SPACE shuttle Endeavour and its six astronauts have returned to Earth, completing the penultimate mission in NASA's 30-year program with a safe middle-of-the-night landing.Endeavour touched down on the runway a final time under the cover of darkness yesterday just as Atlantis, the last shuttle bound for space, arrived at the launch pad for the grand finale in five weeks.
Commander Mark Kelly brought Endeavour to a stop before hundreds of onlookers that included the four Atlantis astronauts who will take flight in July.
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''One hundred and twenty-two million miles flown during 25 challenging space flights,'' Mission Control told Kelly and his crew, who finished US construction at the International Space Station.
''Your landing ends a vibrant legacy for this amazing vehicle that will long be remembered. Welcome home, Endeavour.''
Kelly replied: ''It's sad to see her land for the last time, but she really has a great legacy.'' He thanked all those who worked on Endeavour over the years.
Kelly's wife, congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, remained at her rehabilitation centre in Houston, where she is recovering from a gunshot wound to the head. A considerably bigger crowd gathered a few hours earlier to see Atlantis make its way to the launch pad, the last such trek ever by a shuttle.
Thousands of Kennedy Space Centre workers and their families lined the route as Atlantis crept out of the Vehicle Assembly Building a little after Florida's Tuesday sunset.
''The show pretty much tells itself,'' Atlantis's commander, Christopher Ferguson, said as he waved towards 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.''
Endeavour's flight lasted 16 days and completed NASA's role in the space station construction that began 12 years ago. AP
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