(Sen) - The Space Shuttle Endeavour's mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is the penultimate flight of NASA's space shuttle. Mission number STS-134 – the 134th flight of the space shuttle - launched from the Kennedy Space Centre, USA on 16 May 2011.
On board Endeavour is the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), designed to search for various types of unusual matter by measuring cosmic rays. Its experiments are designed to help researchers study the formation of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter.
Endeavour also will fly the “Expedite the Processing of Experiment to Space Station” (Express) Logistics Carrier 3 (ELC-3), a platform that carries spare parts that will sustain space station operations once the shuttles are retired from service.
The 16 day mission to the ISS will include four space walks.
The STS-134 crew members are Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Gregory H. Johnson and Mission Specialists Michael Fincke, Greg Chamitoff, Andrew Feustel and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori
This will be the 36th shuttle mission to the International Space Station.
Endeavour is the youngest of the Space Shuttles and flew its first mission, STS-49 19 years ago on 7 May 1992.