Space shuttle Endeavour makes its final landing
Mission was the second-to-last for the U.S. shuttle program.
The space shuttle Endeavour and its crew of six landed for the last time early Wednesday morning, completing their 16-day mission to outfit the International Space Station.
At 2:35 a.m., shuttle commander Mark Kelly touched down on a brightly lit landing strip at the Kennedy Space Center. Kelly left behind his wife, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., who has been rehabilitating since she was shot in the head by an attacker in Tucson in January. The two will reunite on Thursday in Houston, according to the Associated Press.
It is the last mission for Endeavour and the second-to-the-last for the U.S. space shuttle program, which will end after the Atlantis mission scheduled for July. The Endeavour is headed to the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
"Your landing ends a vibrant legacy for this amazing vehicle that will long be remembered," Mission Control told Kelly and his crewmates, according to the AP. "It's sad to see her land for the last time," Kelly replied, "but she really has a great legacy."
Since its first mission on May 7, 1992, the Endeavour spent 299 days in space and traveled more than 122.8 million miles during its 25 flights, NASA said in a statement.