spacetoday.net: Shuttle finally returns to KSC

Posted: Sat, Dec 13, 2008, 4:16 AM ET (0916 GMT)
STS-126: 747 and Endeavour land at KSC (NASA/KSC)

The space shuttle Endeavour returned to the Kennedy Space Center on Friday, nearly two weeks after landing in California. The orbiter, rising atop its 747 carrier aircraft, landed at the Shuttle Landing Facility runway at KSC at 2:44 pm EST (1944 GMT) Friday. Endeavour returned from orbit on November 30, but poor weather in Florida forced the shuttle to land at Edwards Air Force Base in California. After waiting out some weather issues between California and Florida, the shuttle and 747 took off Wednesday, flying to El Paso and then Fort Worth, Texas. On Thursday the shuttle and 747 flew from Fort Worth to Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport, Louisiana, making a detour to fly over Houston and the Johnson Space Center. The final leg of the cross-country trip, from Barksdale to KSC, took place Friday.