Endeavour was named through a national competition involving students in elementary and secondary schools. Entries included an essay about the name, the story behind it and why it was appropriate for a NASA shuttle, and the project that supported the name. Endeavour was the most popular entry, accounting for almost one-third of the state-level winners. For example, Utah's state level winner, Nolan Butcher, a sixth grade student from Nibley Park Elementary school located in Salt Lake City Utah, selected Endeavour because some definitions of the word mean to be bold and put forth great effort. The national winners were Senatobia Middle School in Senatobia, Miss., in the elementary division and Tallulah Falls School in Tallulah Falls, Ga., in the upper school division. The national winners were selected based on the quality of the project submitted with their entries. They were honored at several ceremonies in Washington, D.C., including a White House ceremony where then-President George H.W. Bush presented awards to each school.
The orbiter is named after HM Bark Endeavour, the ship commanded by 18th century explorer James Cook; the name also honored Endeavour, the Command Module of Apollo 15. This is why the name is spelled in the British English manner, rather than the American English spelling of "Endeavor." This has caused confusion, most notably when NASA themselves misspelled a sign on the launch pad in 2007.
Endeavour was delivered by Rockwell International in May 1991 and first launched a year later, in May 1992, on STS-49. Rockwell International claimed that it had made no profit on Space Shuttle Endeavour, despite it costing $2.2 billion USD. On its first mission, it captured and redeployed the stranded INTELSAT VI communications satellite.
In 1993, it made the first service mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. Endeavour was withdrawn from service for eight months in 1997 for a retrofit, including installation of a new airlock. In December 1998, it delivered the Unity Module to the International Space Station. Endeavour completed its latest Orbiter Major Modification period, which began in December 2003, and ended on Thursday, October 6, 2005. During this time, the Orbiter received major hardware upgrades, including a new, multi-functional, electronic display system, often referred to as glass cockpit, and an advanced GPS receiver, along with safety upgrades recommended by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) for Shuttle return to flight after the disintegration of sister-ship Columbia during re-entry on February 1, 2003.
The STS-118 mission, the first for Endeavour following a lengthy refit, included astronaut Barbara Morgan, formerly assigned to the Educator Astronaut program, but now a full member of the Astronaut Corps, as part of the crew. Morgan was the backup for Christa McAuliffe on the ill-fated STS-51-L mission.
Endeavour features new hardware designed to improve and expand orbiter capabilities. Most of this equipment was later incorporated into the other two orbiters during out-of-service major inspection and modification programs. Endeavour's upgrades include:
Modifications resulting from a 2005-2006 refit of Endeavour include:
| # | Launch date | Designation | Launch pad | Landing location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1992-05-07 | STS-49 | 39-B | Edwards Air Force Base | First flight of Endeavour: Capture and redeploy Intelsat VI. First three-man EVA, longest US EVA since Apollo 17 |
| 2 | STS-47 | 39-B | Kennedy Space Center | Spacelab mission J | |
| 3 | 1993-01-13 | STS-54 | 39-B | Kennedy | Deploy TDRS-F |
| 4 | 1993-06-21 | STS-57 | 39-B | Kennedy | Spacelab experiments. Retrieve European Retrievable Carrier |
| 5 | 1993-12-02 | STS-61 | 39-B | Kennedy | First Hubble Space Telescope service mission (HSM-1) |
| 6 | 1994-04-09 | STS-59 | 39-A | Edwards | Space Radar Laboratory experiments |
| 7 | 1994-09-30 | STS-68 | 39-A | Edwards | Space Radar Laboratory experiments |
| 8 | 1995-03-02 | STS-67 | 39-A | Edwards | Spacelab Astro-2 experiments |
| 9 | 1995-09-07 | STS-69 | 39-A | Kennedy | Wake Shield Facility and other experiments |
| 10 | 1996-01-11 | STS-72 | 39-B | Kennedy | Retrieve Japanese Space Flyer Unit |
| 11 | 1996-05-19 | STS-77 | 39-B | Kennedy | Spacelab experiments |
| 12 | 1998-01-22 | STS-89 | 39-A | Kennedy | Rendezvous with Mir space station and astronaut exchange |
| 13 | 1998-12-04 | STS-88 | 39-A | Kennedy | International Space Station assembly mission (assembled the Unity Module (Node 1), first American component of the ISS) |
| 14 | 2000-02-11 | STS-99 | 39-A | Kennedy | Shuttle Radar Topography Mission experiments |
| 15 | 2000-11-30 | STS-97 | 39-B | Kennedy | International Space Station assembly mission (P6 truss segment) |
| 16 | 2001-04-19 | STS-100 | 39-A | Edwards | International Space Station assembly mission (Canadarm2 robotic arm and hand) |
| 17 | 2001-12-05 | STS-108 | 39-B | Kennedy | International Space Station rendezvous and astronaut exchange (Expedition 3/Expedition 4) |
