Endeavour undocks

For 1:35 p.m. EDT Sunday, April 29

Shuttle Endeavour has pulled away from the space station right on time at 1:34 p.m. EDT.

During the next hour pilot Jeff Ashby will maneuver the shuttle on a one-lap trip around the outpost that will allow some IMAX photography.

Undocking today sets up a Tuesday landing at Kennedy Space Center.

For 1:15 p.m. EDT Monday, April 30

Shuttle Endeavour's chances of landing Tuesday at the Kennedy Space Center are not that great, according to NASA mission managers.

Clouds, precipitation and crosswinds all are expected to present problems for Mission Control in Houston so it seems a better bet that Endeavour will remain in space another day and attempt a landing on Wednesday. But no decision will be made on that until tomorrow.

Of course, with the way this mission has gone, with the story changing every few hours, plus considering Florida's rapidly changing and sometimes surprising weather patterns, it's entirely possible the shuttle will return to its launch site as scheduled.

There are at least two opportunities to land at KSC and Edwards Air Force Base all week, the forecast at Edwards looks favorable the entire week and the shuttle has enough consumables to remain in orbit through Friday.

Our next update to this page will be Tuesday morning about the time of payload bay door closing.

For 5 a.m. EDT Tuesday, May 1

Poor weather over Central Florida has shown up as forecast and mission managers have delayed Endeavour's return home by at least one orbit.

The word came just before the shuttle was to close its payload bay doors to set up for a 9:04 a.m. EDT touchdown.

But with "no go" weather forecasts at the Kennedy Space Center persisting through the day, it is extremely unlikely that the shuttle will land here today.

Words sent up to the crew of shuttle Endeavour, as well as the Expedition Two crew onboard the International Space Station, indicate that flight controllers are strongly leaning toward bringing the spaceplane home to Edwards Air Force Base in California today.

If that decision is made, the first landing opportunity would come at 12:11 p.m. EDT, and the second at 1:47 p.m. EDT.

The next decision point will be in about 90 minutes.

For 7 a.m. EDT Tuesday, May 1

The 60-foot-long payload bay doors of shuttle Endeavour have been closed for landing today, but the big question remains where?

Closing the doors protects a last-minute possibility that weather over the Kennedy Space Center would clear enough to allow a "go" for a 10:39 a.m. EDT touchdown this morning. But the skies are cloudy, there is rain in the area and crosswinds are a concern.

Those factors already prompted flight controllers to wave off a 9:04 a.m. EDT landing attempt.

Instead, there is increasing emphasis on returning the shuttle to Earth today at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Weather on the west coast is ideal today and tomorrow, while the weather here looks bad today and tomorrow.

In that scenario it is likely that Endeavour will fire its braking rockets at 11:03 a.m. EDT and make the supersonic glide back to the California high desert, arriving at the Mojave Desert landing strip at 12:11 p.m. EDT.

There is a second landing opportunity at Edwards at 1:47 p.m. EDT.

For 8:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday, May 1

Endeavour is heading for a California touchdown today on the high desert of the Antelope Valley.

With bad weather at Kennedy Space Center in Florida persisting today and forecast to do so tomorrow, plus with favorable conditions both days at Edwards Air Force Base, mission managers decided to bring Endeavour back to California rather than just leave the seven-member crew spinning around the planet an extra day for no reason.

So as it stands now, Endeavour's mission to deliver a new Canadian robot arm to space station Alpha will end at 12:11 p.m. EDT with a concrete runway landing at Edwards. The supersonic dive through the atmosphere will begin about an hour earlier, with the shuttle's braking rockets being fired at 11:03 a.m. EDT.

Meanwhile, the shuttle's payload bay doors are closed and locked for flight, the entry software has been loaded into the computers and the crew have begun putting on their bright orange launch and entry partial pressure suits.

For 10:45 a.m. EDT Tuesday, May 1

Mission Control has given the "go" for the deorbit burn.

Endeavour will fire its orbital maneuvering system engines at 11:03 a.m. EDT for a couple of minutes to slow the shuttle just enough to fall out of orbit.

Landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California is expected at 12:11 p.m. EDT.

For 11:07 a.m. EDT Tuesday, May 1

Shuttle Endeavour's braking rockets have fired and the spaceplane and its seven-member crew now is committed to the hour-long supersonic glide to Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Touchdown on the Mojave Desert landing strip is expected at 12:11 p.m. EDT.

Computers will control most of the re-entry as the shuttle banks and turns to burn off energy and then reaches the California coast, flying almost directly overhead of Los Angeles.

Endeavour commander Kent Rominger will take the controls when the aircraft is over Edwards and then pilot the heavy glider in for a landing on the air base's concrete runway.

After the main landing gear hit, pilot Jeff Ashby will throw a switch to deploy the drag chute, which will help keep the shuttle right down the runway centerline.

The nose gear will touch down and then Endeavour will roll to a stop, capping a 12-day mission that from the shuttle's perspective went about as perfectly as can be hoped.

We will update this page again shortly after the landing.

For 12:15 p.m. EDT Tuesday, May 1

Endeavour safely touched down at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 12:11 p.m. EDT and rolled to a stop on the concrete runway a few moments later.

All appeared to go well during the final approach and landing.

Bad weather in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center prevented a return home to the launch site today.

A team of NASA and government contractors are on hand to greet the shuttle and service its systems, as well as help the seven-member crew of the spaceplane. That is expected to happen within the hour.

It will take about a week for workers to prepare Endeavour for its cross-country ferry flight back to Florida. The shuttle will be hauled piggyback on a NASA 747 jumbo jet.