Shuttle Endeavour, seven astronauts return to Earth

Friday, July 31, 2009

Reported by: MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP)

Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven astronauts are back on Earth.

Endeavour landed at Florida's Kennedy Space Center late Friday morning after a 16-day mission that saw them complete all their major construction goals at the international space station.

Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata is back after four-and-a-half months in space. He says he can't wait to eat some sushi and see his wife and son.

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Japan's space station lab got a porch for experiments during Endeavour's visit. The crew also installed fresh batteries and stockpiled big spare parts.

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It was eventful in other ways. The astronauts celebrated the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing with their own spacewalk. They also coped with a flooded toilet and an overheated air-purifier.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)