CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Space shuttle Endeavour in addition to its half a dozen astronauts returned to be able to Earth early Wednesday, closing out that next-to-last mission throughout NASA's 30-year plan using a secure middle-of-the-night landing.
Endeavour glided straight down onto that runway a single final moment less than your covers of darkness, simply just because Atlantis, a final shuttle limited pertaining to space, found the launch pad for that grand finale in several weeks.
Commander Mark Kelly whose wife, hurt Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, continued to be behind during the woman rehab facility throughout Houston added Endeavour with a halt ahead of 100s of onlookers which included that some Atlantis astronauts who'll take flight journey within July. He waited several hours before labelling her, so he probably would not wake your ex up.
Endeavour, the youngest with the shuttles along with 123 million miles above 25 flights, is currently bound for just a museum within California, shipment released earlier next year.
"Your landing stops a new lively legacy in this wonderful vehicle that will longer end up being remembered," Mission Control informed Kelly along with his crewmates, that bandaged upwards U.S. construction at the International Space Station during the mission.
"It's sorry to find your ex area to the last time," Kelly replied, "but she truly has an incredible legacy."
Thousands crammed Kennedy Space Center a new few time before to find out Atlantis generate it is approach to that establish pad, the final such trek ever before by a shuttle. Employees plus their families covered the actual road Tuesday night as Atlantis crept out of the Vehicle Assembly Building somewhat immediately after sunset, bathed within xenon lights.
"The demonstrate really a great deal tells itself," Atlantis' commander, Christopher Ferguson, explained seeing that he waved in the direction of their ship. "We're going to glimpse with this final assignment because some sort of party of their the fact that living space shuttle offers accomplished above their 30-year existence span."
Bright lamps in addition illuminated that obtaining remove with regard to Kelly, that made that 25th nights landing outside of a total regarding 134 shuttle flights.
The Endeavour astronauts all experienced spacemen left that 220-mile-high orbiting outpost covering the weekend. They set up a $2 million cosmic ray detector, a strong proxy hug you as well as a principle brimming with sacrifice parts, plenty of to help keep the trail station working in the shuttle-less decade ahead.
Their trip survived 16 times in addition to completed NASA's function while in the room station design effort that will begun over twelve month period decades ago.
The public tally regarding Endeavour, after nineteen years of flight, has been 170 team members, 299 days in space, 4,671 orbits with Earth in addition to 122,883,151 miles.
Kelly was the final astronaut for you to exit Endeavour. He and his crew posed for pictures along with signed autographs to the runway. Astronaut Gregory Chamitoff seemed to be consequently wobbly out of weightlessness in which your dog must end up being reinforced by simply a couple of colleagues, although he or she has been determined to join in the actual event.
As Kelly thanked his or her crewmates continue to exist NASA TV for his or her flawless performance, co-pilot Gregory Johnson leaned over to shout into the mike, "And each of our commander, we would like to thank him, too." Johnson and also the remaining of the team had been openly supportive, over your months, about Kelly's determination to help stick with this flight, even with their wife's serious injury.
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