Space shuttle Endeavor last launch to be effected on Apr 29--NASA

NEW YORK, April 20 (Itar-Tass) - The last American space shuttle
Endeavor is to blast off from the space launch center on Cape Canaveral,
Florida, for the last time at 15:47 EST on April 29, NASA announced on
Tuesday.
Originally, the space shuttle launch was planned for April 19 but was
postponed in view of the need to avoidc conflict with the flight schedule
of the Russian resupply spacecraft Progress which is to lift off on April
27 for a journey to the International Space Station(ISS), with which it
will dock on April 29. NASA would like to avoid a situation in which the
Progress would dock with the ISS at a time when the Endeavor would be
already docked with it.
The space shuttle journey is expected to continue for 14 days, with
astronauts taking four spacewalks each lasting over six hours. The
forthcoming flight will be the Endeavor's 25th and last one. The space
shuttle has been in service with NASA for 19 years now. It logged 6,729
hours, 39 minutes and 44 seconds in space, revolving around the Earth
4,429 times and totaling a distance of 165 million and 39,417 km.
Following its return to Earth after the last flight, the Endeavor will be
turned over to one of American museums.
-0-pop