Photo for the Day - June 01, 2011

* Photo for the Day *

Image above: Space Shuttle Endeavour makes its final landing at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, completing a 16-day mission to the International Space Station. Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

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(In case you missed it... Here’s the landing again!)

STS-134 Lands, Endeavour Completes Last Mission

About above Video: Endeavour returns to Earth at the end of its final mission, STS-134. During the flight, Commander Mark Kelly and crew delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the International Space Station.

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And again I say...

WELCOME HOME!

AubreyJ.........

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Watch Landing of Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-134 LIVE

Watch Landing of Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-134 LIVE

Endeavour Crew Prepares for EARLY...

Wednesday Morning Landing

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

4:47am CDT
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.Endeavour Undocks From Station, Due to Land Early Wednesday

The STS-134 astronauts left the station Sunday night, after delivering the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and performing four spacewalks during Endeavour's final mission.

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Space Shuttle Endeavour’s crew is wrapping up final preparations for its planned landing at 1:35am CDT Wednesday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida

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POST UPDATE:

Welcome home to the crew of Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-134. Mission well done!

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Endeavour Lands for Final Time at 1:34am CDT

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

01:59am CDT

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Space Shuttle Endeavour landed for the final time at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center after 248 orbits around Earth and a journey of 6,510,221 miles on STS-134.

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Endeavour’s main gear touched down at 2:34:51 a.m. followed by the nose gear at 2:35:04 and wheels stop at 2:35:36am.

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STS-134 was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles.

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* Endeavour Lands, Atlantis at Launch Pad *

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

08:25am CDT

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Space Shuttle Endeavour completed its final flight by delivering the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the International Space Station during the STS-134 mission.

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"I think we all should be really impressed how big and magnificent that space station is," said STS-134 Mission Specialist Mike Fincke at the crew press conference following landing. Describing their parting view of the space station where he served once as crew and once as commander, he said, "We were impressed; we were excited like five-year olds at a rollercoaster park."

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"What a great ending to this really wonderful mission," said Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations. In regard to the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, Gerstenmaier said, "They're getting great data from their instrument on board the space station. It couldn’t have gone any better for this mission."

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"We've had a lot going on here," said Mike Moses, space shuttle launch integration manager, "Being able to send Atlantis out to the pad and then go out and land Endeavour was really a combination I never expected to have."

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Mike Leinbach, space shuttle launch director, added, "It's been a great morning at the Kennedy Space Center."

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Endeavour landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center after 248 orbits around Earth and a journey of 6,510,221 miles. The STS-134 mission was the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, which spent a total of 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122,883,151 miles.

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Also overnight, Space Shuttle Atlantis completed its 3.4 mile trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A and was secured to the launch pad at 3:29am. The move began Tuesday at 8:42pm and took approximately 7 hours.
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Latest News and Updates
at NASA.gov
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Watch Landing/Mission

LIVE on NASA TV

Click HERE to view

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SAFE LANDING!
and now...
WELCOME HOME!!!
AubreyJ.........

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All above Info/Images taken from the NASA.gov website

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VIDEOS: STS-134 Daily Mission Recap - Flight Days 1 & 2

* STS-134 Daily Mission Recap - Flight Day 2 *

About today’s Video from SPACE: A video recap of flight day 2 of the STS-134 mission of Space Shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station.

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* STS-134 Daily Mission Recap - Flight Day 1 *

About today’s Video from SPACE: A video recap of flight day 1 of the STS-134 mission of Space Shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station.

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* Watch all Mission Videos, from beginning to end - HERE

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I’ve said it a thousand times

And I’ll say it again...

I LOVE THIS STUFF!

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Safe flight STS-124

AubreyJ.........

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Info/Videos from the NASA.gov website

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Photo for the Day - May 17, 2011

* Photo for the Day *

Endeavour's Final Flight

Space Shuttle Endeavour roars into orbit from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A as the vehicle embarks on its 25th and final spaceflight, the STS-134 mission. Commander Mark Kelly leads the six-person astronaut crew. Liftoff on May 16th occurred on time at 7:56am CDT.
Image credit: NASA

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Repost:

As published in the Shreveport Times

* Letter to the Editor *

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I guess by now everyone knows that this will be the final Mission/Space Flight ever for Space Shuttle Endeavour.

