Shuttle Crew to Undock from Space Station Tonight

HOUSTON - The seven astronauts aboard NASA?s shuttle Endeavour will cast off from the International Space Station (ISS) late Monday after a record-long stay at the orbiting laboratory.

Shuttle commander Dominic Gorie and his crew will undock from the station at 7:56 p.m. EDT (2356 GMT) tonight, wrapping up a packed 12 days of construction to deliver a Canadian-built robot and the first module of Japan?s massive Kibo laboratory.

?I sort of looked at this flight sort of like a college team looking at March Madness?every spacewalk was a win, every robotics [operation] was a win,? Gorie told reporters on Earth during a Sunday crew conference. ?We?ve got a great winning team.?

Gorie and his crew launched toward the station on March 11. They are set to land Wednesday evening at 7:04 p.m. EDT (2304 GMT) at NASA?s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., to complete a record-setting 16-day mission to the ISS.

Station and shuttle astronauts will shut the hatches between their two spacecraft at about 5:13 p.m. EDT (2113 GMT) today after a brief farewell ceremony.

?We?ve seen some incredible changes on the station and it?s been a real privilege to be here and see all that,? said the station?s Expedition 16 commander Peggy Whitson, adding that she and crewmate Yuri Malenchenko have welcomed the addition of three new modules in the last five months.

A construction marathon

Endeavour astronauts performed five spacewalks at the ISS, a new record for a single shuttle visit, to build the Canadian Space Agency?s $209-million Dextre maintenance robot and install the attic-like Japanese Logistics Pressurized Module that will provide storage room for Japan?s main Kibo lab.

?It?s a great moment, and it?s going to open up a new era for Japan and its space program,? said Japanese astronaut Takao Doi, who installed the Kibo module using Endeavour?s robotic arm.

The shuttle also ferried first-time spaceflyer NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman to the ISS to join the station?s Expedition 16 crew.

?I guess my only regret is that I?ve gotten kind of used to hanging out with these guys here in the blue shirts,? said Reisman, referring to his former shuttle crewmates. ?I?m going to miss them.?

Reisman will serve as a station flight engineer until early June and is replacing European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Leopold Eyharts, of France. Eyharts arrived at the ISS in early February during an earlier shuttle flight and helped deliver, and later commission, the station?s European-built Columbus laboratory.

?Of course, I would love to stay longer up here on the station, but I think it?s time for me to go back,? Eyharts said Sunday.

Before Endeavour pulls away from the space station, pilot Gregory H. Johnson will fly the shuttle around the ISS on a victory lap of sorts while his crewmates photograph it from afar.

?I?m just looking forward to getting to do some hand-flying on the vehicle,? Johnson said, adding that Gorie gave him a few pointers earlier on Sunday. ?Dom is the best coach I could hope for and I can?t wait to do it in real life.?

NASA is broadcasting Endeavour's STS-123 mission live on NASA TV. Click here for SPACE.com's shuttle mission coverage and NASA TV feed.

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