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 20 July 2008 18:19 BST

Endeavour returns safely to Earth after 16-day mission

Thursday, 27 Mar 2008 09:24
Endeavour landed successfully in Florida after its record space mission
The space shuttle Endeavour has returned safely to Earth after a 16-day mission to improve the facilities of the International Space Station (ISS).

The orbiter touched down at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 20:39 local time (01:39 GMT) after the original landing was delayed due to low clouds in the area.

Endeavour's mission was the longest shuttle operation and included a record five spacewalks.

The STS-123 crew installed the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, known as Dextre.

"The success of this mission makes the International Space Station truly international," said Nasa associate administrator for space operations Bill Gerstenmaier.

"Japan is now a full-time participant, controlling the Kibo module from its centre near Tokyo. We have teams working around the clock in the United States, Russia, Germany and Japan overseeing the crew's work and various elements of the station.

"With the ATV [Automated Transfer Vehicle] scheduled to dock next week, Dextre ready to go, our partners' modules operating, and the next Soyuz preparing to launch, it's an exciting time to be in the space business."

The European Space Agency's ATV is scheduled to dock with the ISS on April 3rd. Russia's Soyuz TMA-12 will launch the Expedition 17 crew to the station on April 8th.
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