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Space Shuttle ''Endeavour'' (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-105) is a retired orbiter from NASA's Space Shuttle program〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Space Shuttle Overview: Endeavour (OV-105) )〕 and the fifth and final operational shuttle built. It embarked on its first mission, STS-49, in May 1992 and its 25th and final mission, STS-134, in May 2011.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=STS-49 )〕 STS-134 was expected to be the final mission of the Space Shuttle program,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Consolidated Launch Manifest )〕 but with the authorization of STS-135, ''Atlantis'' became the last shuttle to fly. The United States Congress authorized the construction of ''Endeavour'' in 1987 to replace ''Challenger'', which was lost in 1986 when it broke up 73 seconds after launch. Structural spares built during the construction of ''Discovery'' and ''Atlantis'' were used in its assembly. NASA chose to build ''Endeavour'' from spares rather than refitting ''Enterprise'' or accepting a Rockwell International proposal to build two shuttles for the price of one on cost grounds. ==History== The orbiter is named after the British HMS ''Endeavour'', the ship which took Captain James Cook on his first voyage of discovery (1768–1771).〔(John F. Kennedy Space Center – Space Shuttle Endeavour ). Pao.ksc.nasa.gov. Retrieved on 2012-05-20.〕 This is why the name is spelled in the British English manner, rather than the American English ("Endeavor"). This has caused confusion, including when NASA itself misspelled a sign on the launch pad in 2007. The Space Shuttle carried a piece of the original wood from Cook’s ship inside the cockpit.〔(125,000 see Endeavour land: Satellite rescue highlights maiden trip ). Daily Breeze. Retrieved on 2015-07-21.〕 The name also honored ''Endeavour'', the Command Module of Apollo 15, which was also named after Cook's ship. ''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. The national winners were Senatobia Middle School in Senatobia, Mississippi, in the elementary division and Tallulah Falls School in Tallulah Falls, Georgia, in the upper school division. 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.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=The Naming Of The Space Shuttle Endeavour )〕 ''Endeavour'' was delivered by Rockwell International Space Transportation Systems Division 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 construction costing US$2.2 billion. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Space Shuttle Endeavour」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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