1 00:00:03,870 --> 00:00:05,620 \h Music 2 00:00:05,620 --> 00:00:11,330 \h MARK KELLY/STS-134 COMMANDER: "It's a bittersweet privilege to be taking Endeavour on its last flight, 3 00:00:11,330 --> 00:00:17,050 \h delivering the last major piece to the ISS." 4 00:00:17,050 --> 00:00:20,370 \h BRUCE MELNICK/STS-41 and STS-49: "I was there before we put the wings on it. It was just... 5 00:00:20,370 --> 00:00:23,600 \h So it was almost like it was my baby." 6 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:24,930 \h BOB CABANA/DIRECTOR, KENNEDY SPACE CENTER: "That space station assembly mission 7 00:00:24,930 --> 00:00:26,740 \h was perfect from start to finish. 8 00:00:26,740 --> 00:00:31,730 \h And a lot of that was Endeavour. It just... phenomenal vehicle." 9 00:00:31,730 --> 00:00:32,960 \h MICHAEL PARRISH/USA VEHICLE OPERATIONS CHIEF, ENDEAVOUR: "The eagle represents 10 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:34,500 \h the United States of America. 11 00:00:34,500 --> 00:00:42,180 \h It's something that we're proud of. See now, that's our bird. That's the eagle." 12 00:00:42,180 --> 00:00:48,120 \h After nearly two decades of achievements in space, Endeavour makes one last reach for the stars on 13 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:50,950 \h its 25th and final mission. 14 00:00:50,950 --> 00:00:56,400 \h Endeavour is traveling to the International Space Station with six veteran space fliers: 15 00:00:56,400 --> 00:01:01,800 \h Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Greg H. Johnson, and Mission Specialists Mike Fincke, 16 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:09,430 \h Drew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and Roberto Vittori from Italy, representing the European Space Agency. 17 00:01:09,430 --> 00:01:13,200 \h MARK KELLY/STS-134 COMMANDER: "Well, I'm the commander of STS-134. We've got a whole list of mission 18 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:19,990 \h objectives, probably 30 things on the list, but the big objective is to get the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 19 00:01:19,990 --> 00:01:23,640 \h installed on the outside of the space station." 20 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:31,100 \h The 15,000-pound AMS is a massive particle physics detector that will attach to the International Space Station. 21 00:01:31,100 --> 00:01:37,350 \h Its job: to search through cosmic rays, looking for proof of dark matter and anti-matter. 22 00:01:37,350 --> 00:01:40,030 \h GREG CHAMITOFF/STS-134 MISSION SPECIALIST: "In my mind this is like the Hubble Space Telescope. 23 00:01:40,030 --> 00:01:45,980 \h It has the same type of potential for revolutionizing our understanding of the universe." 24 00:01:45,980 --> 00:01:51,720 \h They're also delivering critical spare parts to help keep the station up and running for years to come, 25 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:55,480 \h along with the shuttle's Orbiter Boom Sensor System. 26 00:01:55,480 --> 00:02:00,140 \h Feustel, Fincke and Chamitoff will rotate through four spacewalks -- 27 00:02:00,140 --> 00:02:05,480 \h the last performed by shuttle crew members for the remainder of the Space Shuttle Program. 28 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:11,750 \h And when Endeavour makes its final touchdown on the runway, it will end a storied flying career 29 00:02:11,750 --> 00:02:16,130 \h for the youngest of NASA's shuttle orbiters. 30 00:02:16,130 --> 00:02:18,900 \h Even Endeavour's beginnings were unique. 31 00:02:18,900 --> 00:02:21,970 \h It was built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, 32 00:02:21,970 --> 00:02:26,510 \h and named for the first ship commanded by explorer James Cook. 33 00:02:26,510 --> 00:02:32,290 \h At the time of the Challenger accident, astronaut Barbara Morgan was part of the Teacher in Space Program, 34 00:02:32,290 --> 00:02:39,030 \h serving as back-up to teacher Christa McAuliffe, who launched aboard Challenger on that fateful day in 1986. 35 00:02:39,030 --> 00:02:41,840 \h BARBARA MORGAN/STS-118 Mission Specialist "I think Endeavour in particular, because she was named by 36 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:47,470 \h schoolchildren all over the country, that really shows a carrying on and a moving forward, 37 00:02:47,470 --> 00:02:54,170 \h and how open-ended and never-ending that future can be." 38 00:02:54,170 --> 00:02:59,830 \h Like all shuttle orbiters before it, Endeavour was built by Rockwell in Palmdale, California. 39 00:02:59,830 --> 00:03:04,220 \h That's where astronaut Bruce Melnick's bond with Endeavour began. 