Did the space shuttle endeavor make a safe landing?”
Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven astronauts returned to Earth on Friday, completing a long but successful construction job that boosted the size and power of the international space station. Endeavour glided through a slightly hazy sky and touched down on Kennedy Space Center’s landing strip. Its smooth and punctual late morning arrival set off a stream of praise. “Congratulations on a superb mission from beginning to end. Very well done,” Mission Control radioed. “We’re happy to be home,” replied commander Mark Polansky. While visiting the space station, Polansky and his crew put on a new addition to Japan’s $1 billion lab, installed fresh batteries, and stockpiled some big spare parts. They accomplished all of their major objectives and were part of the biggest gathering ever in space: Counting the six station residents, the crowd totaled 13. The shuttle mission lasted 16 days and spanned 6.5 million miles, one of NASA’s longest. But it was the 138th day in orbit Friday for Japa
With the 10:48 a.m. landing of space shuttle Endeavour at Kennedy Space Center a go, residents in areas of southern Collier County have the best chance of hearing the shuttle’s sonic boom and seeing the craft, according to NASA spokesman George Diller. The Endeavour astronauts just crossed over Australia and are headed out over the South Pacific Ocean as their 5,000-mile plunge back through the atmosphere continues without problems. The astronauts soon will feel the first discernable traces of the atmosphere, and normal gravity, as they continue toward a morning landing in Florida. Diller said people will have the best chance of hearing the sonic boom if they are in areas south of Marco Island. “It’s going to be pretty high up when it comes over the coast,” Diller said. “People will probably be able to hear it.” Diller said there is also a possibility the shuttle will be seen as it approaches for landing, but he said people have a better chance of hearing the shuttle rather than seeing
After 16 days in space, 225 miles up, where American and Japanese astronauts worked side by side at the International Space Station, the space shuttle Endeavor has finally landed safely at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The returning astronaut’s heard U2’s “Beautiful Day” as they woke up this morning, ready to come back to Earth after a successful mission.
