module of Apollo 15. This is why the name is spelled in the British English manner, rather than the American English spelling of "Endeavor." This
has caused confusion, most notably when NASA themselves misspelled a sign on the launch pad in 2007.[3]
Endeavour was delivered by Rockwell International in May 1991 and first launched a year later, in May 1992, on STS-49. Rockwell International claimed that it had made no profit on Space Shuttle Endeavour, despite it costing $2.2 billion USD. On its first mission, it captured and redeployed the stranded INTELSAT VI communications satellite.
In 1993, it made the first service mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. Endeavour was withdrawn from service for eight months in 1997 for a retrofit, including installation of a new airlock. In December 1998, it delivered the Unity Module to the International Space Station.
Endeavour completed its latest Orbiter Major Modification period, which began in December 2003, and ended on Thursday, October 6, 2005. During this time, the Orbiter received major hardware upgrades, including a new, multi-functional, electronic display system, often referred to as glass cockpit, and an advanced GPS receiver, along with safety upgrades recommended by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) for Shuttle return to flight after the disintegration of sister-ship Columbia during re-entry on February 1, 2003.
The STS-118 mission, the first for Endeavour following a lengthy refit, included astronaut Barbara Morgan, formerly assigned to the Educator Astronaut program, but now a full member of the Astronaut Corps, as part of the crew. Morgan was the backup for Christa McAuliffe on the ill-fated STS-51-L mission.
[edit] Upgrades and features
Endeavour Launch Pad 39-B before the launch of STS-97Endeavour features new hardware designed to improve and expand orbiter capabilities. Most of this equipment was later incorporated into the other two orbiters during out-of-service major inspection and modification programs. Endeavour's upgrades include:
A 40-foot (12 m) diameter drag chute that is expected to reduce the orbiter's rollout distance by 1,000 to 2,000 feet (300 to 600 m).
The plumbing and electrical connections needed for Extended Duration Orbiter (EDO) modifications to allow up to 28-day missions (although a 28-day mission has never yet been attempted; the current record is 17 days, which was set by Columbia).
Updated avionics systems that include advanced general purpose computers, improved inertial measurement units and tactical air navigation systems, enhanced master events controllers and multiplexer-demultiplexers, a solid-state star tracker and improved nose wheel steering mechanisms.
An improved version of the Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) that provide power to operate the Shuttle's hydraulic systems.
エンデバー (オービタ)
出典: フリー百科事典『ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』
エンデバー (Endeavour, OV-105) はスペースシャトルのオービタ。
チャレンジャーの事故を受けて「エンタープライズを改修するよりも安い」との判断の元、ストックされていたスペアパーツから新たに製造された機体である。 初飛行は1992年5月7日の STS-49。2007年8月末時点で20回の飛行を行っている。
“エンデバー” (Endeavour) の名前は、キャプテン・クックの南太平洋探検の第一回航海の帆船エンデバー号に由来している。意味は「努力」。なお endeavour は英英語式のつづりで、米英語式のつづりでは endeavor となるが、本船は固有名詞であるクックの船名に由来するので英英語式になっている。
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