1673, 1686 UNITED STATES (Florida) - Space Shuttle Endeavour at Kennedy Space Center

1673 UNITED STATES (Florida) - Kennedy Space Center
Space Shuttle Endeavour approaches Launch Pad 39A

Posted on 16.06.2015, 21.06.2015
Space Shuttle Endeavour (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-105) is a retired orbiter from NASA's Space 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.

1686 UNITED STATES (Florida) - Kennedy Space Center
Space Shuttle Endeavour roars into space
on mission STS-99

As it was constructed later, Endeavour was built with new hardware designed to improve and expand orbiter capabilities. Most of this equipment was later incorporated into the other three orbiters during out-of-service major inspection and modification programs. The first African-American woman astronaut, Mae Jemison, was brought into space on the mission STS-47 on September 12, 1992. Over the course of its 19-year spaceflight career, Endeavour logged nearly 123 million miles (198 million kilometers) and zipped around the Earth more than 4,600 times.

About the stamps
On the postcard 1673
The first stamp is part of the definitives series American Design (2002-2007), about which I wrote here. The second is the first of three stamps of a civil rights series, about which I wrote here. The third stamp, dedicated to Lydia Mendoza (1916-2007), is part of the series Music Icons, about which I wrote here. The last is part of the series Medal of Honor: World War II, about which I wrote here.

On the postcard 1686
About the first stamp, depicting the president Abraham Lincoln, I wrote here. The last two stamps are the series Medal of Honor: World War II, about which I wrote here.

References
Space Shuttle Endeavour - Wikipedia
Space Shuttle Endeavour - California Science Center official website

Sender 1673, 1686: Denise
1673: Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 20.01.2014
1686: Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 24.03.2014