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| Endeavour shuttle lands on Earth | |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Space shuttle Endeavour has landed in Florida after a two-week mission to the International Space Station (ISS) was cut short by Hurricane Dean. | |
| Nasa had feared that mission control in Houston would have to be evacuated if the storm lurched towards Texas. | |
| The US space agency also opted not to repair a 9cm (3.5in) gouge in the shuttle's underside. | |
| The damage, caused by a chunk of insulating foam hitting the shuttle, appears to have posed no problem. | |
| Endeavour made a perfect touch down at Kennedy Space Center at 1732 BST (1232 EDT). | |
| The shuttle astronauts carried out construction work on the ISS, made repairs and delivered vital supplies to the space station crew. | |
| US space agency officials had feared that mission control in Houston would have to be evacuated if the storm lurched towards Texas. | US space agency officials had feared that mission control in Houston would have to be evacuated if the storm lurched towards Texas. |
| But the category five hurricane did not affect the Johnson Space Center facility on the US gulf coast. | But the category five hurricane did not affect the Johnson Space Center facility on the US gulf coast. |
| At 1625 BST (1125 EDT) on Tuesday, Commander Scott Kelly and Pilot Charles Hobaugh fired the shuttle's engines for a four-minute de-orbit burn, which sets in motion Endeavour's descent to the ground. | |
| How the shuttle returns The weather forecast for Tuesday at Cape Canaveral was relatively dry and any possible showers were not expected to be a concern, Nasa said. | How the shuttle returns The weather forecast for Tuesday at Cape Canaveral was relatively dry and any possible showers were not expected to be a concern, Nasa said. |
| The five-man, two-woman crew was set to awake at 0936 BST 0436 EDT, leaving around four hours for final preparations before the shuttle attempts re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. | The five-man, two-woman crew was set to awake at 0936 BST 0436 EDT, leaving around four hours for final preparations before the shuttle attempts re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. |
| On the way down, Endeavour will reach speeds of up to 30 times the speed of sound and its underside is exposed to temperatures of 1,649C (3,000F). | On the way down, Endeavour will reach speeds of up to 30 times the speed of sound and its underside is exposed to temperatures of 1,649C (3,000F). |
| Nasa officials had already decided that a hole in Endeavour's underside would not be repaired before the return. | Nasa officials had already decided that a hole in Endeavour's underside would not be repaired before the return. |
| This image of Hurricane Dean was captured from the shuttleEngineers had been worried that the 9cm (3.5in) gash could lead to structural damage on re-entry, but extensive tests concluded it should pose no problem. | This image of Hurricane Dean was captured from the shuttleEngineers had been worried that the 9cm (3.5in) gash could lead to structural damage on re-entry, but extensive tests concluded it should pose no problem. |
| During launch on 8 August, a chunk of insulating foam hit the shuttle, creating the square gouge. | During launch on 8 August, a chunk of insulating foam hit the shuttle, creating the square gouge. |
| Foam damage has been a major concern for Nasa since the Columbia disaster in 2003 when a briefcase-sized chunk of foam insulation broke off during launch and pierced the shuttle's wing. | Foam damage has been a major concern for Nasa since the Columbia disaster in 2003 when a briefcase-sized chunk of foam insulation broke off during launch and pierced the shuttle's wing. |
| This caused the shuttle to disintegrate on re-entry into the atmosphere, killing all seven crew. | This caused the shuttle to disintegrate on re-entry into the atmosphere, killing all seven crew. |