14 DAY TRIAL // The space shuttle Endeavour and its seven-astronaut crew are on track for a planned June 1 landing at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida. STS-134 is the last-ever mission to be carried out using this orbiter. Upon its return, the spacecraft will be retired to a museum.
Endeavour separated from the International Space Station (ISS) on May 29, after having spent nearly 11 days attached to the orbital outpost. When it lands at the KSC, the shuttle would have spent some 16 days in space during this mission.
According to statistics provided by the American space agency, the orbiter will have spent 299 days in space on Wednesday, and traveled in excess of 122.8 million miles (197.6 million kilometers), all over the course of 25 missions.
It is the youngest of the three-orbiter fleet NASA still operates, having launched for the first time on May 7, 1992. Now, 19 years later, it is getting ready to conclude its final flight. NASA says that the spacecraft has two landing opportunities tomorrow.
The first one is as 2:35 am, while the second one is at 4:11 am EDT (0635 and 0411 GMT, respectively). NASA expert Tony Ceccacci is leading the entry flight control team for Endeavour.
Before the shuttle starts its final deorbit burn and descent, Ceccacci and his team will have to approve of the maneuver. The decision is informed by the results of the heat shield inspection, the weather at the KSC and other similar factors.
NASA adds that Endeavour has additional landing opportunities at the KSC on Thursday, June 2. If tomorrow's landing in Florida cannot be approved, the shuttle may also land at the Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), in California. The site has been used in the past.
“After touchdown, the astronauts will undergo routine physical examinations and meet with their families. The crew is expected to participate in a post-landing news conference about six hours after landing,” NASA says in a statement.
“Availability is subject to change due to real time circumstances. The news events will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's website,” the press release adds.
Endeavour is returning from a highly-successful mission, during which its astronauts performed four spacewalks, installed the $2 billion Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) particle detector, carried our repair and maintenance work and so on.