40 00:03:04,220 --> 00:03:07,570 \h BRUCE MELNICK/Astronaut, STS-41 and STS-49: "My first job as an astronaut, even before I was a qualified 41 00:03:07,570 --> 00:03:13,430 \h astronaut, was to represent the astronaut office out in Palmdale, where Endeavour was being built. 42 00:03:13,430 --> 00:03:19,500 \h So I got to see her being built from scratch to finish, got to see the wings put on, and it's amazing." 43 00:03:19,500 --> 00:03:25,560 \h The nation's brand-new space shuttle was delivered to Kennedy Space Center on May 7, 1991 -- 44 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:28,500 \h exactly one year before its maiden flight. 45 00:03:28,500 --> 00:03:30,570 \h MICHAEL PARRISH/USA VEHICLE OPERATIONS CHIEF, ENDEAVOUR: "It was great to see Endeavour come in. 46 00:03:30,570 --> 00:03:34,640 \h We knew why it was coming... because it was replacing Challenger. 47 00:03:34,640 --> 00:03:38,880 \h So it was going to be the new fleet leader and the new kid on the block." 48 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:45,590 \h Melnick was on Endeavour's first flight, STS-49. The seven-person crew faced an ambitious, 49 00:03:45,590 --> 00:03:49,630 \h eight-day mission to repair the stranded Intelsat VI satellite. 50 00:03:49,630 --> 00:03:52,950 \h MELNICK: "I'll never forget when Dan Brandenstein, who was the chief astronaut at the time, 51 00:03:52,950 --> 00:03:57,840 \h asked me if I wanted to be on the first flight of Endeavour. 52 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:02,800 \h I mean, you could hear me hooting and hollering, because that was going to be the premiere mission at the time." 53 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:07,430 \h Endeavour made history again during the last shuttle mission of 1993, 54 00:04:07,430 --> 00:04:12,860 \h when seven astronauts upgraded the Hubble Space Telescope -- and improved its vision. 55 00:04:12,860 --> 00:04:18,070 \h It was an extremely complex flight, involving five back-to-back spacewalks. 56 00:04:18,070 --> 00:04:21,180 \h And in the end, all the hard work paid off. 57 00:04:21,180 --> 00:04:26,260 \h The telescope's new, second-generation Wide Field and Planetary Camera beamed back grand 58 00:04:26,260 --> 00:04:29,110 \h images taken with dazzling clarity. 59 00:04:29,110 --> 00:04:33,690 \h And Endeavour helped to carry the load in the construction of the International Space Station -- 60 00:04:33,690 --> 00:04:39,140 \h including the very first shuttle flight to the fledgling outpost, STS-88. 61 00:04:39,140 --> 00:04:44,370 \h Endeavour delivered the American Unity module, and astronauts connected it to the Russian Zarya 62 00:04:44,370 --> 00:04:48,360 \h module already in place -- and the station was born. 63 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:52,730 \h Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana commanded that cornerstone flight. 64 00:04:52,730 --> 00:04:56,540 \h BOB CABANA/DIRECTOR, KENNEDY SPACE CENTER: "I have to admit, you know, because I got to command 65 00:04:56,540 --> 00:05:01,370 \h Endeavour on that first space station assembly mission, I'm a little partial to Endeavour." 66 00:05:01,370 --> 00:05:08,580 \h But less than three years later, the nation was stunned by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. 67 00:05:08,580 --> 00:05:12,230 \h On December 5, all eyes turned to Kennedy Space Center, where Endeavour 68 00:05:12,230 --> 00:05:16,460 \h waited to make the first flight after the tragedy. 69 00:05:16,460 --> 00:05:19,530 \h DOMINIC GORIE/STS-108 COMMANDER: "Mike, first, we'd like to say thank you to the entire KSC team 70 00:05:19,530 --> 00:05:24,590 \h for getting Endeavour in great shape. And secondly, from the entire crew, we're all well aware that 71 00:05:24,590 --> 00:05:30,630 \h for over 200 years, and certainly over the last two months, freedom rings loud and clear across this country. 72 00:05:30,630 --> 00:05:35,270 \h But right here and right now, it's time to let freedom roar. Let's light 'em up." 73 00:05:35,270 --> 00:05:39,870 \h LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: "Two, one... we have booster ignition and liftoff of the space shuttle Endeavour, 74 00:05:39,870 --> 00:05:44,470 \h pushing our goals skyward and using our station in space." 75 00:05:44,470 --> 00:05:50,590 \h Endeavour lifted the nation's spirits with a spectacular launch... at the twilight's last gleaming. 76 00:05:50,590 --> 00:05:56,530 \h After two more flights, Endeavour entered an extended down time for planned maintenance and upgrades, 77 00:05:56,530 --> 00:06:01,950 \h including the new "glass cockpit" and a global positioning system for landing. 