Endeavour has reportedly been instructed to “take another swing around the planet” according to a CNN report. Clouds moved in at virtually the last minute so they are now aiming for a later evening landing. It will be NASA’s second and last shot of the day at bringing Endeavour home.
A landing in darkness would be a rare event. Endeavour blasted off March 11 (also at night) on an ambitious construction mission that had even its commander wondering at times how the mission would fare. In the end, the crew accomplished everything they set out to do during their voyage. The Endeavour mission lasted 16 days and 6.5 million miles. The astronauts installed the first piece of Japan’s Kibo lab, put together a giant Canadian robot named Dextre, tested a shuttle repair technique and more.