Wednesday, July 29, 2009
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — After 11 days together in orbit, Endeavour undocked from the international space station Tuesday and began its trip home, leaving behind a larger and more energized outpost.
The shuttle’s departure broke up the biggest off-the-planet gathering ever: 13 people in space. Seven astronauts headed back aboard the shuttle, and six remained.
The two spacecraft parted company 220 miles above the Indian Ocean. Endeavour took a lap around the space station for some impressive picture-taking before pulling away for good. The shuttle is aiming for a Friday touchdown.
“Fair sailing ahead, guys,” shuttle commander Mark Polansky called out.
“You made us bigger and better, and we were really glad to have you here,” replied station resident Michael Barratt. “It seems awfully quiet here now without you.”
During their shared flight, the two crews improved and expanded the space station, installing a porch for experiments on Japan’s science lab and plugging in fresh batteries. They also shared some unexpected inconveniences, most notably a flooded toilet and an overheated air-cleansing system, both of which ended up being fixed.
Polansky thanked the station residents for being “tremendous hosts.