News From Space!

The Shuttle crew have left Endeavour after their 6.6-million-mile journey. A post-landing news conference is scheduled for tonight at 10:30PM EDT. The astronaut’s news conference is scheduled for tomorrow at 1:30PM EDT.  NASA reports:

Endeavour Lands at Kennedy Space Center

Image above: A view of space shuttle Endeavour landing at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Credit: NASA TV

After undergoing brief medical checks, space shuttle Endeavour’s crew members are taking an up-close look at the orbiter that safely delivered them back to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida this evening. Guided by Commander Dominic Gorie and Pilot Gregory H. Johnson, the winged spacecraft landed at 8:39 p.m. EDT on Runway 15 at the center’s Shuttle Landing Facility.

Endeavour, Crew Land at Kennedy Space Center

Image above: This image reveals the Shuttle Landing Facility as seen from the cockpit of space shuttle Endeavour as the orbiter approached for landing. Image credit: NASA

The 16-day assembly mission was the longest flight to the International Space Station to date. Out of the shuttle’s 68 landings at Kennedy, STS-123 was the 16th to take place at night.

Landing video here, here and here. Discussion here. Status Report #33 here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.

“Welcome home Endeavour…congrats to the entire crew, to JAXA and the CSA on a very successful mission delivering the JLP and Dextre to their new home on ISS.”

Endeavour has landed at Kennedy Space Center, after a journey of 15 days, 18 hours, and 12 minutes. NASA reports:

Endeavour Lands at Kennedy Space Center

Image above: A view of space shuttle Endeavour landing at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Credit: NASA TV

With Commander Dominic Gorie and Pilot Gregory H. Johnson at the controls, space shuttle Endeavour glided to a picture perfect landing at Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

The STS-123 crew began its mission March 11 and arrived at the International Space Station March 12. The astronauts delivered the Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section (JLP), the first pressurized component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory to the station. The crew of Endeavour also delivered the final element of the station’s Mobile Servicing System, the Canadian-built Dextre, also known as the Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator.

Mission Specialists Richard Linnehan, Robert Behnken and Mike Foreman and Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman conducted five spacewalks. Three of them included tasks devoted to the assembly of Dextre and the installation of related equipment. Dextre works with the orbital outpost’s robotic arm and resembles a human upper torso stick figure.

Other spacewalk activities included work to unberth the JLP, installation of spare parts and tools, installation of a materials experiment, replacement of a circuit-breaker box and demonstration of a repair procedure for tiles of the shuttle’s heat shield.

The spacewalkers also stowed the Orbiter Boom Sensor System, the extension of the shuttle’s robotic arm, onto the station’s main truss during the fifth spacewalk. The Japanese pressurized module to be launched on STS-124 is too large to accommodate the boom sensor in space shuttle Discovery’s payload bay.

Astronaut Garrett Reisman officially joined the Expedition 16 crew, trading places with European Space Agency astronaut Léopold Eyharts, who returned to Earth aboard Endeavour after almost 50 days in space.

STS-123 is the 122nd shuttle mission and the 25th station assembly mission. The next mission, STS-124, is slated to launch in May.

Landing pics and video will be at KSC. Discussion here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.

Endeavour is streaking towards Earth, winding up a 16-day mission to the ISS. The Orbiter is heading for KSC’s Runway 15.  NASA reports:

Endeavour on the Way to Florida

Image above: This mid-range ground track shows space shuttle Endeavour’s projected path to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Image credit: NASA
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Space shuttle Endeavour and its crew of seven are officially on their way back to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida after overcoming gloomy weather earlier this evening. Touchdown is set for 8:39 p.m. EDT. The orbiter fired its two orbital maneuvering system engines at 7:33 p.m., slowing the vehicle just enough to begin its descent.

Farewell Ceremony video here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.

Endeavour’s first landing opportunity was waved off this afternoon. The second opportunity will result in a night landing at KSC. NASA reports:

STS-123 Landing Delayed

Image above: Space shuttle Endeavour’s second landing opportunity at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., occurs on orbit 249. Credit: NASA

Flight controllers decided to pass on Endeavour’s first landing opportunity today. The next opportunity is at 8:39 p.m. EDT.

STS-123 arrived at the station March 12, delivering the Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section, the first pressurized component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory, to the station. The crew of Endeavour also delivered the final element of the station’s Mobile Servicing System, the Canadian-built Dextre, also known as the Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator.

In addition the STS-123 astronauts delivered Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman, who replaced Léopold Eyharts, a European Space Agency astronaut, on the station.

STS-123 is the 122nd shuttle mission and 25th station assembly mission.

Media Resources
› STS-123 Landing Groundtracks
› STS-123 Execute Packages
› STS-123 TV Schedule
› STS-123 Press Kit (4.4 Mb PDF)
› STS-123 Fact Sheet (433 Kb PDF)

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Joint Crew News Conference video here. Discussion here. Status Report #32 here. NASA Landing Blog here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.