| 18 | 2002-06-05 | STS-111 | 39-A | Edwards | International Space Station rendezvous and astronaut exchange (Expedition 4/Expedition 5) |
| 19 | 2002-11-23 | STS-113 | 39-A | Kennedy | International Space Station assembly mission and astronaut exchange/final successful shuttle flight before the Columbia disaster (Expedition 5/6 exchange; P1 truss segment assembly) |
| 20 | 2007-08-08 | STS-118 | 39-A | Kennedy | Four spacewalks conducted . Installation of the International Space Station S5 Truss, of the Integrated Truss Structure. Carried a SPACEHAB module carrying 5,000 pounds of supplies and equipment to the International Space Station. Crew included the Educator Astronaut Barbara Morgan. Thermal tiles protecting the underside of the vehicle were damaged during launch. NASA decided not to fix this damage in-flight as it was not believed to be serious enough to result in loss of vehicle or crew. The craft landed a day early due to the possibility that Hurricane Dean would force Mission Control to evacuate. |
| 21 | 2008-03-11 | STS-123 | 39-A | Kennedy | International Space Station assembly mission which delivered the first element of Japan's Kibo module along with the Canadian Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator robotic arm, and the Spacelab Pallet-Deployable 1. |
| 22 | NET 2008-10-11 | STS-126 | 39-A | Kennedy | International Space Station assembly mission which will bring up a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, Crew rotation of Sandra Mangus For Gregory Chamitoff |
According to NASA, Space Shuttle Endeavour will be decommissioned in 2010, after 18 years of service, along with Discovery and Atlantis. NASA expects to have the Orion spacecraft ready no later than 2014. Based on the current (as of August 2007) consolidated launch manifest, Endeavour may be the last Orbiter to fly, contingent on the optional STS-133 mission to the International Space Station, which will carry the final components in the ISS assembly sequence, the EXPRESS Logistics Carrier ELC5 and ELC1, to orbit.
Endeavour was named through a national competition involving students in elementary and secondary schools. Entries included an essay about the name, the story behind it and why it was appropriate for a NASA shuttle, and the project that supported the name. Endeavour was the most popular entry, accounting for almost one-third of the state-level winners. For example, Utah's state level winner, Nolan Butcher, a sixth grade student from Nibley Park Elementary school located in Salt Lake City Utah, selected Endeavour because some definitions of the word mean to be bold and put forth great effort. The national winners were Senatobia Middle School in Senatobia, Miss., in the elementary division and Tallulah Falls School in Tallulah Falls, Ga., in the upper school division. The national winners were selected based on the quality of the project submitted with their entries. They were honored at several ceremonies in Washington, D.C., including a White House ceremony where then-President George H.W. Bush presented awards to each school.
The orbiter is named after HM Bark Endeavour, the ship commanded by 18th century explorer James Cook; the name also honored Endeavour, the Command Module of Apollo 15. This is why the name is spelled in the British English manner, rather than the American English spelling of "Endeavor." This has caused confusion, most notably when NASA themselves misspelled a sign on the launch pad in 2007.
Endeavour was delivered by Rockwell International in May 1991 and first launched a year later, in May 1992, on STS-49. Rockwell International claimed that it had made no profit on Space Shuttle Endeavour, despite it costing $2.2 billion USD. On its first mission, it captured and redeployed the stranded INTELSAT VI communications satellite.
In 1993, it made the first service mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. Endeavour was withdrawn from service for eight months in 1997 for a retrofit, including installation of a new airlock. In December 1998, it delivered the Unity Module to the International Space Station. Endeavour completed its latest Orbiter Major Modification period, which began in December 2003, and ended on Thursday, October 6, 2005. During this time, the Orbiter received major hardware upgrades, including a new, multi-functional, electronic display system, often referred to as glass cockpit, and an advanced GPS receiver, along with safety upgrades recommended by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) for Shuttle return to flight after the disintegration of sister-ship Columbia during re-entry on February 1, 2003.
The STS-118 mission, the first for Endeavour following a lengthy refit, included astronaut Barbara Morgan, formerly assigned to the Educator Astronaut program, but now a full member of the Astronaut Corps, as part of the crew. Morgan was the backup for Christa McAuliffe on the ill-fated STS-51-L mission.
