Space Shuttle Endeavour (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-105) is a retired orbiter from NASA'sSpace Shuttle program and the fifth and final operational shuttle built. The United States Congress authorized the construction of Endeavour in 1987 to replace Challenger, which was lost in 1986 when it broke up 73 seconds after launch. It was named after the British HMS Endeavour, the ship which took Captain James Cook on his first voyage of discovery (1768–1771). It embarked on its first mission, STS-49, in May 1992 and its 25th and final mission, STS-134, in May 2011. Since 2012 it is housed in the Samuel Oschin Pavilion of California Science Center in Los Angeles, California.
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