Amongst the collective weeping and gnashing of teeth over the difficulties replacing the 2011 iMac’s hard drive, it’s nice to hear that something is finally going well. After multiple delays, Space Shuttle Endeavor finally lifted off today at 7:56 AM CDT marking both its final flight and the second-to-last Space Shuttle mission.
Our friends with The Last Shuttle Project were there with their cameras and other equipment (undoubtedly including some OWC storage-related products) to capture it all. Here are a couple of low-resolutions shots of the Last Shuttle crew setting up their equipment and a rather unique road sign.
Endeavor’s two-week mission will include the delivery of the 15,000-pound Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and a spare parts container to the International Space Station. While the spare parts container’s ammonia tank, oxygen tank, circuit breakers, and antennas will go toward maintenance of the station, the AMS will gather information on charged particles that may go toward answering questions about dark matter and antimatter.
The final shuttle mission, STS-135, will be primarily to stock up the ISS on supplies that would be needed once the shuttle program is retired. This flight, with Space Shuttle Atlantis as the orbiter, is scheduled for is scheduled for July 12, 2011.
