Endeavour Lands for the Last Time

For the second time in less than half a year, a space shuttle has landed on the tarmac of the Kennedy Space Center for the last time. The second to last space shuttle of the NASA manned space program, the Endeavour, glided smoothly back to Earth in the early hours of the morning and roll on the runway for one last time.

As it was greeted with a warm thank you coming from Mission Control, the flight’s commander, Mark Kelly, made a short farewell speech, one of the last to be broadcasted from the ship.

"On behalf of my entire crew, I want to thank every person who's worked to get this mission going and every person who's worked on Endeavour. It's sad to see her land for the last time, but she really has a great legacy."

In its entire career, the Endeavour made 25 flights into space, in 12 of the occasions reaching the International Space Station as well. Now that it will retire, the Endeavour will head for the California Science Center in Los Angeles, where it will be on display after NASA completes the months-long decommissioning process of the shuttle.

"We are very proud of Endeavour's legacy, and this penultimate flight of the space shuttle program once again demonstrated the amazing skill and dedication of our astronauts and the entire workforce," NASA adminstrator Charlie Bolden said in a statement .

"As we begin the transition from the shuttle program to the commercial transportation of our crews and cargo, our ability to tackle big challenges remains steadfast and will ensure that NASA reaches even more destinations farther in the solar system."