US: Space shuttle unlocks from ISS
29 Nov 2008 4:29 AM
WASHINGTON, Nov 28 AFP - The space shuttle Endeavour unlocked from the International Space Station on Friday to begin its return journey to Earth, NASA said.
"We have a physical separation," one of the crew members said as the Endeavour disengaged at 1447 GMT (0147 AEDT on Saturday) from the ISS, more than 340 km above the coast of Taiwan.
As the shuttle slipped away, a bell sounded inside the orbiting space station in a tradition borrowed from the navy.
Endeavour is due to land at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Sunday (Monday AEDT).
The shuttle docked at the space station on November 16, beginning an 11-day, 16-hour and 45-minute visit that was four hours shy of the record, a NASA television commentator said.
The seven members of the Endeavour crew bid goodbye to the three members of the ISS crew after sharing a traditional Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, the day Americans traditionally gather with gratitude around a family feast.
Endeavour is scheduled to land in Florida on Sunday at 1818 GMT (0518 AEDT on Monday), if weather conditions above the Kennedy Space Centre permit.
Before departing, Endeavour made a flyover at 200 meters so it could be filmed and photographed.
About 1845 GMT (0545 AEDT on Saturday), the crew is to further inspect the thermal covering of the wing's leading edges and the orbiter's nose, to look for potential damage caused by micrometeorites or space debris, using a high-definition camera and a laser attached to the shuttle's robotic arm.
The images will be sent to mission control in Houston, Texas, where they will be analysed. Officials will give the green light for a return to earth if no damage is detected.
During their mission Endeavour astronauts took four space walks, successfully repairing jammed joints of the rotating solar panels that harvest energy for the orbiting outpost.
Technical problems with a new piece of equipment that recycles waste water caused NASA to extend the mission by a day.
The $US250-million ($A380 million) device is an essential part of the shuttle mission to double the station's accommodation capacity.
Crew members ran three successful cycles on the unit, designed to process urine, perspiration and bath water into drinkable water.
The unit is to recycle the station's 6.8 tonnes of waste water produced each year, and make it no longer necessary to regularly ferry vast quantities of water to the space station.
Samples of the drinking water produced by the machine are being brought back to Earth for analysis.
The astronauts also installed a freezer and an oven for scientific experiments by NASA's Destiny Laboratory Module, two new sleeping quarters, exercise equipment, a second toilet, and two new ovens and a refrigerator for food preparation.
The Endeavour mission is the last by a US space shuttle in 2008. The next shuttle flight is scheduled for February, with a mission to continue building the space station.
It should be finished in 2010, also the target date for the retirement of the US fleet of three space shuttles.