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Sadly... this will leave us with just one more flight, ever... for the Space Shuttle Program and then... that’s it!

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Manned Space Flight will END, as we know it, after the upcoming STS-135 Mission later this year. And YES... it is all going to end with the HELP of President Obama and the likes of other non visionaries like he.

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My heart truly breaks from the thought that we have let our Space Program go down the tubes and without any kind of outcry from the American people. NONE!

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In a nutshell... sad days are ahead my friends if our future goals for Manned Space Flight do not change at the top and rapidly SOON!

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For now, I would like everyone reading this to look around them, right now... and see all the things we have and know today all because our Space Program was pushing the limits, at all ends of Manned Space Flight.

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This pushing the limits of Manned Space Flight... is ending, for good, this year.

GOOD JOB OBAMA!

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With that said...  Safe Flight to the Crew of Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-134...

And God Speed to NASA in getting them all up there and back... safe and sound.

by AubreyJ.........
Aubrey J. Fawcett

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(Here it is on the Shreveport Times website)

Letter: Sad times for end of manned space flight as we know it

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Watch Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-134 LIVE

Watch Launch/Mission Live

Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-134

Post Date: Sunday, May 15, 2011

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Image above: Flags wave briskly at NASA Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A as Endeavour is revealed after the rotating service structure was rolled away for liftoff of the STS-134 mission. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

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Launch Date: MONDAY - May 15th
Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle Endeavour

- LAST MISSION -
Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center - Launch Pad 39A
Launch Time: 7:56am CDT

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STS-134 Mission Description: Space Shuttle Endeavour will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) and the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to the International Space Station. This is the LAST FLIGHT EVER of Space Shuttle Endeavour...

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Rotating Service Structure Opens For Launch

Sunday, May 15, 2011

11:35am CDT

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The rotating service structure (RSS) on NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A is fully open and moved away from space shuttle Endeavour. The RSS began moving at 10:44 a.m. CDT, about 15 minutes ahead of schedule. The retraction was complete at 11:24 p.m.

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Final preparations continue for Endeavour's 7:56am CDT Monday liftoff. Cockpit switches will be configured this afternoon, while Commander Mark Kelly and his crew will begin their launch sleep schedule at 3 p.m.

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The shuttle's electricity-producing fuel cells will be activated at 4:46 p.m. and managers will meet at 10 p.m. to give a "Go-No Go" to load the External Fuel Tank with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

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Coverage of the fuel loading begins at 10:30 p.m. on NASA TV and at www.nasa.gov/ntv. The tanking process is scheduled to begin at 10:36 p.m.

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POST UPDATE:

8:00am CDT

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We have Liftoff folks and what a picture perfect launch it was!

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Liftoff of Space Shuttle Endeavour!

Space Shuttle Endeavour and its crew of six astronauts are headed for space, ready to begin their 16-day mission to the International Space Station. The climb to orbit takes about 8 1/2 minutes.

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Following a relatively smooth countdown, the weather cooperated leading to an on-time liftoff from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:56am CDT.

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NASA TV will air a post-launch news conference at no earlier than 9am so click it out at link below.

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Watch
Latest News and Updates
at NASA.gov

And at

NASA’s Launch Blog

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Watch Launch/Mission

LIVE on NASA TV

Click HERE to view

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STS-134 Image Gallery

> View Gallery <

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STS-130: Interactive Mission Timeline

Click HERE to view

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Safe Flight to the Crew of Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-134...

And God Speed to NASA in getting them all up there and back... safe and sound.

AubreyJ.........

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All Info/Images taken from the NASA.gov website

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Photo for the Day - May 07, 2011

* Photo for the Day *

- Patiently Waiting -

On a sunny day at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, May 4^th, Space Shuttle Endeavour is protected by the rotating service structure on Launch Pad 39A.

