Article Posted on : - Nov 29, 2008

Backdropped by the Earth, space shuttle Endeavour's cargo bay and Orbiter Boom Sensor System are seen shortly after the completion of the heat shield inspection. Credit: NASA TV

WASHINGTON (BNS): The space shuttle Endeavour crew undocked from the International Space Station at 9:47 am EST on Friday. Before that they bid farewell to the crew of the International Space Station on Thanksgiving Day, closing the hatches between the two spacecraft at 6:31 pm CST, NASA said.

Endeavour is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, Sunday at 1:19 pm.
The two crews conducted joint operations for 11 days, 15 minutes.

Before undocking the STS-126 crew members completed the standard late inspection of Endeavour’s thermal protection system on Friday. NASA said they used the shuttle’s robotic arm and its Orbiter Boom Sensor System extension to scan the front edge of the wings and the nose cap. Experts on the ground will review the data and report their assessment to the Mission Management Team on Saturday, NASA said.

The entry flight control team in Mission Control, Houston, will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy Space Center, before permitting Endeavour to return to Earth.

According to the US space agency, Endeavour crew members Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Eric Boe and Mission Specialists Don Pettit, Steve Bowen, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Shane Kimbrough and Greg Chamitoff shared a Thanksgiving meal with the Expedition 18 crew, Commander Mike Fincke and Flight Engineers Yury Lonchakov and Sandy Magnus, in the Russian Zvezda Service Module before saying goodbye.

After closing the hatches, the shuttle crew began preparations for Sunday's return to Earth by checking out their rendezvous tools, installing a centerline camera in the shuttle's docking system to provide visual acuity to the crew after undocking, and finished packing for their return trip home, NASA said.

Endeavour undocked from the International Space Station at 9:47 am on Friday as the two craft passed just to the east of Taiwan. "With Boe at the controls of Endeavour, he would conduct a fly-around of the station to enable the crew to capture photos and video of the station. The final separation burn is set for 11:14 am," NASA said.

The main challenge before the seven-member crew was to repair and remodel the International Space Station. Endeavour's STS-126 mission carried about 32,000 pounds, which included supplies and equipment necessary to double the crew size from three to six members in 2009. The new station cargo included additional sleeping quarters, a second toilet, a water reclamation system and a resistance exercise device.