When was endeavour first launch

On Endeavour 's first launch attempt, one of the two heaters for APU-1's fuel line did not work. Engineers confirmed the circuit in the original switchbox that directed power to the heaters had shorted out. Newsletter Signup. Email Address. First name. Last name. Plus receive exclusive offers and discounts! Youth Programs Get notified about registration and important dates for camps and other youth programs a few times a year. Educator Info Learn about opportunities for educators of the California Science Center a few times a year.

Jemison received her doctorate in medicine from Cornell University in She worked as a general practitioner then spent several years with the Peace Corps. Endeavour was her only space voyage. Endeavor's mission last more than 7 days. It traveled 3. The crew of the space shuttle Endeavour share a laugh during the press conference, Sept. AP Photo AP. Space Shuttle Endeavour was retired in after 25 missions.

The center describes the move on its website:. After arrival, Endeavour honored many California landmarks as it flew over the State from Sacramento to Southern California while onlookers marveled at the sight all along the way.

NASA says it was one of the most challenging spacewalks in the history of the space program. The shuttle program is best remembered for launching satellites, visiting Mir and building the International Space Station.

However, there were thousands upon thousands of hours of science performed during the program. Endeavour's crews took part in a lot of that. In , Endeavour flew a pair of Space Radar Laboratory missions.

NASA wanted to take high-quality radar images of the Earth to learn how the environment was changing, particularly focusing on those areas affected by climate change. The images also produced some unique applications. For example, researchers used pictures of Cambodia to track down ancient settlements near Angkor, whose temples date back to the ninth century. The space radar was able to peer past trees and other obstacles to see what lay underneath.

Six months later, STS crew members on Endeavour released Spartan, a payload that watched over the sun's outer atmosphere for two days in space before being retrieved. Endeavour also visited the Mir space station for a few days in STS's crew members were the first to reach Mir in a shuttle other than Atlantis. Endeavour had the honor of being the first shuttle to assemble the International Space Station.

On Dec. Astronauts Jerry Ross and James Newman did three spacewalks to hook the two modules together, at which point the modules were turned on. Except for a shuttle radar topography mission done on STS, the rest of Endeavour's flights focused on building the station. Prior to the Columbia breakup that halted the program for two years, Endeavour's astronauts took on missions such as installing the Canadarm2 and adding more solar arrays to the station.

Endeavour stayed on the sidelines for several years after the shuttle program returned to flight.