The Endeavour astronauts are working through their deorbit timeline today, rigging the shuttle for re-entry and touchdown on runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center at 7:05 p.m. There are no technical problems of any significance and forecasters continue to predict good weather for landing.

"All right, Dom, we just took the weather brief and it's looking really nice at KSC for the first opportunity," astronaut James Dutton radioed commander Dominic Gorie from mission control. "The forecast remains 'go,' scattered (clouds) at 5,000 (feet), seven miles vis, winds zero-nine-zero, 8 (knots) peak 12. That's a cross(wind) of 11, headwind of 5. So the clouds have lifted a bit. We'll be keeping track of those, but we think it's looking really nice to get you home on the first opportunity."

"Thanks, Jim, that sounds great. It sounds like the weather forecasters were really accurate on this one," Gorie replied. "They're doing a great job. Thanks!"

The astronauts were awakened at 10:58 a.m. by a recording of Train's "Drops of Jupiter" radioed up from mission control.

"Good morning Endeavour. And good morning to you, Box," astronaut Al Drew called from Houston, using pilot Gregory Johnson's fighter pilot call sign.

"Good morning, Al. Wow, that's a great song to listen to on landing day," Johnson replied. "I'd like to thank my wife, Cari, and my kids Matthew, Susan and Rachel. That's one of the songs that we play in Max Q, our all-astronaut band. We do keep our day jobs, though. But this has been a two-week adventure, it's been a pleasure and an honor to be on it and although we had wonderful events and some great successes, we're ready to get home. ... We'll see you guys on the ground."

"I'm sure your families will be happy to see you back on the ground there in Florida and we'll look forward to seeing you back here in Houston when you get here," Drew said.

"Thanks, Al. I've also got my 1984 (Air Force) academy shirt on."

"'84, hard core..." said Drew, a fellow academy graduate.

"Wings that soar," Johnson finished.

Gorie, Johnson, flight engineer Michael Foreman, Richard Linnehan, Robert Behnken, Japanese astronaut Takao Doi and returning space station flight engineer Leopold Eyharts, a European Space Agency astronaut returning to Earth after 48 days in space, have two landing opportunities today, one at 7:05:08 p.m. and the other at 8:39:06 p.m.

The first opportunity occurs in daylight and the second in darkness. The crosswind limit for daylight landings is 15 knots, decreasing to 12 knots at night. But the winds are expected to decrease as the evening wears on and crosswinds are expected to peak around 9 knots for the second opportunity.

With a good forecast, NASA is not staffing its backup landing site at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and if the weather or some other problem prevents a touchdown today, the astronauts will remain in orbit an additional 24 hours and try again Thursday.

Working through a carefully scripted timeline, the astronauts planned to close the shuttle's cargo bay doors around 3:18 p.m. and to fire the shuttle's twin braking rockets for two minutes and 51 seconds starting at 5:58:14 p.m. That will slow the shuttle by 209 mph, just enough to cause the ship to drop out of orbit.

About a half-hour later, at 6:33 p.m., Endeavour will fall into the discernible atmosphere at an altitude of about 76 miles. Within a few minutes, atmospheric friction will produce temperatures of more than 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit on the reinforced carbon carbon nose cap and wing leading edge panels as the shuttle rapidly slows down from its orbital velocity of 5 miles per second.

Endeavour's ground track will carry the shuttle across Central America west of the Panama Canal, high above central Cuba and then up the east coast of Florida. Dropping through 83,000 feet, Endeavour will have slowed to a velocity of 1,700 mph by around 6:58 p.m. and to Mach 1 three minutes later, producing twin sonic booms as Endeavour drops below the speed of sound at an altitude of 51,100 feet.

At that point, Gorie will take over manual control, guiding the spaceplane through a sweeping 195-degree left overhead turn to line up on runway 15.

EDT...........EVENT

..............Rev. 248 descent to KSC runway 15

01:58:00 PM...Begin deorbit timeline
02:13:00 PM...Radiator stow
02:23:00 PM...Mission specialists seat installation
02:29:00 PM...Computers set for deorbit prep
02:33:00 PM...Hydraulic system configuration
02:58:00 PM...Flash evaporator cooling system checkout
03:04:00 PM...Final payload deactivation
03:18:00 PM...Payload bay doors closed
03:28:00 PM...Mission control 'go' for OPS-3 entry software load
03:38:00 PM...OPS-3 software loaded
04:03:00 PM...Entry switchlist verification
04:13:00 PM...Deorbit maneuver update
04:18:00 PM...Crew entry review
04:33:00 PM...Commander/pilot don entry suits
04:50:00 PM...Inertial Measurement Unit alignment
04:58:00 PM...CDR/PLT strap in; mission specialists don suits
05:15:00 PM...Shuttle steering check
05:18:00 PM...Hydraulic power system prestart
05:25:00 PM...Toilet deactivation
05:33:00 PM...Vent doors closed for entry
05:38:00 PM...Mission control 'go' for deorbit burn
05:44:00 PM...MS seat ingress
05:53:00 PM...Single APU start

