|
February 22, 2010 – Cape Canaveral, Florida — Space shuttle Endeavour landed at 10:20 p.m. EST Sunday at Kennedy Space Center, ending a 14-day journey of more than 5.7 million miles that left the International Space Station more than 90 percent complete.
The STS-130 mission included three spacewalks and the installation of the Tranquility node, the last major U.S. portion of the station. The module provides additional room for crew and many of the space station's life support and environmental control systems. Attached to Tranquility is a cupola with seven windows that offers a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects, and visiting spacecraft.
The New York Times reported that with the attachment of Tranquility and the cupola, the space station is nearly the same size as the interior of a 747 jumbo jet.
George Zamka commanded the flight and was joined on the mission by Pilot Terry Virts and Mission Specialists Kathryn Hire, Stephen Robinson, Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken.
Behnken and Patrick conducted three spacewalks during the mission totaling 18 hours, 14 minutes. That brings the totals for station assembly to 140 spacewalks and more than 873 hours.
With Endeavour and its crew safely home, the stage is set for launch of shuttle Discovery on its STS-131 mission, targeted to lift off April 5. Discovery's 13-day flight will deliver supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that will be transferred to the station's laboratories.
|
|
Space shuttle Endeavour lands on time at Kennedy Space Center Sunday night. Photo Credit: NASA TV
The International Space Station is featured in this image photographed by an STS-130 astronaut on space shuttle Endeavour after the station and shuttle undocked.
Photo credit: NASA
|
News Archive | Air Shows & Events | KidVenture | Young Eagles Newsletter
PRINTER
FRIENDLY
Privacy Policy 
