CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Endeavour and its crew of six left the International Space Station and headed home to close out NASA’s next-to-last shuttle flight, pausing just long enough yesterday to perform a victory lap and test equipment for a future interplanetary ship.
The space station crew beamed down video of the departing shuttle, the last ever shot of Endeavour in orbit. It was a dark, solitary image against the blue, cloud-covered Earth and grew increasingly smaller.
NASA’s youngest shuttle — the baby of the fleet with just 25 space voyages — is due back in Florida early tomorrow. Its next stop after that will be a museum in Los Angeles for what some consider to be an early retirement.
