Endeavour Set to Leave International Space Station Today

March 24, 2008

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

The crew of space shuttle Endeavour is slated to leave the International Space Station today.

The STS-123 and Expedition 16 crews will bid one another farewell, and the hatches between the two spacecraft will close at 5:13 p.m. EDT. Endeavour is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station at 7:56 p.m., ending its 12-day stay at the orbital outpost.

STS-123 arrived at the station March 12, delivering the Japanese 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.

Source: NASA