Endeavour returns to Cape Canaveral

Endeavour landed on a coastal runway at Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida at 10:20 pm. The night-time landing, which is a rarity, took many by surprise as conjectures were being made about delay due to clouds and rains. However, the sky cleared just in time for the touchdown.

To space and back
Before landing on the canal-lined runway, the 100-ton ship circled over the Kennedy Space Centre in order to lower down its speed. Endeavour took 217 orbits around Earth and traveled 5.7 million miles during its two-week stint in space.

With this, 130th mission of the space shuttle fleet was accomplished. Upon its return, Endeavour landed at a three mile distance from the spot it had taken off from. Mission control withheld the go-ahead to return, to be given to Commander George Zamka till the last possible moment.

Talking to Zamka on a radio set, astronaut Rick Sturckow, from Mission Control in Houston, said “Welcome home. Congratulations to you and the crew on an outstanding mission."

"Houston, it's great to be home. It was a great adventure," Zamka replied.

The space station
The space station, located 220 miles (354 million km) above Earth has been under construction since 1998. Sixteen nations have collaborated for bringing up this $100 billion project.

The space shuttle was on a mission to establish the last connecting hub named Tranquility at the space station. It is meant to house resident station crew and contains an oxygen generator, exercise gear, water-recycling system, air scrubber and a toilet.

Endeavour’s eight-day stay at the space station was extended by a day so that visiting astronauts could assist with the ongoing work. Astronauts Robert Behnken and Nicholas Patrick, who were on-board Endeavour, set up new rooms at the station in three spacewalks. These rooms were the last significant elements to be added to the station.

Unparalleled view of earth
The space shuttle was also used to deliver dome-shaped observation deck fitted with seven windows. The astronauts said the view from the observation deck was “spectacular.”

"Arguably, mankind has been after this view for centuries, this perspective, this view of the world. We finally have it and we will take advantage and enjoy it," Zamka said after the installation was done.

Total mass of the space station has reached 90 per cent of its finishing weight and 98 per cent of its total volume with the installation of this new module.

Tranquility was put together in Italy under regulation of the European Space Agency and was traded to NASA for the shuttle launch of 2008 through which their Columbus research module was transported to the space station. The space shuttle has been named after the lunar landing site discovered by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969.