SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468
*Crew Excited About Endeavour's Success*
Space Shuttle Endeavour lands at Kennedy Space Center. Image above: Space Shuttle Endeavour landed Aug. 21, 2007, at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The perfect landing capped a construction and supply mission to the International Space Station. Image: NASA/Chuck Tintera + View Hi-Res Image of Landing http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/187270main_07pd2298.jpg
A couple hours after landing back at Kennedy Space Center, the crew of STS-118 spoke enthusiastically about their 13 days in orbit and work on the International Space Station.
"It was a great experience and the space station is really, I think, a stepping stone to going back to the moon and on to Mars some day," commander Scott Kelly said.
Teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan said she is still getting used to gravity again, but that spaceflight was a great experience that she hopes more teachers get to share in.
"The flight was absolutely wonderful," she said. "I felt like I was upside-down the whole first day."
Canadian astronaut Dave Williams said the thrill never gets dull.
"It's truly the ride of a lifetime," Williams said of the launch Aug. 8. "Look over your shoulder and you can see Hurricane Dean."
The flight delivered a new segment to the International Space Station, along with 5,800 pounds of supplies and equipment.
As far as the ding in a couple of heat shield tiles, Kelly said it did not bother him much.
"I was a little bit underwhelmed by the size of the gouge," he said. "To see it, it looked rather small."
*Photos of Tile Damage* + View Hi-Res Image of Tile Damage http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/187279main_07pd2305.jpg + View Hi-Res Image of Tile Taken in Space http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/187280main_07pd2303.jpg
*Mission Information* + STS-118 Mission Overview http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts118/index.html + STS-118 Fact Sheet (900 Kb PDF) http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/184910main_sts118_factsheet4.pdf + STS-118 NASA TV Schedule http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/mission_schedule.html