
Benoit Marcotte, Director General of Canadian Space Agency Operations, left, welcomes home Canadian Space Agency's Julie Payette, right, shortly after the space shuttle Endeavour and its crew landed, Friday, July 31, 2009 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., completing a 16-day journey of more than 6.5 million miles. Endeavour delivered the final segment to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and a new crew member to the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach, Director General for Operations and Assets Benoit Marcotte and Canadian Space Agency President Laurier Boisvert stand underneath Endeavour, which has just returned from mission STS-118. On the mission, the crew installed a new gyroscope, an external spare parts platform and another truss segment to the expanding station. On landing, Endeavour's main gear touched down at 12:32:16 p.m. EDT. Nose gear touchdown was at 12:32:29 p.m. and wheel stop was at 12:33:20 p.m. Endeavour traveled nearly 5.3 million miles, landing on orbit 201. This was the 65th landing of an orbiter at Kennedy. STS-118 was the 119th space shuttle flight, the 22nd flight to the station, the 20th flight for Endeavour and the second of four missions planned for 2007. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At a post-landing news conference at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, participants respond with smiles to a question from the media. From left are NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations William Gerstenmaier, President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Keiji Tachikawa, Director General of Operations in the Canadian Space Agency Benoit Marcotte, space shuttle Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses and STS-127 Launch Director Pete Nickolenko. Space shuttle Endeavour and crew returned to Earth at 10:48 a.m. EDT to conclude the STS-127 mission. Endeavour delivered the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section to the International Space Station. The mission was the 29th flight to the station, the 23rd flight of Endeavour and the 127th in the Space Shuttle Program, as well as the 71st landing at Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At a post-landing news conference, Public Affairs Officer Allard Beutel (far left) moderates the question-and-answer session with NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations William Gerstenmaier, President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Keiji Tachikawa, Director General of Operations in the Canadian Space Agency Benoit Marcotte, space shuttle Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses and STS-127 Launch Director Pete Nickolenko. Space shuttle Endeavour and crew returned to Earth at 10:48 a.m. EDT to conclude the STS-127 mission. Endeavour delivered the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section to the International Space Station. The mission was the 29th flight to the station, the 23rd flight of Endeavour and the 127th in the Space Shuttle Program, as well as the 71st landing at Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At a post-landing news conference at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations William Gerstenmaier, President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Keiji Tachikawa, Director General of Operations in the Canadian Space Agency Benoit Marcotte, space shuttle Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses and STS-127 Launch Director Pete Nickolenko comment about the STS-127 mission and space shuttle Endeavour's return to Earth at 10:48 a.m. EDT. Endeavour delivered the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section to the International Space Station. The mission was the 29th flight to the station, the 23rd flight of Endeavour and the 127th in the Space Shuttle Program, as well as the 71st landing at Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett