Space shuttle Endeavour made a historic and final landing overnight, setting the stage for NASA's final shuttle mission next month.
Endeavour and her crew of six astronauts landed in darkness after a safe trip home from the International Space Station.
"After a journey of six-and-a-half million miles Endeavour landing in darkness but illuminated by the ingenuity and dedication of every astronaut, scientist, engineer, flight controller, mechanic and dreamer that has helped it fly," said a NASA flight controller giving the play-by-play as the shuttle came home.
NASA's final shuttle launch is scheduled to take place on July 6, when the shuttle Atlantis is set to take off.
The 16-day shuttle mission was under the command of astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of Gabrielle Giffords, the U.S. congresswoman who was critically wounded in a shooting rampage in Tucson, Arizona.
"On behalf of my entire crew I really want to thank every person who worked to get this mission going and every person who's worked on Endeavour," Kelly said as the shuttle came to a stop on the Kennedy Space Center runway in Florida.
"It's sad to see her land for the last time but she really has a great legacy."
Six hours after the 2:35 a.m. landing, Kelly said he hadn't yet called Giffords because of the early time.
"What I'm going to say to her?" he said when queried by a reporter. "Really miss her and can't wait to get back there tomorrow to see her."
The congresswoman was well enough to see the shuttle's takeoff but was not in Florida for the landing. But Kelly's two teenage daughters were there to watch their dad return.
Kelly parked the shuttle in front of hundreds of onlookers. Endeavour, which has logged more than 195 million kilometres during 25 space flights, will now be taken to a museum.
As its final task in space, Endeavour and its crew delivered and installed a $2-billion cosmic ray detector that will "sift through the cosmic darkness for years to come," Mission Control said. The crew also installed an extension beam and a platform full of spare parts.
As Endeavour touched down, Atlantis was arriving on the launch pad for its own spectacular blast-off. Several hours before the landing, thousands of NASA staff and their families lined the route to watch as Atlantis crept by on its way from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch area.
"The show pretty much tells itself," Atlantis' commander Christopher Ferguson said as he waved toward his ship.
"We're going to look upon this final mission as a celebration of all that the space shuttle has accomplished over its 30-year life span."
Here are some key details about Endeavour:
- A total of 170 crew members over the years
- 299 days total spent in space
- 4,671 orbits of Earth
- 197,761,262 kilometres logged
- First flight was in 1992
- Endeavour was built to replace Challenger
- The shuttle will be sent to the California Science Center in Los Angeles
Kelly, the commander of the mission, thanked his crew during a photo-op after the landing. As he was speaking, co-pilot Gregory Johnson interrupted: "And our commander, we want to thank him too."
Kelly had spent some time deliberating after his wife was shot in January, whether to continue with the mission.
He eventually decided to go ahead with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Giffords, who has made a remarkable recovery, was able to attend the May 16 launch.
The couple will reunite in Houston on Thursday.
Once Atlantis has completed its mission and the shuttle program is closed, NASA will turn its efforts to focus on exploration of asteroids and Mars, following the directions of U.S. President Barack Obama.
Astronauts travelling to the International Space Station will have to rely on Russian Soyuz rockets for transportation.
