Space Shuttle Endeavour Launches Final Mission

By Phillip Bunnell

After a delay due to electronic issues, Space Shuttle Endeavour successfully launched today for its final mission before the space shuttle program is retired. Endeavour is to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the International Space Station which, according to a statement by the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, is “a state-of-the-art particle physics detector.”

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), though severely wounded in the January 2011 Tucson Shootings, was healthy enough to make the trip to Cape Canaveral, Fla. to witness the launch. Her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, is the commander of the Endeavour for its final mission.

Following the launch, House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Ralph Hall (R-Texas) lauded the space shuttle program and NASA, saying that the program has “pushed the boundaries of science, space exploration, and engineering.”

After Endeavour’s mission, there will be only one more flight to the International Space Station. Hall expressed regret over that, stating that the program “will be missed after it is retired.”