Space shuttle Endeavour STS-130 uses its parachute as it lands safely at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The shuttle’s final nighttime launch was marked by a rare moonlit landing.
The space shuttle Endeavour, which spent the last 14 days in space, touched down safely in Florida early Monday morning after a successful mission to install two new sections on the International Space Station.
“We’re back as we came,” said shuttle commander George Zamka. “It’s dark outside.”
This was the 23rd space shuttle landing in darkness. The last time was in 2008, also by Endeavour.
“What a phenomenal flight that we had,” said shuttle pilot Terry Virts. “It’s going to take some time to digest all that we did.”
The two-week trip had the crew add the Italian-built Tranquility, a new room that will house life-support equipment, exercise machines and a toilet; as well as unique seven-windowed dome dubbed Cupola, which will be used as a control room for robotics.
The two new compartments were supplied by the European Space Agency at a cost of more than $400 million.
