Historic Endeavour to carry 500th person into space

by Stevie Smith - Jun 15 2009, 15:20

Safely clamped to its launch pad in Florida while NASA engineers labour to fix a problematic hydrogen leak connected to its fuel tank, the space shuttle Endeavour is on the verge of making a little space-faring history not directly connected to its mission.

Specifically, Scientific American has reported that, once Endeavour finally reaches orbit, mission member and former U.S. Navy commander Chris Cassidy will become the 500th human to successfully make the journey into outer space.

Interestingly, while the Endeavour will be carrying a total of four first-time astronauts, the crew of seven have agreed that 39-year-old Cassidy should be the one bestowed with the understated glory connected to the landmark flight.

Although every astronaut who makes the journey into space achieves something truly spectacular and memorable, some of the more notable space travellers include Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who made the very first manned trip into space in 1961, while Britain’s first astronaut, Helen Sharman, also became the 250th person in space when she travelled to the International Space Station (ISS) in 1991.

Originally expected to takeoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, June 13, the space shuttle Endeavour has now been grounded until at least Wednesday after a fuel leak was discovered.

If it does launch on Wednesday, Endeavour will deliver a fresh crew member to the ISS and will also see the crew of astronauts working to install an exterior experimental platform to the orbiting station, which will complete Japan’s space laboratory.

The Tech Herald: NASA plans Wednesday launch for stricken Endeavour

 

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