Space Exploration

Endeavor's Last Take Off, May 16, 2011

NASA finally launched space shuttle Endeavour on its last trip to orbit after power glitch foiled first attempt. Mission managers called off the attempt on April 29, when they gave hope of fixing a failed auxiliary power unit on the shuttle. The unit supplies power to the hydraulic systems Endeavour relies on, for example its landing gear. Endeavour blasted off on the next-to-last shuttle flight on Monday, May 16th 2011, at 8:56 AM EDT, under the command of Mark Kelly, the husband of Representative Gabrielle Giffords. The wounded congresswoman watched the launch in private from Kennedy Space Centre. As many as 45 000 guests jammed NASA's launch site. The crowd outside the gates was estimated to be in the tens of thousands, if not more. Endeavour and its six astronauts will arrive at the International Space Station on Wednesday. They are delivering a $2bn particle physics experiment. The mission will last 16 days.

The six astronauts – led by commander Mark Kelly – took off without a glitch. The second to the last shuttle mission in NASA's 30-year shuttle program – has attracted intense interest because of Commander Kelly's wife, Congresswoman Gabriele Giffords, who was shot through the head nearly four months ago.  President Obama, his wife and two daughters visited Kennedy Space Center on April 29th on the original date scheduled for the launch and got to see shuttle Atlantis in the hangar, and meet with Giffords and the entire Endeavour crew.

Only one other shuttle mission remains, by Atlantis this summer.