STS-127 Concludes with Picture-Perfect Landing
Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:48:20 -0500
Space shuttle Endeavour and a crew of seven astronauts touched down at 10:48 a.m. EDT at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, bringing an end to a complex mission to install the final section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory on the International Space Station. All crew members are doing well after today's landing.
"I can't say enough how great this mission was," NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier said during a post-landing news conference. "We got everything accomplished on board the space station that we needed to do with this mission. Then to cap it off with a wonderful landing like today was just phenomenal."
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, and all contributed to the completion of the Kibo laboratory.
"This was a thorough success of planning from teams all around the world," said Canadian Space Agency Director General of Operations Beno�t Marcotte. "It was truly an impressive demonstration of international collaboration all throughout this mission."
A news conference featuring the STS-127 crew members is set to begin at about 3:15 p.m.
Watch it live on NASA TV at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
The astronauts' return to Houston's Ellington Field is tentatively set for about 5 p.m. Saturday.
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