By Whatever Name, Shuttle Set To Blast Off August 7

Space Shuttle Endeavour is in place at Launch Pad 39A, after an overnight journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building -- the first time the orbiter has seen a launch pad in over five years.

Moving at less than one mile an hour atop the crawler-transporter, the shuttle assembly began the 3.4-mile trip at 2010 EDT June 10, and arrived at the pad at 0230 July 11. Endeavour was "hard down" -- or secured in place -- on the pad at 0302. The first launch attempt is scheduled for August 7.

Endeavour is the third of NASA's three remaining shuttles to return to the skies after the reentry loss of Columbia in February 2003. Reuters reports In the time since Endeavour's last flight in November 2002, the orbiter underwent a heavy refit, and maintenance overhaul.

"We have made good use of that time," said deputy shuttle program manager Kim Doering.

Among Endeavour's updates is a new system designed to allow the orbiter to hook into the electrical system onboard the International Space Station. Providing the power transfer system works properly -- which is not a certainty, considering the difficulties experienced onboard the ISS following the connection of new solar panels to the station during the last assembly mission -- NASA plans to extend Endeavour's 11-day mission to two weeks.

During the STS-118 mission, Endeavour will carry into orbit the S5 truss, SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3. If NASA extends the mission, the crew will use the extra time to finish preparing the ISS for the arrival of laboratories built by Europe and Japan in the following months.

It's Not Rocket Science, It's Spelling

Quick quiz: Why is "Endeavour" spelled the way it is, instead of the conventional American English spelling, "endeavor?"

The orbiter -- the last shuttle to be built, as a replacement for the lost Challenger -- was named following a nationwide competition between elementary and secondary schools. The name comes from the HM Bark Endeavour, the 18th century ship commanded by British explorer James Cook -- hence, the Old English spelling. The name also graced one other NASA spacecraft -- the Command Module of Apollo 15.

That small history lesson -- courtesy of Wikipedia, and roughly three minutes of online verification -- was lost on some NASA employees, however, who made up a quick banner to celebrate the shuttle's return to the launch pad.

"Go Endeavor!" the banner reads, reports the Houston Chronicle.

Well, we're sure the STS-118 crew appreciates the sentiment, nonetheless.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/shuttle