ballsyG
05-19-2011, 06:02 AM
Defying what has become tradition in the past few months, the Space Shuttle Endeavour has really launched. The Shuttle Endeavour has finally left the launch pad after several weeks of delays. The launch was not all great, however. It is the last journey of the Endeavour.
Endeavor launch
At 9 a.m. Eastern standard time, the ride began. Space Shuttle Endeavor lifted off, CNN reports. The last attempt at a launch was made on April 29, but had to be canceled due to a problem with a heating unit aboard the shuttle that is located in the hydraulic system, according to Reuters. The launch was given the go-ahead earlier this week. STS-134 is the name of the mission. Endeavor will go to the International Space Station. Its mission is to deliver the 60-nation, $2 billion instrument called the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. The machine is a particle detection and analysis machine that will search for particles that are not detectable by normal telescopes and other instruments.
Close of the space shuttles
Mission Control was good. It was also just a little sad. Soon, Endeavor will be done after its long lifetime. It will deliver some parts to the ISS and return from its 16-day mission first. The Christian Science Monitor states that there will be only one more launch in June in the shuttle program before it ends. This could be when the Shuttle Atlantis has its last launch. The Bush administration decided to end the shuttle program. This was after the shuttle Columbia exploded while coming back to Earth. There have been 14 astronauts killed during the shuttle program; three astronauts total lost their lives in all other National Aeronautics and Space Administration programs.
Future of NASA
At the launch was congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, reports CBS. This was so she could watch her husband, Mark Kelly, take off as mission commander. Right now, Giffords is in recovery. She was shot in the head months ago and almost killed. The Soyuz spacecraft will be the only way an astronaut will be able to get to the ISS soon. This will be the case after Atlantis returns. There are some private contractors planning on building spaceships to go to the ISS. When this occurs, astronauts can be able to "rent" a spot up to space. NASA had been working on a replacement for the shuttle dubbed the Constellation program, which was nearly identical to the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs using a capsule set atop a very large rocket. This program ended so private firms could do it instead. These space crafts will not be accessible for years though.
Citations
CNN
cnn.com/2011/US/05/16/nasa.shuttle.endeavour/?hpt=C1
Reuters
reuters.com/article/2011/05/16/us-space-shuttle-idUSTRE74E2II20110516
Christian Science Monitor
csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2011/0516/After-the-space-shuttle-astronaut-corps-awaits-a-new-mission
CBS
cbsnews.com/stories/2011/05/16/scitech/main20063171.shtml?tag=stack
Endeavor launch
At 9 a.m. Eastern standard time, the ride began. Space Shuttle Endeavor lifted off, CNN reports. The last attempt at a launch was made on April 29, but had to be canceled due to a problem with a heating unit aboard the shuttle that is located in the hydraulic system, according to Reuters. The launch was given the go-ahead earlier this week. STS-134 is the name of the mission. Endeavor will go to the International Space Station. Its mission is to deliver the 60-nation, $2 billion instrument called the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. The machine is a particle detection and analysis machine that will search for particles that are not detectable by normal telescopes and other instruments.
Close of the space shuttles
Mission Control was good. It was also just a little sad. Soon, Endeavor will be done after its long lifetime. It will deliver some parts to the ISS and return from its 16-day mission first. The Christian Science Monitor states that there will be only one more launch in June in the shuttle program before it ends. This could be when the Shuttle Atlantis has its last launch. The Bush administration decided to end the shuttle program. This was after the shuttle Columbia exploded while coming back to Earth. There have been 14 astronauts killed during the shuttle program; three astronauts total lost their lives in all other National Aeronautics and Space Administration programs.
Future of NASA
At the launch was congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, reports CBS. This was so she could watch her husband, Mark Kelly, take off as mission commander. Right now, Giffords is in recovery. She was shot in the head months ago and almost killed. The Soyuz spacecraft will be the only way an astronaut will be able to get to the ISS soon. This will be the case after Atlantis returns. There are some private contractors planning on building spaceships to go to the ISS. When this occurs, astronauts can be able to "rent" a spot up to space. NASA had been working on a replacement for the shuttle dubbed the Constellation program, which was nearly identical to the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs using a capsule set atop a very large rocket. This program ended so private firms could do it instead. These space crafts will not be accessible for years though.
Citations
CNN
cnn.com/2011/US/05/16/nasa.shuttle.endeavour/?hpt=C1
Reuters
reuters.com/article/2011/05/16/us-space-shuttle-idUSTRE74E2II20110516
Christian Science Monitor
csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2011/0516/After-the-space-shuttle-astronaut-corps-awaits-a-new-mission
CBS
cbsnews.com/stories/2011/05/16/scitech/main20063171.shtml?tag=stack