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Space Shuttle Endeavour
Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-105) is the fifth and most recent NASA space shuttle to be built.
Construction of Endeavour began in 1987 to replace Challenger, which was lost in an accident in 1986. Structural spares from the construction of shuttles Discovery and Atlantis were used in its assembly.
Endeavour was first launched in 1992 and on its first mission captured and redeployed a stranded 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 Endeavour was withdrawn from service for eight months in 1997 for a retrofit, including installation of a new airlock.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.
The orbiter is named after the HM Bark Endeavour, the ship commanded by 18th century explorer James Cook (which explains the British spelling); the name also honoured Endeavor, the Command Module of Apollo 15.
Flights
Space Shuttle Endeavour has flown 19 flights, spent 206.60-days in space, completed 3,259 orbits, and flown 85,072,077 miles in total, as of February 2003.
| Date | Designation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 May 7 | STS-49 | Capture and redeploy Intelsat VI |
| 1992 September 12 | STS-47 | Spacelab mission J |
| 1993 January 13 | STS-54 | Deploy TDRS-F |
| 1993 June 21 | STS-57 | Spacelab experiments. Retrieve European Retrievable Carrier |
| 1993 December 2 | STS-61 | First Hubble Space Telescope service mission |
| 1994 April 9 | STS-59 | Space Radar Laboratory experiments |
| 1994 September 30 | STS-68 | Space Radar Laboratory experiments |
| 1995 March 30 | STS-67 | Spacelab Astro-2 experiments |
| 1995 September 7 | STS-69 | Wake Shield Facility and other experiments |
| 1996 January 11 | STS-72 | Retrieve Japanese Space Flyer Unit |
| 1996 May 19 | STS-77 | Spacelab experiments |
| 1998 January 22 | STS-89 | Rendezvous with Mir space station and astronaut exchange |
| 1998 December 4 | STS-88 | International Space Station assembly mission |
| 2000 February 11 | STS-99 | Shuttle Radar Topography Mission experiments |
| 2000 November 30 | STS-97 | International Space Station assembly mission |
| 2001 April 19 | STS-100 | International Space Station assembly mission |
| 2001 December 5 | STS-108 | International Space Station rendezvous and astronaut exchange |
| 2002 June 5 | STS-111 | International Space Station rendezvous and astronaut exchange |
| 2002 November 23 | STS-113 | International Space Station assembly mission and astronaut exchange |
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