05:58:14 PM...Deorbit ignition
(Alt: 215.2 sm; Vel: 17,251 mph; dV: 209 mph; dT: 2:51)
06:01:05 PM...Deorbit burn complete

06:33:06 PM...Entry interface
(alt: 75.7 sm; Vel: 16,979 mph; range: 4,959 sm)
06:38:03 PM...1st roll command to left
06:52:00 PM...C-band radar acquisition
06:54:34 PM...1st left to right roll reversal
06:58:36 PM...Velocity less than mach 2.5
(alt: 83,000 ft; vel: 1,709 mph)
07:00:47 PM...Velocity less than mach 1
(alt: 51,100 ft; vel: 613 mph)
07:02:05 PM...Shuttle on the heading alignment cylinder
07:05:08 PM...Landing


..............Rev. 249 descent to KSC runway 15

07:13:14 PM...Mission control 'go' for deorbit burn
07:19:14 PM...MS seat ingress
07:28:14 PM...Single APU start

07:33:14 PM...Deorbit ignition
(alt: 216 sm; vel: 17,251 mph; dV: 206 mph; dT: 2:48)
07:36:02 PM...Deorbit burn complete

08:07:23 PM...Entry interface
(alt: 75.6 sm; vel: 16,979 mph; range: 5,055 sm)
08:12:18 PM...1st roll command to right
08:21:14 PM...1st right-to-left roll reversal
08:26:00 PM...C-band radar acquisition
08:32:34 PM...Velocity less than mach 2.5
(alt: 83,900 feet; vel: 1,704 mph)
08:34:46 PM...Velocity less than mach 1
(alt: 50,700 feet; vel: 613 mph)
08:35:32 PM...Shuttle on the heading alignment cylinder
08:39:06 PM...Landing

Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: TUESDAY NIGHT'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: MEDIA INTERVIEWS WITH CREW TUESDAY EVENING PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUT LEOPOLD EYHARTS' FRENCH MEDIA EVENT PLAY
VIDEO: CREW TOLD OF WINDOW AND WING IMPACT ANALYSIS PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS PLAY WITH JELLYBEANS ON FLIGHT DECK PLAY
VIDEO: PRE-ENTRY TEST OF AEROSURFACES AND THRUSTERS PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 15 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: STATION'S VIEW OF SHUTTLE WATER DUMP PLAY
VIDEO: UNDOCKING REPLAY FROM STATION CAMERA PLAY
VIDEO: UNDOCKING REPLAY FROM SHUTTLE CAMERAS PLAY
VIDEO: MONDAY NIGHT'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR UNDOCKS FROM THE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: SOLAR ARRAY LATCHING PROBLEM DELAYS UNDOCKING PLAY
VIDEO: HATCH CLOSED BETWEEN DOCKING PORT AND HARMONY PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE AND STATION CREWS SAY THEIR FAREWELLS PLAY
VIDEO: MONDAY'S MISSION MANAGEMENT TEAM UPDATE PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF UNDOCKING AND FLYAROUND PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 14 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: ARIZONA AND COLORADO SEEN FROM SPACE AT NIGHT PLAY
VIDEO: NEW YORK CITY AND BOSTON SEEN FROM SPACE AT NIGHT PLAY
VIDEO: BEAUTIFUL MOONSET SEEN FROM THE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: SUNDAY NIGHT'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: JOINT SHUTTLE AND STATION CREW NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 13 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: SUNDAY MORNING'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: CONCLUSION OF MISSION'S FINAL SPACEWALK PLAY
VIDEO: HELMET-CAM SURVEY OF DEPLOYED EXPERIMENTS PLAY
VIDEO: SECOND EXPERIMENT PACKAGE RETRIEVED FROM SHUTTLE PLAY
VIDEO: MATERIALS EXPOSURE EXPERIMENT INSTALLED ON ISS PLAY
VIDEO: FURTHER EXAMINATION OF STATION'S ROTARY JOINT PLAY
VIDEO: PROTECTIVE COVER PLACED OVER BOOM SENSOR PACKAGE PLAY
VIDEO: HEAT SHIELD INSPECTION BOOM MOUNTED ON THE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: BOOM MOVED FOR SPACEWALKERS TO MANUALLY STOW PLAY
VIDEO: GOOD CONNECTION CONFIRMED FOR BOOM UMBILICAL PLAY
VIDEO: CRITICAL UMBILICAL FOR BOOM INSTALLED ON STATION PLAY
VIDEO: INSPECTION BOOM HANDED OFF BETWEEN ROBOT ARM PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS EXIT AIRLOCK TO BEGIN EVA NO. 5 PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF BOOM ATTACHMENT TO ISS PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED PREVIEW OF SPACEWALK NO. 5 PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 12 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: FRIDAY NIGHT'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SCIENCE GLOVEBOX FACILITY MOVED INTO COLUMBUS LAB PLAY
VIDEO: INSPECTION BOOM SURVEYS SHUTTLE WINGS AND NOSE PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF LATE INSPECTION PROCESS PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 11 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: FRIDAY MORNING'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: BEHNKEN GIVES ANOTHER SHOT AT STUCK CONNECTOR PLAY
VIDEO: TILE SAMPLES AND DISPENSER STOWED IN PAYLOAD BAY PLAY
VIDEO: CLOSEUP VIEW OF THE 'REPAIRED' SHUTTLE TILES PLAY
VIDEO: SPACE SHUTTLE TILE REPAIR DEMONSTRATION - PART 2 PLAY
VIDEO: SPACE SHUTTLE TILE REPAIR DEMONSTRATION - PART 1 PLAY
VIDEO: TILE REPAIR DRY RUN PRACTICE WITH THE DISPENSER PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS SET UP WORKSITE FOR TILE REPAIR TEST PLAY
VIDEO: FOREMAN FIGHTS WITH STUCK POWER CONNECTOR PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS EGRESS AIRLOCK FOR EVA NO. 4 PLAY
VIDEO: TILE REPAIR DEMONSTRATION PREVIEW PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED PREVIEW OF SPACEWALK NO. 4 PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF FUTURE DEXTRE WORK PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF JAPAN'S SECTION OF ISS PLAY

