Space Shuttle Endeavour Set for Return to Earth

The U.S. space agency NASA says the weather forecast is good for Wednesday night’s scheduled landing of the space shuttle Endeavour.

The shuttle is returning to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida after a two-week mission to add new components to the International Space Station. NASA officials say space debris left a small crack in one of Endeavour’s cockpit windows, but insist it poses no threat to the crew during re-entry.

Endeavour’s seven-member crew delivered the first part of Japan’s three-piece Kibo laboratory, as well as a Canadian-built robot designed to perform external maintenance tasks on the orbital outpost.

A total of five spacewalks were conducted during the mission, including one that involved testing a new method for repairing damaged shuttle heat shield tiles.

Endeavour is also bringing back French astronaut Leopold Eyharts, who spent one and one-half months aboard the ISS. He is being replaced by American Garrett Reisman.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

by VOA News

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