A Space Shuttle's Final Endeavour
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Aug. 11, 2007: Backdropped by a blue and white Earth and the blackness of space, Space Shuttle Endeavour docked with the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station during the STS-118 mission's third planned session of extravehicular activity. (NASA)
March 11, 2008: Clouds of smoke and steam envelop space shuttle Endeavour as it roars into the night sky from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. (NASA/ Jim Grossman)
Aug. 11, 2007: Backdropped by the blackness of space and Earth's horizon, Space Shuttle Endeavour, docked to the Pressurized Mating Adapter on the International Space Station, is featured in this photograph taken during the mission's first planned spacewalk. (NASA)
Dec. 10, 2008: The modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft carrying the Space Shuttle Endeavour soars aloft from Edwards Air Force Base on the first leg of its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center just after sunrise. (NASA / Jim Ross)
Feb. 6, 2010: At Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, clouds wisp in the blue sky above space shuttle Endeavour following retraction of the rotating service structure. (NASA / Troy Cryder)
March 1, 2011: In preparation for STS-134, a large yellow, metal sling lifts space shuttle Endeavour from the transfer aisle into a high bay of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the bay, the shuttle was attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. (NASA/Frankie Martin)
March 11, 2008: Space shuttle Endeavour raced into space to begin the STS-123 mission. (NASA/David Bortnick)
Feb. 9, 2010: Backdropped by the blackness of space, space shuttle Endeavour was photographed by the Expedition 22 crew as the shuttle approached the International Space Station during STS-130 rendezvous and docking operations. The Tranquility node can be seen in the shuttle's payload bay. (NASA)
July 15, 2009: Billows of smoke and steam infused with the fiery light from space shuttle Endeavour's launch on the STS-127 mission fill NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A. (NASA/Sandra Joseph, Kevin O'Connell)
Dec. 7, 2002: Space Shuttle Endeavour touches down on runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) after completing the 13-day, 18-hour, 48-minute, 5.74-million mile STS-113 mission to the International Space Station. In the background is a well known KSC landmark: the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building. (NASA)
Feb. 9, 2010: In a very unique setting over Earth's colorful horizon, the silhouette of the space shuttle Endeavour is featured in this photo by an Expedition 22 crew member on board the International Space Station, as the shuttle approached for its docking during the STS-130 mission. (NASA)
March 11, 2008: Trailing columns of fire, space shuttle Endeavour hurtles into the night sky, on the STS-123 mission. The crew made a record-breaking 16-day mission to the International Space Station and delivered the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre. (NASA/Jerry Cannon, Rusty Backer)