Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992 launched on its second mission on Sept. 12 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
It was a historic mission - on board were the first black woman in space, Mae Jemison; the first married couple in space, Mark Lee and Jan Davis; and the first Japanese national to fly on a U.S. spaceship, Mamoru Mohri.
Payload specialist Mamoru Mohri, left, of Hokkaido, Japan, and Mission Specialist Mae Jemison of Chicago, Ill., walk together after arriving with the rest of the STS-47 crew, Sept. 9, 1992 at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Mohri is scheduled to be the first Japanese astronaut on a shuttle mission, while Jemison will be the first black woman aboard a shuttle when Endeavour lifts off Saturday. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)AP
The crew also included Commander Robert L. Gibson and Pilot Curtis Brown Jr. Lee, Davis, Jemison and Jay Apt were mission specialists. Mohri was a payload specialist.
Endeavour was the last space shuttle ever built. It was built after Challenger was destroyed on Jan. 28, 1986, when it exploded just after liftoff killing the seven astronauts including civilian school teacher Christa McAuliffe. Also killed were astronauts Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnik, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Michael Smith and Ellison Onizuka.
STS-47 Mission Specialists Mae Jemison, left, Jan Davis, center, and Payload Commander Mark Lee wave to photographers as they leave the operations and checkout building on the way to launch pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Sept. 12, 1992. Jemison is the first black woman to ride on the shuttle and Davis and Lee are the first married couple to fly together. (AP Photo/Peter Cosgrove)AP
The Endeavor crew performed microgravity investigations, according to NASA.
"Materials science investigations covered fields such as biotechnology, electronic materials, fluid dynamics and transport phenomena, glasses and ceramics, metals and alloys, and acceleration measurements. Life sciences included experiments on human health, cell separation and biology, developmental biology, animal and human physiology and behavior, space radiation and biological rhythms. Test subjects included the crew, Japanese koi fish, cultured animal and plant cells, chicken embryos, fruit flies, fungi and plant seeds, and frogs and frog eggs."
According to NASA, the crew was split into two teams so that experiments could be done around the clock.
The crew of STS-47, front row, from left; Pilot Curtis Brown, Mission Specialist Jay Apt, Commander Robert "Hoot" Gibson. Second row, from left; Mission Specialist Jan Davis, her husband Payload Commander Mark Lee. Back row, from left; Japan's Mamoru Mohri and Mae Jemison, leave the Operations and Checkout Building heading for Launch Pad 39-B and a launch aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, on Sept. 12, 1992 at the Kennedy Space Center. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)AP
Jemison received her doctorate in medicine from Cornell University in 1981. She worked as a general practitioner then spent several years with the Peace Corps. In 1987 she became one of 15 candidates selected to NASA’s astronaut program out of a field of 2,000 applicants. Endeavour was her only space voyage. She left NASA in March 1993.
Endeavor's mission last more than 7 days. It traveled 3.3 million miles and returned Sept. 20.
The crew of the space shuttle Endeavour share a laugh during the press conference, Sept. 17, 1992. The crew from left to right are payload commander Mark Lee, astronaut Mae Jemison; back row, Japanese astronaut Mamoru Mohri, flight engineer Jay Apt, astronaut Jan Davis; front row, commander Robert “Hoot” Gibson, and pilot Curtis Brown Jr. (AP Photo)AP
Space Shuttle Endeavour was retired in 2011 after 25 missions.
It was transported on the back of a NASA modified 747 carrier aircraft to California then moved over Los Angles city streets Oct. 12-13, 2012 to the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
The center describes the move on its website:
“Moving space shuttle Endeavour across the United States was a massive undertaking. Endeavour first flew on the back of a Boeing 747 from Cape Canaveral, Florida to Edwards Air Force Base in California, while making several stops along the way. After arrival, Endeavour honored many California landmarks as it flew over the State from Sacramento to Southern California while onlookers marveled at the sight all along the way. After landing at Los Angeles International Airport, the biggest adventure was yet to come, transporting Endeavour through the heart of urban Los Angeles to its new home at the California Science Center. At 78 feet wide, 57 feet high and 122 feet long — longer than two school buses — navigating the streets of Los Angeles and Inglewood required the guidance and skill of over 100 people. Police controlled traffic; engineers and technicians lifted power lines and took down traffic lights while approximately 1.5 million people lined the sidewalks to celebrate the event. Photographers and filmmakers were on hand to document this once-in-forever moment in history.”
Space Shuttle Endeavour on Crenshaw Blvd. enroute to the California Science Center during its final journey in Los Angeles, Calif., on October 13, 2012. During the two-day journey, the 170,000-pound spacecraft will travel at no more than 2 mph along a 12-mile route from LAX to it's final home at the California Science Center. NASA's Space Shuttle Program ended in 2011 after 30 years and 135 missions. (AP Photo/Jeff Gritchen, Pool)AP
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