Endeavour Crew Begins Journey Home
Image above: STS-123 Mission Specialist Léopold Eyharts, pictured in the foreground, and Pilot Gregory H. Johnson work at the robotics station in the International Space Station's U.S. laboratory, Destiny. Credit: NASA
After the STS-123 and Expedition 16 crews bid one another farewell, the hatches between the space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station closed at 5:49 p.m. EDT Monday. Then, Endeavour undocked from the station at 8:25 p.m., ending its 12-day stay at the orbital outpost.
After performing a flyaround of the station, the shuttle crew began their journey back to Earth.
STS-123 arrived at the station March 12, delivering the Japanese Experiment Logistics Module - Pressurized Section, the first pressurized component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory, to the station. The crew of Endeavour also delivered the final element of the station’s Mobile Servicing System, the Canadian-built Dextre, also known as the Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator.
In addition, the STS-123 astronauts delivered Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman, who replaced European Space Agency Astronaut Léopold Eyharts on the station. Eyharts is returning to Earth aboard Endeavour.
The astronauts also performed five spacewalks while on the station.
Endeavour is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Wednesday.
03-25-2008, 02:15 PM
STS 123 FD\14