VIDEO: LAUNCH VIDEO FROM COCKPIT CAMERA W/INTERCOM PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 10 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: WEDNESDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: CREW MEDIA INTERVIEWS WEDNESDAY NIGHT PLAY
VIDEO: JAPANESE VIP CALL TO STATION PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 9 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: TUESDAY NIGHT'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH CARRIER PALLET RETURNED TO SHUTTLE PLAY
VIDEO: DEXTRE ROBOT ATTACHED TO DESTINY LAB MODULE PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF DEXTRE'S RELOCATION PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 8 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: TUESDAY MORNING'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: DEXTRE ROBOT FREED FROM LAUNCH PALLET PLAY
VIDEO: SECOND SPARE DCSU BOX PLACED ON THE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKER UNABLE TO INSTALL MISSE EXPERIMENT PLAY
VIDEO: FIRST SPARE DCSU BOX PLACED ON THE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: SPARE YAW JOINT FOR STATION ARM TRANSFERRED PLAY
VIDEO: MOUNTING PLATE ATTACHED TO COLUMBUS PLAY
VIDEO: DEXTRE ROBOT FITTED WITH TOOL HOLDER PLAY
VIDEO: TOOL PLATFORM ATTACHED TO DEXTRE PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED PREVIEW OF SPACEWALK NO. 3 PLAY

VIDEO: LEFT-HAND BOOSTER CAMERA LOOKING UPWARD PLAY
VIDEO: LEFT-HAND BOOSTER CAMERA LOOKING INBOARD PLAY
VIDEO: LEFT-HAND BOOSTER CAMERA LOOKING DOWNWARD PLAY
VIDEO: RIGHT-HAND BOOSTER CAMERA LOOKING UPWARD PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 7 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: DEXTRE MOVES ARMS FOR BRAKE TESTS PLAY
VIDEO: CREW MEDIA INTERVIEWS SUNDAY NIGHT PLAY
VIDEO: SUNDAY NIGHT'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 6 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: SUNDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SECOND ARM ATTACHED TO DEXTRE ROBOT PLAY
VIDEO: FIRST ARM ATTACHED TO THE DEXTRE ROBOT PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS HELP DEXTRE DO A SIT-UP PLAY
VIDEO: SECOND DEXTRE ARM PULLED FROM LAUNCH CARRIER PLAY
VIDEO: FIRST ARM REMOVED FROM PALLET WITH FORCE PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED PREVIEW OF SPACEWALK NO. 2 PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 5 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: SATURDAY MORNING MEDIA INTERVIEWS PLAY
VIDEO: STATION ARM GRAPPLES DEXTRE TO PROVIDE POWER PLAY
VIDEO: CEREMONY AT JAPANESE MODULE HATCH OPENING PLAY
VIDEO: SATURDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: FRIDAY'S MISSION MANAGEMENT TEAM UPDATE PLAY

