The space shuttle Endeavour made an unusual nighttime landing Wednesday at Ken nedy Space Center in Florida, ending a 16-day mission to the international space station highlighted by the installation of the first segment of the Japanese laboratory, Kibo.
The return to Earth was delayed when clouds moved over central Florida late Wednesday afternoon, causing controllers to wave off the first landing attempt. Ground controllers then asked shuttle Commander Dominic Gorie if he would prefer to land at night through broken clouds or wait and try again today.
The approach to the landing site took Endeavour over the Pacific Ocean, crossing over the Yucatan Peninsula and the Gulf of Mexico before heading north to Florida.
“Welcome home,” a ground controller radioed.
“It was a super-rewarding mission,” Gorie replied as the shuttle coasted to a stop at 8:40 p.m. EDT, its hydraulics venting like an exhausted animal after a long run.
Endeavour spent more time — 12 days — docked at the space station than any past shuttle mission.
Astronauts performed a record five spacewalks to install the Japanese laboratory and to assemble a giant Canadian-built robot called Dextre, which will be used to perform routine maintenance outside the station. That will allow space-station crews to avoid going into space themselves, which always carries a certain amount of risk.
Altogether, the mission covered 6.5 million miles and made 250 orbits of Earth.
