Space shuttle Endeavour landed at Florida's Kennedy Space Center on Friday with a touchdown at 3:48 p.m. BST, capping the 16-day STS-127 mission to the International Space Station. The shuttle began its descent from orbit with a deorbit engine firing at 2:41 p.m., followed by a smooth re-entry that brought the winged spacecraft across Central America, Cuba and the state of Florida on its way to the spaceport.

Endeavour launched July 15 at 11:03 p.m. BST from Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A. Highlighted by five spacewalks and intricate robotics work, the mission completed construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Astronauts attached a platform to the outside of the Japanese module that will allow experiments to be exposed to space.

"The folks that have worked this mission really deserve a lot of praise for what they got accomplished during the time that we were docked to the International Space Station," STS-127 Commander Mark Polansky said during an afternoon news conference Friday. "In addition to that, it's a tremendous pleasure and honor to bring back a great astronaut from Japan, Koichi Wakata."

Wakata returned from the station as a member of the STS-127 crew after serving as the outpost's flight engineer since March. Replacing him aboard the station is Flight Engineer Tim Kopra. When asked how he is handling the return to Earth, Wakata replied, "When the hatch opened, I smelled the grass from the ground and was glad to be back home. Still feeling a little shaky when I walk, but I'm feeling very good."

The 16-day mission showcased the international partnerships involved in the space station effort. Astronauts from five space agencies were on board the orbiting complex.

"It was truly an impressive demonstration of international collaboration all throughout this mission," said Canadian Space Agency Director General of Operations Benoit Marcotte.

The astronauts' return to Houston's Ellington Field is tentatively set for about 10 p.m. Saturday.

Endeavour Prepare for Friday Landing

Space shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to land at Florida's Kennedy Space Center on Friday with a touchdown at 3:48 p.m. BST. The shuttle would begin its descent from orbit with a deorbit engine firing at 2:42 p.m. Weather conditions at Kennedy are forecast to be favorable for landing, although a slight chance of rain is possible.

A second opportunity exists for a landing in Florida on Friday, beginning with a deorbit engine firing at 4:17 p.m., leading to a 5:22 p.m. touchdown. No other shuttle landing sites are being considered for a Friday landing. If weather prevents a landing Friday, alternate landing sites would be called up for Saturday’s landing opportunities.

Thursday, Endeavour Commander Mark Polansky and Pilot Doug Hurley checked out the systems the shuttle will use as it returns home, finding everything in excellent shape. The crew also deployed two pairs of small satellites from canisters in the shuttle’s payload bay.

STS 127 Mission

The 16-day mission will feature five spacewalks and complete construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Astronauts will attach a platform to the outside of the Japanese module that will allow experiments to be exposed to space.

The STS-127 crew members are Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Dave Wolf, Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Tim Kopra and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette. Kopra will join the space station crew and replace Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will return to Earth on Endeavour to conclude a three-month stay at the station.


Battery Replacements During Fourth Spacewalk

STS-127 Mission Specialists Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn will tackle a challenging 7 ½-hour spacewalk today to finish swapping out batteries for the International Space Station’s oldest set of solar arrays.

Their outing will be devoted entirely to finishing the work started on the third spacewalk of the mission – removing old batteries from the Port 6 truss structure and transferring new batteries from the Integrated Cargo Carrier on the end of the station’s robotic arm to the empty sockets on the truss.

Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialist Julie Payette will position Canadarm2 near the truss for the spacewalk and, once all of the battery swaps are complete, maneuver the carrier back into Endeavour’s cargo bay. That maneuver will require them to hand off the carrier to the shuttle’s arm for re-berthing by Hurley and Commander Mark Polansky.


Astronauts Conduct Kibo Robotics Work

Japan’s Koichi Wakata will inaugurate the use of Kibo’s robotic arm for scientific purposes today to install a trio of components on the station’s new “front porch.”

Today, the Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image experiment will be moved first, then the Inter-orbit Communication System and the Space Environment Data Acquisition Equipment-Attached Payload.

After the robotics are complete, the entire shuttle crew will field questions from television reporters.

While the crew slept, Mission Control updated Friday’s spacewalk plan. Mission Specialists Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn will swap all four of the remaining Port 6 batteries on the fourth of five spacewalks. In addition, they’ll install a camera on the Kibo porch that was deferred from the first spacewalk. Cassidy and Wolf completed two of the battery swaps on the third spacewalk, but had to end the excursion early because of rising carbon dioxide levels in Cassidy’s suit.

Shuttle Spacewalk and Plumbing Repairs on Historic Anniversary

A day of spacewalking and plumbing repair are in store for the Endeavour and Expedition 20 crews aboard the International Space Station. Today’s spacewalk will take place on the anniversary of the first moon walk by Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on July 20, 1969.

Expedition 20 commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Frank De Winne will begin replacing components of the Waste Hygiene Compartment toilet in the Destiny Laboratory.

Tim Kopra, the newest member of the Expedition 20 crew, will spend several hours adapting to his new home on orbit with help from off-going Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata, who will be returning to Earth with Endeavour’s crew.

