Space Shuttle Landing: Endeavour safely at 10:48 am EDT

by Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke | July 31, 2009 at 06:30 am

404 views | 69 Recommendations | 13 comments

Julie Payette said her farewells to her fellow Canadian Robert Thirsk on the International Space Station and has started it's return to earth.

The shuttle landed in Florida at 10:48 am EDT.

Endeavour spend 16 days in space, including 11 at the International Space Station.

During the mission the shuttle and station crews installed a porch-like structure used to conduct experiments exposed to the harsh conditions of outer space — the third and final major component to Japan's Kibo laboratory.

STS-127 was the 127th space shuttle mission, the 23rd flight for Endeavour and the 29th shuttle visit to the station.
PER NASA: Five Minutes

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:43:52 AM EDT

Endeavour continues on its prescribed landing path toward Kennedy. Polansky will guide the shuttle along the heading alignment cylinder in about two minutes.
Endeavour at Mach 2.5

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:42:12 AM EDT

The shuttle has slowed to Mach 2.5. Six minutes to landing.
#
10 Minutes to Landing

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:38:22 AM EDT
# Endeavour will glide over Cuba before heading up Florida's Atlantic coast oin its way to Kennedy. Landing is still on schedule for 10:48 p.m. Shuttle is 443,000 feet above Earth.
#
Roll Reversal

Moving at 11,000 mph and slowing, Endeavour is turning to the right now to conclude a sweeping S-turn that helps the shuttle dissipate speed and energy. 450 miles to go.

The Shuttle Endeavour is on its way back. Mission Control gave a " go" for deorbit burn. It is scheduled to touchdown on Runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center in about 20 minutes at 10:48 PM Eastern.

PER NASA:Endeavour has completed its deorbit burn and begun the descent towards NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The shuttle is set to land at about 10:48 a.m. ED

The space shuttle Endeavour has fired its engines and begun its descent from orbit in preparation for a Friday morning landing, which was executed safely at 10:48 EDT.

Endeavour, carrying Canadian astronaut Julie Payette and six other crew members,landed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., at about 10:48 a.m. ET.

Endeavour, which left Earth on July 15, spent 16 days in space, including 11 days at the International Space Station.

During the mission, shuttle and station crews installed a porch-like structure used to conduct experiments exposed to the harsh conditions of outer space — the third and final major component to Japan's Kibo laboratory.

The shuttle mission was a milestone for Canada, as it marked the first time two Canadians worked together in space.

3 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend This comment thread is now closed

Blue Crush

at 06:49 on July 31st, 2009

Picture perfect landing, right on time!

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 06:54 on July 31st, 2009

It sure was. Nice to see a successful completion. This should have been the last mission of the Space shuttle.

Amy Judd

at 07:23 on July 31st, 2009

Thank you for doing this story - good coverage.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 07:28 on July 31st, 2009

You're welcome :)

Jarrett Martineau

at 08:02 on July 31st, 2009

Thanks for this.

WillieW (not verified)

at 08:26 on July 31st, 2009

With the economy in such bad shape, maybe NASA should scale back operations for a while. We need to focus on fixing the problems on Earth! Regardless, I applaud NASA and the shuttle crew for their great work.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 08:48 on July 31st, 2009

Thanks for you comments Willie:)

Iffy (not verified)

at 09:05 on July 31st, 2009

They seem just to go up there and do repairs. What is the point of these missions anymore? There seems to be no ambition or purpose...And have we learned anything new, science-wise? We need to stop being distracted by the technological achievement of getting into space (a hump that was surpassed in the 1960s), and the obvious bravery of astronauts willing to get on board a flying piece of junk like the Space Shuttle, and see what the point is. Why have they not built a mega-transit station for space flights and exploration in the space between moon and earth? And the Canadians and that arm: come on, nobody bangs on about the toilets or the microwave ovens...

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 09:11 on July 31st, 2009

Iffy do I detect a bit of cynicism:). Thanks for your comments.

patgarcia

at 11:32 on July 31st, 2009

I´m glad everything went well.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 11:34 on July 31st, 2009

Thank very much for commenting Pat:)

158

at 11:47 on July 31st, 2009

Congratulations on a successful mission

Iffy (not verified)

at 12:33 on July 31st, 2009

Just ambition: we can do so much better. We have achieved next to nothing since the moon landings. That is sad. Space should be opened up like Silicon Valley and let people really have a crack at making big achievements.