Space Shuttle Endeavour Crew Returns to Earth after Delivering the Last Major U.S. Portion of the International Space Station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour and six astronauts
ended a 14-day journey of more than 5.7 million miles with a 10:20
p.m. EST landing Sunday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The STS-130 mission to the International Space Station included three
spacewalks and the installation of the Tranquility node, a module
that provides additional room for crew members and many of the space
station's life support and environmental control systems. Attached to
Tranquility is a cupola with seven windows that offers a panoramic
view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecraft. Tranquility
and its cupola are the final major U.S. portions of the station. The
orbiting laboratory now is approximately 90 percent complete in terms
of mass.
George Zamka commanded the flight and was joined on the mission by
Pilot Terry Virts and Mission Specialists Kathryn Hire, Stephen
Robinson, Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken. A welcome ceremony for
the astronauts will be held Monday, Feb. 22, in Houston. The public
is invited to attend the 4 p.m. CST event at Ellington Field's NASA
Hangar 990.
Highlights from the ceremony will be broadcast on NASA Television's
Video File. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to
streaming video, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
With Endeavour and its crew safely home, the stage is set for launch
of shuttle Discovery on its STS-131 mission, targeted to lift off
April 5. Discovery's 13-day flight will deliver supplies, a new crew
sleeping quarters and science racks that will be transferred to the
station's laboratories.
For more about the STS-130 mission and the upcoming STS-131 flight,
visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
Two STS-131 crew members, NASA astronaut Clay Anderson and Naoko
Yamazaki of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, are tweeting
about preparing for their mission. For their Twitter feeds and other
NASA social media Web sites, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/connect
For information about the International Space Station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
Source: NASA