78 00:06:01,950 --> 00:06:06,150 \h PARRISH: "I think the missions you remember the most are the missions that were the toughest 79 00:06:06,150 --> 00:06:07,000 \h to get there. 80 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:11,050 \h But we met our goals on the way. You know, we powered up in time after coming out 81 00:06:11,050 --> 00:06:16,030 \h of a major powered-down period, and the major upgrades with the glass cockpit." 82 00:06:16,030 --> 00:06:22,770 \h The newly upgraded orbiter returned to service in August 2007 on the STS-118 mission. 83 00:06:22,770 --> 00:06:27,420 \h Morgan flew as a mission specialist and recalls watching an orbital sunrise. 84 00:06:27,420 --> 00:06:31,020 \h MORGAN: "I looked back up at the horizon again, and there was a crescent moon. 85 00:06:31,020 --> 00:06:36,300 \h And it literally seemed, even though you can't, it's not this easy to do, but it 86 00:06:36,300 --> 00:06:40,320 \h literally seemed all we had to do was yank on the tiller, take a right turn, and sail 87 00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:41,510 \h straight to the moon. 88 00:06:41,510 --> 00:06:46,070 \h And that's when I really understood how natural, and how right, space exploration, 89 00:06:46,070 --> 00:06:51,610 \h human space exploration, is. And Endeavour played a big part of that." 90 00:06:51,610 --> 00:06:56,630 \h STS-134 will be Endeavour's 12th flight to the International Space Station. 91 00:06:56,630 --> 00:07:00,660 \h One of its most memorable deliveries was its most recent: the cupola, 92 00:07:00,660 --> 00:07:13,880 \h with seven windows offering astronauts a room with a captivating view of their home world. 93 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:17,880 \h After 30 years, the shuttle program is coming to a close. 94 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:20,640 \h MELNICK: "When you look up and you see that vehicle take off the launch pad, I mean, 95 00:07:20,640 --> 00:07:25,420 \h it's just such a sense of pride, and you feel the shockwaves hitting you in the chest, 96 00:07:25,420 --> 00:07:31,220 \h and it just vibrates you, it just brings a tear to your eye that we're a part of that program. 97 00:07:31,220 --> 00:07:36,660 \h And then to see Endeavour go up -- the last ship that I flew, and I was on her maiden voyage, 98 00:07:36,660 --> 00:07:41,940 \h and she treated us so well -- to see her go into space for the last time, knowing that 99 00:07:41,940 --> 00:07:48,090 \h she's going to be retired after this flight, is going to be a real sad day." 100 00:07:48,090 --> 00:07:51,740 \h PARRISH: "The vehicles we see -- every one of the vehicles, including Endeavour, 101 00:07:51,740 --> 00:07:54,900 \h and Discovery, and Atlantis -- they're all part of us. 102 00:07:54,900 --> 00:07:59,580 \h And they all are, you know... they're alive. And they represent each and every 103 00:07:59,580 --> 00:08:02,870 \h one of us that have worked on them." 104 00:08:02,870 --> 00:08:06,540 \h The close-knit shuttle processing team is adjusting to the shuttle's end, 105 00:08:06,540 --> 00:08:10,270 \h while still maintaining laser-sharp focus on the job. 106 00:08:10,270 --> 00:08:12,230 \h DANA HUTCHERSON/NASA FLOW DIRECTOR, ENDEAVOUR "Personally, we do have to think about putting 107 00:08:12,230 --> 00:08:18,200 \h our emotions aside. We have our job number one, which is to get this vehicle prepared safely 108 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:22,880 \h for the mission at hand with the STS-134 launch." 109 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:30,290 \h But the toughest moment will be that final wheelstop... when Endeavour returns to Earth for good. 110 00:08:30,290 --> 00:08:33,460 \h COMMANDER: "Houston, Endeavour, wheelstop." 111 00:08:33,460 --> 00:08:36,590 \h MISSION CONTROL: "Roger, wheelstop, Endeavour. Welcome home." 112 00:08:36,590 --> 00:08:39,690 \h CABANA: "I didn't want to get out of the seat! I mean, this was my spaceship! 113 00:08:39,690 --> 00:08:44,120 \h You know, that really, that was hard, getting out -- in fact of all the things I've done, 114 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:51,200 \h that was hard, getting out of that seat and giving Endeavour back to the team. That was tough." 115 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:56,470 \h PARRISH: "When Endeavour flies for the last time, it will show respect for everything that 116 00:08:56,470 --> 00:09:03,260 \h we've done for many, many years. We love the shuttle program and we love this vehicle.