Image credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

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UPDATE On Next Launch Date:

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Space Shuttle Endeavour to Launch No Earlier Than May 16th

Originally posted Friday, May 06, 2011

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NASA managers have retargeted Space Shuttle Endeavour's launch to no earlier than Monday, May 16th. After a meeting on Friday, they also extended the length of Endeavour's STS-134 mission to the International Space Station from 14 to 16 days. If Endeavour launches on May 16th, liftoff would be at 8:56 a.m. EDT.

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At 3 p.m. on Monday, May 9th, NASA Space Shuttle Program Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses and Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach will hold a news conference at Kennedy Space Center in Florida to discuss the progress of repairs since Endeavour's launch postponement on April 29th. The news conference will air live on NASA Television and online at www.nasa.gov/ntv.

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Kennedy technicians are continuing work to resolve an issue in a heater circuit associated with Endeavour's hydraulic system that resulted in the launch postponement. Technicians determined the failure was inside an aft load control assembly, which is a switchbox in the shuttle's aft compartment, and possibly its associated electrical wiring.

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Although the root cause of the failure in the switchbox has not been found, technicians are replacing hardware that could have caused the problem. The faulty box was changed Wednesday, and a test of nine shuttle systems powered by the new box is under way.

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This weekend, technicians will install and check out new wiring that bypasses the suspect electrical wiring connecting the switchbox to the heaters. They also will run the heaters for up to 30 minutes to verify they are working properly and complete retesting of the other systems powered by the switchbox.

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The shuttle has three Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) that provide hydraulic power to steer the vehicle during ascent and entry. The hydrazine fuel lines on each APU have two heater circuits that prevent the fuel from freezing while the shuttle is in space. NASA launch commit criteria and flight rules require all APUs and heater circuits to be operational for launch. On Endeavour's first launch attempt, one of 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 was shorted out.

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Launch attempts are available through May 26th. May 21st is the only day a launch is not an option because it would lead to a May 23rd docking with the space station. May 23rd is when three of the space station's Expedition 27 crew members undock and return home in their Soyuz spacecraft. Managers reviewed the STS-134 mission timeline and determined the Endeavour crew can accomplish all objectives even with the departure of the three station crew members.

Above Info/Image taken from the NASA.gov website

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POST UPDATE:

LOOKS LIKE A GO!

* Endeavour's Launch Now Set for May 16^th *

Monday, May 09, 2011

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NASA managers have set the liftoff of Space Shuttle Endeavour for 7:56am CDT on Monday, May 16th. Space Shuttle Program Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses and Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach announced the date at a news briefing Monday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

All above Info/Images taken from the NASA.gov website
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Keep up with the

Latest News and Updates

On Endeavour’s Launch/Mission
at NASA.gov

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AubreyJ.........

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Videos: Webcast by NASA on ‘Endeavour's Final Voyage’

* Endeavour's Final Voyage *

About above video: After nearly two decades of achievements in space, Space Shuttle Endeavour makes one last reach for the stars on its 25th and final mission, STS-134. This webcast examines the mission to come and explores the storied flying career for the youngest of NASA's shuttle orbiters.

This video and more can be found on the NASA.gov website

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Keep up with the

Latest News and Updates

On Endeavour’s Launch/Mission
at NASA.gov

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Be sure to watch the above webcast gang... It really is well worth the 9 ½ minutes of your time that it will take to kick back and watch it all, in full.

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With that said.... let me say this. I am SOOOOO HAPPY Endeavour didn’t go up last week with all that has gone down over the last few days with the killing of Osama bin Laden.

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The final mission of this great Ship deserves all our attention... the MSM’s attention too... So yes, I am now real happy it didn’t go up, though I was truly disappointed at the time when it didn’t.

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Yes, like everyone else, I too am truly happy with the killing of Osama and with the way our President manned up and took the actions he did. Good job Mr. President. Enjoy the success while you can for the American people have short memories on such things. VERY short...

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AubreyJ.........
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Special note: NASA space shuttle and International Space Station managers met Monday and determined that Tuesday, May 10th is the earliest Endeavour could be launched on the STS-134 mission. That date is success oriented based on preliminary schedules to replace a faulty Load Control Assembly (LCA) box in the orbiter's aft compartment. More to come...

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