Endeavour on its way to ISS

Space shuttle Endeavour and its crew of seven astronauts are in orbit after an on-time launch at 11:03 p.m. BST from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Following a smooth countdown with no technical issues and weather that steadily improved throughout the afternoon, the shuttle lifted off from Launch Pad 39A and began its orbital chase of the International Space Station.

"It was a testimony for this entire launch and flight control team," Launch Director Pete Nickolenko said of the countdown and successful liftoff, which came on the sixth launch attempt after technical issues and weather concerns prevented the first five tries. "It was an outstanding effort, and it made the complex look really easy. It really was a case of persistence."

Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations, also commended the launch effort, but cautioned that the mission to come is "very challenging," with five spacewalks and robotic activities scheduled. "The teams are fully prepared -- they're ready to go do what they need to go do, and we look forward to the exciting activities as we install the Exposed Facility out on the Kibo module."

Launch Scrubbed

Liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission has been scrubbed once more due to weather within the launch area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Anvil clouds and storm cells containing lightning flared up toward the end of the countdown, violating stringent launch safety rules. [View Launch Blog]

Mission is still a go!

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the countdown clock has paused for 45 minutes at the T-9-minute mark. This is the final built-in hold for today's countdown to liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour on its STS-127 mission.

The countdown is going relatively smoothly, with no technical issues in work. Although launch managers and weather officials are monitoring weather conditions around the launch area and Shuttle Landing Facility very closely, liftoff remains scheduled for 11:51 p.m. BST.

Watch for countdown clocks to resume ticking backwards at 11:42 p.m. when the T-9-minute hold is released.

Crew Board Endeavour for Launch

The STS-127 astronauts are boarding space shuttle Endeavour at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A. Once all seven astronauts are aboard, the hatch will be closed and latched for flight.

Launch is scheduled for 11:51 p.m. BST. Endeavour's external fuel tank was filled earlier today with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. These propellants will feed the shuttle's three main engines during the climb to orbit.

As is common in Florida in the summer, the weather situation today is very dynamic. Launch managers and weather officers are monitoring conditions closely.

Crew Suit up!

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour is being readied for liftoff on the STS-127 mission. Endeavour's seven astronauts are suiting up in their crew quarters. At Launch Pad 39A, the shuttle's large orange external tank has been filled with a half-million gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.

The countdown is holding at the T-3-hour mark. This built-in, two-and-a-half-hour hold began at 5:26 p.m. BST and will end at 7:56 p.m. as clocks resume counting toward liftoff at 11:51 p.m. Weather is still a concern, however, and launch managers and weather officers are monitoring conditions closely.

Monday 13th July 2009

Shuttle managers met late last night to discuss the partially unattached Tyvek cover on one of Endeavour’s thrusters. After a thorough discussion, teams decided that no action was required to reattach the cover and to leave the rotating servicing structure on the launch pad open. The Tyvek cover, which is attached by adhesive, had come partially unattached during the countdown yesterday, but wasn’t a constraint to launch. It’s used to keep rain and other debris out of the thruster.

Officials at NASA's Kennedy Space Center called off Sunday's planned liftoff due to inclement weather.

As of now, launch is scheduled for 11:51 p.m. BST today. If a new technical issue crops up or rain gets into the thruster, teams will look to target launch for Tuesday.

Managers will meet again beginning at 1:45 p.m. this afternoon.

Today's live countdown coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m. on NASA Television

The 16-day mission will feature five spacewalks and complete construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Astronauts will attach a platform to the outside of the Japanese module that will allow experiments to be exposed to space.

The STS-127 crew members are Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Dave Wolf, Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Tim Kopra and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette. Kopra will join the space station crew and replace Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will return to Earth on Endeavour to conclude a three-month stay at the station.

Saturday 11th July 2009

The launch of space shuttle Endeavour was postponed until Sunday evening so engineers could evaluate the spacecraft's myriad systems following 11 lightning strikes in the Launch Complex 39A area.

None of the strikes hit the shuttle or its external tank and solid rocket boosters, but there were strikes to the lightning mast and water tower. The launch pad is equipped with a lightning protection system of wires that is intended to steer bolts away from the shuttle.

"We've seen nothing so far that shows anything affected any of the systems," said Mike Moses, chairman of the pre-launch Mission Management Team.

Two of the strikes were strong enough to trigger an evaluation by engineers just to make sure all of Endeavour's systems are ready for flight. Although early evaluations showed no problems, engineers wanted more time to make sure they have checked everything correctly.

"We need to be 100 percent confident that we have a good system across the board," Moses said.

The launch time for Sunday is 11:13 p.m. BST. The weather forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of acceptable conditions.

The 16-day mission will feature five spacewalks and complete construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Astronauts will attach a platform to the outside of the Japanese module that will allow experiments to be exposed to space.

The STS-127 crew members are Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Dave Wolf, Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Tim Kopra and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette. Kopra will join the space station crew and replace Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will return to Earth on Endeavour to conclude a three-month stay at the station.