VIDEO: THURSDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 4 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: NEW MODULE CONNECTED TO THE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: JAPANESE MODULE UNBERTHED FROM SHUTTLE PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKER START ASSEMBLING DEXTRE ROBOT PLAY
VIDEO: JAPANESE MODULE PREPPED FOR UNBERTHING PLAY
VIDEO: HARMONY DOCKING PORT PREPPED PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALK NO. 1 BEGINS PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION PREVIEWING JAPANESE JLP MODULE PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION PREVIEWING MODULE MOVE PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED PREVIEW OF SPACEWALK NO. 1 PLAY
VIDEO: THURSDAY'S MISSION MANAGEMENT TEAM UPDATE PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 3 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: DEXTRE PALLET MOVED FROM SHUTTLE TO STATION PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION PREVIEWING DEXTRE ROBOT PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION PREVIEWING PALLET MOVE PLAY
VIDEO: THURSDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE CREW WELCOMED ABOARD STATION PLAY
VIDEO: DOCKING REPLAY FROM OTHER TRUSS CAMERA PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR DOCKS TO SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR PERFORMS THE 360-DEGREE BACKFLIP PLAY
VIDEO: VIEWS OF THE SHUTTLE APPROACHING FROM BELOW PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF PREVIEWING THE DOCKING PLAY
VIDEO: UPDATE FROM MISSION MANAGEMENT TEAM PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: WEDNESDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: ANIMATION OF THE HEAT SHIELD INSPECTIONS PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED TOUR OF ENDEAVOUR'S PAYLOAD BAY PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: INSIDE MISSION CONTROL DURING LAUNCH PLAY
VIDEO: THE FULL LAUNCH EXPERIENCE PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR BLASTS OFF! PLAY
VIDEO: THE POST-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY
VIDEO: HIGHLIGHTS FROM ENDEAVOUR'S LAUNCH CAMPAIGN PLAY
VIDEO: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PAYLOADS' LAUNCH CAMPAIGN PLAY

VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: VAB ROOF PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PAD FRONT PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PRESS SITE PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: WEST TOWER PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PAD PERIMETER PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: UCS-23 WIDESCREEN PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 009 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 049 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 050 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 051 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 054 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 061 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 063 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 070 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 071 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA CS-1 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA CS-2 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA CS-6 PLAY

VIDEO: FINAL PRE-LAUNCH POLLS GIVE "GO" FOR LIFTOFF PLAY
VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR'S CREW MODULE CLOSED FOR FLIGHT PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUT DOI CLIMBS INTO HIS SEAT PLAY
VIDEO: PILOT JOHNSON CLIMBS INTO HIS SEAT PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUT REISMAN CLIMBS INTO HIS SEAT PLAY
VIDEO: COMMANDER GORIE CLIMBS INTO HIS SEAT PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS ARRIVE AT LAUNCH PAD 39A PLAY
VIDEO: CREW DEPARTS QUARTERS FOR LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS DON SPACESUITS FOR LAUNCH PLAY
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE MOVIE OF SUNSET OVER PAD 39A PLAY
VIDEO: MORNING PREPARATIONS AT LAUNCH PAD 39A PLAY
VIDEO: PAD GANTRY RETRACTED FOR LAUNCH PLAY

VIDEO: OVERVIEW BRIEFING ON CANADA'S DEXTRE ROBOT PLAY
VIDEO: OVERVIEW BRIEFING ON JAPAN'S KIBO FACILITIES PLAY
VIDEO: SUNDAY'S COUNTDOWN STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SATURDAY'S COUNTDOWN STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: CREW ARRIVES AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER FOR LAUNCH PLAY
VIDEO: FRIDAY'S COUNTDOWN STATUS AND WEATHER BRIEFING PLAY

VIDEO: STS-123 ASTRONAUT BIOGRAPHY MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED SHORT FILM PREVIEW ENDEAVOUR'S FLIGHT PLAY

VIDEO: STS-123 MISSION OVERVIEW BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: BRIEFING ON THE SPACEWALKS PLAY
VIDEO: CREW'S PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE AND ISS PROGRAM UPDATE PLAY

VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW: COMMANDER DOM GORIE PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW: PILOT GREG JOHNSON PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW: MS1 BOB BEHNKEN PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW: MS2 MIKE FOREMAN PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW: MS3 TAKAO DOI PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW: MS4 RICK LINNEHAN PLAY

VIDEO: FLIGHT READINESS REVIEW NEWS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: TCDT TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS PLAY
VIDEO: PRESS CHAT WITH CREW AT LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO: CREW ARRIVES AT KSC FOR PRACTICE COUNT PLAY
VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR ARRIVES AT PAD 39A PLAY | XL SIZE
VIDEO: SHUTTLE ROLLS TO THE VAB PLAY | XL SIZE
MORE: STS-123 VIDEO COVERAGE
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