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{{Short description|Retired Space Shuttle orbiter (1992–2011)}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Italic title|string=Endeavour}}
{{Infobox individual space vehicle
| name = ''Endeavour''
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[[File:Endeavour silhouette STS-130.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|''Endeavour'' appears to straddle the [[stratosphere]] and [[mesosphere]] in this 2010 photo taken from the [[International Space Station]]]]
Following the loss of ''Challenger'', in 1986, NASA was authorized to begin the procurement process for a replacement orbiter. A major refit of the prototype orbiter [[Space Shuttle Enterprise|''Enterprise'']] was looked at and rejected on cost grounds, with instead the cache of structural spares that were produced as part of the construction of [[Space Shuttle Discovery|''Discovery'']] and [[Space Shuttle Atlantis|''Atlantis'']] earmarked for assembly into the new orbiter. Assembly was completed in July 1990, and the new orbiter was rolled out in April 1991. As part of the process, NASA ran a national competition for schools to name the new orbiter—the criteria included a requirement that it be named after an exploratory or research vessel, with a name "easily understood in the context of space"; entries included an essay about the name, the story behind it and why it was appropriate for a NASA shuttle, and the project that supported the name. Amongst the entries, ''Endeavour'' was suggested by one-third of the participating schools, with [[George H.W. Bush|President George H.W. Bush]] eventually selecting it on the advice of the NASA Administrator, [[Richard H. Truly|Richard Truly]]. The national winners were Senatobia Middle School in [[Senatobia, Mississippi]], in the elementary division and [[Tallulah Falls School]] in [[Tallulah Falls, Georgia]], in the upper school division. They were honored at several ceremonies in Washington, D.C., including a White House ceremony where President Bush presented awards to each school.<ref name="nasa.gov">{{Cite web |title=The Naming Of The Space Shuttle Endeavour |url=http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/stseducation/stories/F_The_Naming_of_Space_Shuttle_Endeavour.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823104253/http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/stseducation/stories/F_The_Naming_of_Space_Shuttle_Endeavour.html |archive-date=August 23, 2011 |access-date=June 30, 2011 |publisher=NASA}}</ref> ''Endeavour'' was delivered by [[Rockwell International]] Space Transportation Systems Division in May 1991 and first launched a year later, in May 1992, on [[STS-49]].
The orbiter is named after the British [[HMS Endeavour|HMS ''Endeavour'']], the ship which took Captain [[James Cook]] on his [[First voyage of James Cook|first voyage]] of discovery (1768–1771).<ref>[http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/Endeavour.html John F. Kennedy Space Center – Space Shuttle ''Endeavour''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521101826/http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/endeavour.html |date=May 21, 2011 }}. Pao.ksc.nasa.gov. Retrieved on May 20, 2012.</ref> This is why the name is spelled in the [[British English]] manner, rather than the [[American English]] ("Endeavor"). This has caused confusion, including when NASA itself misspelled a sign on the launch pad in 2007.<ref name="spellingoops">{{Cite web |title=Shuttle's Name Misspelled On NASA Launch Pad Sign |url=http://www.local6.com/technology/13675075/detail.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070716003421/http://www.local6.com/technology/13675075/detail.html |archive-date=July 16, 2007 |publisher=[[WKMG-TV]]}}</ref> The Space Shuttle carried a piece of the original wood from Cook's ship inside the cockpit.<ref>[http://www.dailybreeze.com/general-news/20120912/125000-see-endeavour-land-satellite-rescue-highlights-maiden-trip 125,000 see Endeavour land: Satellite rescue highlights maiden trip]. [[Daily Breeze]]. Retrieved on July 21, 2015.</ref> The name also honored ''Endeavour'', the [[Apollo command and service module|command module]] of [[Apollo 15]], which was also named for Cook's ship.
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