Keith’s note: Crew 8 lifted off on time tonight and is now in orbit. They’ll be arriving at the International Space Station on Tuesday. I was on Bloomberg radio twice today and then on BBC World News TV [AUDIO] to provide some pre- and post-launch commentary. One thing that I noticed – and made mention of – are the names of the spacecraft involved. NASA TV’s hosts talked about the Crew Dragon “Endeavour” – which was named after Space Shuttle “Endeavour”. The Apollo 15 command module also named “Endeavour”. But NASA PAO seems to be uninterested in mentioning that these spaceships of exploration had a historic namesake i.e. Capt. James Cook’s H.M.S. Endeavour. Note that NASA kept the English spelling of Cook’s ship in all of the spacecraft named after it. Also, the Crew Dragon already in space and docked to ISS that will bring some of the current occupants home is named “Endurance” after Sir Ernest Shackleton’s famous antarctic exploration ship “Endurance” – which was recently re-discovered on the Antarctic seabed. NASA refers to these crew stays on ISS as “expeditions”. It would be nice if someone in NASA PAO synched up their commentary so as to remind the public about actual historic resonances with ships of exploration – especially as we prepare to return to the Moon – to explore. Just sayin’.

After glitches and delays, Endeavour finally reaches its new home “It was built for orbital speeds approaching five miles per second, but space shuttle Endeavour took its own sweet time Sunday as it wheeled triumphantly onto the grounds of its new home, the California Science Center. “Mission 26 — mission accomplished,” Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced, amid the cheers of thousands of spectators. Before it was retired by NASA, […]

South L.A. shuttle boosters are feeling jettisoned, LA Times “Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa touted it as “the mother of all parades” — a historic celebration in a part of Los Angeles that doesn’t get much fanfare. Over two days, on the major thoroughfares of Westchester, Inglewood and South Los Angeles, space shuttle Endeavour would slowly make its way from LAX to its new home at the California Science Center. Community activists […]

Photo: Space Shuttle Endeavour’s Last Flight As Seen From Orbit “Late last week, the Space Shuttle Endeavor flew atop a 747 into White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The shuttle continued its journey to Edwards Air Force Base in California. In October, The Space Shuttle Endeavor will be moved via road to a special display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. During the flight, DigitalGlobe captured an […]

Image: Space Shuttle Endeavour Over Houston, Texas Space Shuttle Endeavour Ferry Flight Continues West “After the refueling stop at Biggs, the SCA and Endeavour will make low-level flybys of the White Sands Missile Range and NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico, as well as Tucson, Arizona en route to California. The flyover of Tucson will take place approximately an hour and 15 minutes after departure from Biggs. Arrival […]

Shuttle Endeavour Ferry Flight Rescheduled to Sept. 19 “NASA’s ferry flight of space shuttle Endeavour atop the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) is rescheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 19 due to an unfavorable weather forecast along the flight path on Tuesday, Sept. 18. Endeavour now is expected to arrive at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Friday, Sept. 21.” Weather Postpones Shuttle Endeavour Ferry Flight to Sept. 18 Shuttle Endeavour Flyover […]

Shuttle Endeavour to fly over California landmarks, south U.S., LA Times “On Sept. 19 the shuttle will head to Biggs Army Airfield in El Paso for refueling and then conduct low-level flyovers of White Sands Test Facility near Las Cruces, N.M., before landing about midday at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert, where it sometimes landed on its own after space missions. […]

NASA Mars Rover Opportunity Update: July 25, 2012 – August 01, 2012 “Opportunity has been roving at the north end of Cape York on the rim of Endeavour Crater.” Preparations for shuttle Endeavour’s trip to California near end, Florida Today “Kennedy Space Center crews this morning attached a tail cone to the orbiter Endeavour, one of the last major preparations for its planned ferry flight to California next month.” Scientist […]

Photo: Space Shuttle Orbiters “Discovery” and “Endeavour” Space Shuttle Orbiters “Discovery” and “Endeavour” at Kennedy Space Center this morning adjacent to the Vehicle Assembly Building.

NASA Finally Releases Photos of Endeavour Docked at ISS “This image of the International Space Station and the docked Space Shuttle Endeavour, flying at an altitude of approximately 220 miles, was taken by Expedition 27 crew member Paolo Nespoli from the Soyuz TMA-20 following its undocking on May 23, 2011 (USA time). It is the first-ever image of a space shuttle docked to the International Space Station. “ Keith’s 7 […]