July 15, 2009

On sixth try, space shuttle Endeavour blasts off for space station

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

After many false starts, one of the final remaining space shuttle missions got under way this evening with the liftoff of the Endeavour orbiter from Kennedy nasSpace Center in Florida. The shuttle blasted off at 6:03 P.M. (Eastern Daylight Time) on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS), after hydrogen leaks twice delayed June launch attempts and bad weather thwarted three liftoff opportunities earlier this month.

Only two past shuttle missions, both launching on the seventh attempt, endured more delays.

The seven-member crew of Endeavour will deliver to the ISS components of a Japanese experiment module, including a "front porch" section that will allow for science experiments in an exposed space environment. Four members of the shuttle crew, pairing off into two teams, will conduct five spacewalks to install the Japanese segments as well as new batteries for an aging solar array. They will also stash spare parts for the station on an external cargo platform.

While en route to the ISS for a Friday afternoon rendezvous, the Endeavour crew will spend much of the day tomorrow inspecting the shuttle's heat shield with a boom-mounted sensor. The examination, which became standard procedure on shuttle missions following the 2003 Columbia disaster, looks for any damage the thermal-protection tiles may have suffered during liftoff. During the May mission of space shuttle Atlantis to the Hubble Space Telescope, the robotic-arm inspection revealed some slight nicking where the shuttle's wing joined the body, but the damage was deemed nonthreatening and the shuttle re-entered the atmosphere and landed safely 12 days later.

After the Endeavour mission, only seven scheduled shuttle flights remain on the calendar before the program's planned retirement next year.

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American