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Endeavour Heads Home, Dodging Dean

Hurricane threat to Mission Control lessens, but shuttle leaves early

By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 19, 2007 5:50 PM CDT
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(Newser) – To a chorus of ringing bells, space shuttle Endeavour undocked today from the international space station, skipping out a day early because of fears Hurricane Dean could disrupt its landing operations. Even though revised predictions show the storm poses almost no threat to Houston and Mission Control, the AP reports, Endeavour will land at Cape Canaveral in Florida on Tuesday.

"The threat is certainly somewhat less than it was the last two days," said a NASA official, but the move was in motion before the forecast shaped up. The new timetable prevented the departing shuttle from circling the space station as it normally does, and forced teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan to cancel a session with students in Massachusetts.

This image provided by NASA on Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007, shows Canadian astronaut Dave Williams during the final of four space walks on the international space station, Saturday, Aug. 18. Astronauts aboard the shuttle Endeavour and the international space station on Saturday embarked on the last spacewalk of their joint...
This image provided by NASA on Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007, shows Canadian astronaut Dave Williams during the final of four space walks on the international space station, Saturday, Aug. 18. Astronauts aboard...   (Associated Press)
This image provided by NASA shows the Expedition 15 and STS-118 crewmembers posing in the Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station to greet and answer questions from news media representatives on the ground Friday Aug. 17, 2007. ISS crewmembers on the front row, from the left
This image provided by NASA shows the Expedition 15 and STS-118 crewmembers posing in the Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station to greet and answer questions from news media representatives...   (Associated Press)
This photo provided by NASA shows astronaut Rick Mastracchio preparing a beverage at the galley on the middeck of the space shuttle Endeavor while docked with the international space station Sunday Aug. 12, 2007. (AP Photo/NASA)
This photo provided by NASA shows astronaut Rick Mastracchio preparing a beverage at the galley on the middeck of the space shuttle Endeavor while docked with the international space station Sunday Aug....   (Associated Press)
This photo provided by NASA shows astronaut Barbara R. Morgan on the aft flight deck of the space shuttle Endeavor while docked with the international space station Sunday Aug. 12, 2007. (AP Photo/NASA)
This photo provided by NASA shows astronaut Barbara R. Morgan on the aft flight deck of the space shuttle Endeavor while docked with the international space station Sunday Aug. 12, 2007. (AP Photo/NASA)   (Associated Press)
In this photo made from NASA-TV, mission specialist Rick Mastracchio, bottom left, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Dave Williams, bottom right, space walk outside of the Space Shuttle Endeavor while orbiting Earth, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2007. This is the first space walk of the STS-118 mission. (AP Photo/NASA-TV)
In this photo made from NASA-TV, mission specialist Rick Mastracchio, bottom left, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Dave Williams, bottom right, space walk outside of the Space Shuttle Endeavor while...   (Associated Press)
In this photo made from the NASA-TV, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Dave Williams, right, and mission specialist Rick Mastracchio work outside of the Space Shuttle Endeavor during a space walk while orbiting Earth, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2007. (AP Photo/NASA-TV)
In this photo made from the NASA-TV, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Dave Williams, right, and mission specialist Rick Mastracchio work outside of the Space Shuttle Endeavor during a space walk while...   (Associated Press)
In this photo made from the NASA-TV, a view is seen from the helmet camera from Canadian Space Agency astronaut Dave Williams as he and mission specialist Rick Mastracchio, right, use hand tools to work outside of the Space Shuttle Endeavor during a space walk while orbiting Earth, Saturday, Aug....
In this photo made from the NASA-TV, a view is seen from the helmet camera from Canadian Space Agency astronaut Dave Williams as he and mission specialist Rick Mastracchio, right, use hand tools to work...   (Associated Press)
The van carrying the crew of the space shuttle Endeavor passes the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center en route to Launch Pad 39A Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007, in Cape Canaveral, Fla., prior to the scheduled launch Wednesday evening. (AP Photo/Bill Sikes)
The van carrying the crew of the space shuttle Endeavor passes the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center en route to Launch Pad 39A Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007, in Cape Canaveral, Fla., prior...   (Associated Press)
In this image from NASA TV Hurricane Dean is seen as it passes over Kingston, Jamaica, in a view from the international space station, Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007. (AP Photo/NASA TV)
In this image from NASA TV Hurricane Dean is seen as it passes over Kingston, Jamaica, in a view from the international space station, Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007. (AP Photo/NASA TV)   (Associated Press)
In this image from NASA TV a view of shuttle Endeavour is seen from the international space station after undocking, Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007. (AP Photo/NASA TV)
In this image from NASA TV a view of shuttle Endeavour is seen from the international space station after undocking, Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007. (AP Photo/NASA TV)   (Associated Press)
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More details of the undocking
Associated Press

 
NASA • Houston • International Space Station • Barbara Morgan • space flight • Endeavor • Hurricane Dean • Scott Kelly • Cape Canaveral

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