Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:41:39 AM UTC-0200


Space shuttle Endeavour's crew of six returns to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston after completing the rigorous prelaunch training for their STS-130 mission to the International Space Station.
The astronauts will continue training for the flight by conducting contingency abort scenarios in the motion base simulator today at Johnson.
During the weekend, ground teams on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida will close Endeavour's payload bay doors for flight.
On Jan. 27, an executive-level Flight Readiness Review meeting will be held at Kennedy to assess the readiness of the shuttle, flight crew and payloads to proceed with the countdown.
The official launch date will be set at the review and announced during a press briefing following the meeting.

Endeavour's STS-130 Mission


Commander George Zamka will lead the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Endeavour. Terry Virts will serve as the pilot. Mission Specialists are Nicholas Patrick, Robert Behnken, Stephen Robinson and Kathryn Hire. Virts will be making his first trip to space.
Shuttle Endeavour and its crew will deliver to the space station a third connecting module, the Italian-built Tranquility node and the seven-windowed cupola, which will be used as a control room for robotics. The mission will feature three spacewalks.
Liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is targeted for February 7, 2010, at 4:39 a.m. EST