Endeavour features new hardware designed to improve and expand orbiter capabilities. Most of this equipment was later incorporated into the other two orbiters during out-of-service major inspection and modification programs. Endeavour's upgrades include:
Modifications resulting from a 2005-2006 refit of Endeavour include:
| # | Launch date | Designation | Launch pad | Landing location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1992-05-07 | STS-49 | 39-B | Edwards Air Force Base | First flight of Endeavour: Capture and redeploy Intelsat VI. First three-man EVA, longest US EVA since Apollo 17 |
| 2 | STS-47 | 39-B | Kennedy Space Center | Spacelab mission J | |
| 3 | 1993-01-13 | STS-54 | 39-B | Kennedy | Deploy TDRS-F |
| 4 | 1993-06-21 | STS-57 | 39-B | Kennedy | Spacelab experiments. Retrieve European Retrievable Carrier |
| 5 | 1993-12-02 | STS-61 | 39-B | Kennedy | First Hubble Space Telescope service mission (HSM-1) |
| 6 | 1994-04-09 | STS-59 | 39-A | Edwards | Space Radar Laboratory experiments |
| 7 | 1994-09-30 | STS-68 | 39-A | Edwards | Space Radar Laboratory experiments |
| 8 | 1995-03-02 | STS-67 | 39-A | Edwards | Spacelab Astro-2 experiments |
| 9 | 1995-09-07 | STS-69 | 39-A | Kennedy | Wake Shield Facility and other experiments |
| 10 | 1996-01-11 | STS-72 | 39-B | Kennedy | Retrieve Japanese Space Flyer Unit |
| 11 | 1996-05-19 | STS-77 | 39-B | Kennedy | Spacelab experiments |
| 12 | 1998-01-22 | STS-89 | 39-A | Kennedy | Rendezvous with Mir space station and astronaut exchange |
| 13 | 1998-12-04 | STS-88 | 39-A | Kennedy | International Space Station assembly mission (assembled the Unity Module (Node 1), first American component of the ISS) |
| 14 | 2000-02-11 | STS-99 | 39-A | Kennedy | Shuttle Radar Topography Mission experiments |
| 15 | 2000-11-30 | STS-97 | 39-B | Kennedy | International Space Station assembly mission (P6 truss segment) |
| 16 | 2001-04-19 | STS-100 | 39-A | Edwards | International Space Station assembly mission (Canadarm2 robotic arm and hand) |
| 17 | 2001-12-05 | STS-108 | 39-B | Kennedy | International Space Station rendezvous and astronaut exchange (Expedition 3/Expedition 4) |
| 18 | 2002-06-05 | STS-111 | 39-A | Edwards | International Space Station rendezvous and astronaut exchange (Expedition 4/Expedition 5) |
| 19 | 2002-11-23 | STS-113 | 39-A | Kennedy | International Space Station assembly mission and astronaut exchange/final successful shuttle flight before the Columbia disaster (Expedition 5/6 exchange; P1 truss segment assembly) |
| 20 | 2007-08-08 | STS-118 | 39-A | Kennedy | Four spacewalks conducted . Installation of the International Space Station S5 Truss, of the Integrated Truss Structure. Carried a SPACEHAB module carrying 5,000 pounds of supplies and equipment to the International Space Station. Crew included the Educator Astronaut Barbara Morgan. Thermal tiles protecting the underside of the vehicle were damaged during launch. NASA decided not to fix this damage in-flight as it was not believed to be serious enough to result in loss of vehicle or crew. The craft landed a day early due to the possibility that Hurricane Dean would force Mission Control to evacuate. |
| 21 | 2008-03-11 | STS-123 | 39-A | Kennedy | International Space Station assembly mission which delivered the first element of Japan's Kibo module along with the Canadian Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator robotic arm, and the Spacelab Pallet-Deployable 1. |
| 22 | NET 2008-10-11 | STS-126 | 39-A | Kennedy | International Space Station assembly mission which will bring up a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, Crew rotation of Sandra Mangus For Gregory Chamitoff |
According to NASA, Space Shuttle Endeavour will be decommissioned in 2010, after 18 years of service, along with Discovery and Atlantis. NASA expects to have the Orion spacecraft ready no later than 2014. Based on the current (as of August 2007) consolidated launch manifest, Endeavour may be the last Orbiter to fly, contingent on the optional STS-133 mission to the International Space Station, which will carry the final components in the ISS assembly sequence, the EXPRESS Logistics Carrier ELC5 and ELC1, to orbit.
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