The shuttle Endeavour glided to a landing at the Kennedy Space Center today, wrapping up a marathon 16-day space station construction mission and bringing Japan's first long-duration astronaut back to Earth after four-and-a-half months in weightlessness.

Read our full story.

A gallery of landing photos can be viewed here.

The towback of space shuttle Endeavour from the runway to the Orbiter Processing Facility hangar a few miles away is nearing completion.

Workers will perform post-flight work at the hangar and begin readying the shuttle for its next mission that's scheduled for launch in February to deliver the Tranquility connecting module and the Cupola to the space station.

"What an amazing flight this was," Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for Space Operations, says at the post-landing press conference. He added that Endeavour looks to be in fine shape after its latest spaceflight.

The astronauts are heading for crew quarters to be reunited with their family members and have some dinner.

The towing of Endeavour from the runway to its processing hangar is expected to begin within the next couple hours.

Six of the astronauts, all but returning long-duration space station astronaut Koichi Wakata, have left the Crew Transport Vehicle for the traditional walkaround inspection of the space shuttle on the runway. There to greet them is new NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden.

All seven astronauts have exited the space shuttle. They are inside the Crew Transport Vehicle -- a modified airport "People Mover" -- that pulled up to the side hatch for the astronauts to enter. The CTV features beds and comfortable seats for the astronauts to receive medical checks after returning to Earth's gravity from the weightless environment of space.

The mobile steps have been positioned next to Endeavour's hatch along with the Crew Transport Vehicle for the astronauts to enter.

More than 200 video clips from the STS-127 mission are posted in our Spaceflight Now+Plus archive. A long replay of the landing is available now:

Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR LANDS IN FLORIDA PLAY
MORE: STS-127 VIDEO COVERAGE

The astronauts were just given permission to remove their entry spacesuits.

On the runway, technicians are using instruments to "sniff" the shuttle's exterior to check for any hazardous vapors.

Congratulations from the space station crew on today's successful landing have been relayed via Mission Control to the Endeavour astronauts.

The APU shutdown has been completed by pilot Doug Hurley.

The main engine nozzles have been repositioned, or gimbaled, to the "rain drain" orientation. And now the hydraulics are no longer required, so Endeavour's three Auxiliary Power Units are being shut down.

The external tank umbilical doors on the shuttle's belly have been opened and the body flap set.

Here are the landing times in Eastern Daylight Time and Mission Elapsed Time:

Main Gear Touchdown
10:48:08 a.m. EDT
MET: 15 days, 16 hours, 44 minutes, 58 seconds

Nose Gear Touchdown
10:48:21 a.m. EDT
MET: 15 days, 16 hours, 45 minutes, 11 seconds

Wheels Stop
10:49:13 a.m. EDT
MET: 15 days, 16 hours, 46 minutes, 3 seconds

The pyrotechnics for the crew module hatch, landing gear and drag chute have been safed, commander Polansky reports.

The crew has established radio contact with the landing convoy and began the post-landing procedures on Endeavour.

"We are happy to be home," says commander Mark Polansky as Endeavour rolled to a stop.

WHEELS STOP. Shuttle Endeavour and crew have safely returned from their thrilling spaceflight that mixed delicate robotics with the muscle of spacewalkers to continue constructing and maintaining the International Space Station. The mission gave the orbiting complex an outdoor science research facility for astronomy and probing the exposed conditions of space, pre-staged critical spare parts for the outpost and replaced aging batteries in the power grid.

Endeavour is back home at the Kennedy Space Center some 16 days after launching from the Florida spaceport on a trip that spanned 6,547,853 miles.

TOUCHDOWN! Main gear touchdown. Pilot Doug Hurley is putting out the drag chute as commander Mark Polansky brings the nose gear to the surface of Runway 15.

Pilot Doug Hurley is deploying the landing gear. Standing by for touchdown at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility.

Wings are level on final approach.

Altitude 10,000 feet. The shuttle descending at a rate seven times steeper than that of a commercial airliner.

Field in sight. Commander Mark Polansky reports he can see the runway as he guides Endeavour to landing.

Now descending through 17,000 feet, traveling at 400 mph as the sweeping turn continues.

Altitude 30,000 feet.

The shuttle is in the Heading Alignment Cylinder, an imaginary circle to align with Runway 15. Commander Mark Polansky is piloting Endeavour through a 210-degree left-overhead turn over the Atlantic to loop around for landing on the northwest to southeast runway.

The twin sonic booms have rumbled across the Kennedy Space Center area, announcing the shuttle's arrival.

The astronauts have taken manual control of Endeavour.

Endeavour is 60,000 feet in altitude.

The crew has been given a "go" for normal deployment of the drag chute after main gear touchdown.

Endeavour will pass directly over the city of Rockledge and then the Indian River en route to Merritt Island. After soaring high above the Complex 39 area and landmark Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center, Endeavour will exit out of the Atlantic at the Canaveral National Seashore where commander Mark Polansky will begin a sweeping 210-degree left-overhead turn to align with Runway 15 that extends from the northwest to southeast.

Speed now 1,600 mph.

Long-range tracking cameras have spotted Endeavour as the shuttle flies up the eastern coast of Florida.

Seven minutes to go. Air data probes are being deployed from the shuttle's nose to feed air speed, altitude and angle of attack information to the computers for navigation.

Eight minutes to touchdown. Endeavour is passing by Lake Okeechobee.

Range to touchdown now 180 miles. Endeavour is 125,000 feet in altitude.

Ten minutes from landing. Endeavour has reached southwest Florida where it will fly over the Everglades and the Alligator Alley. The flight path will skirt along the southeastern shore of Lake Okeechobee as it heads northward toward Brevard County.

Now 11 minutes from touchdown. Mission Control computes Endeavour will land 2,550 feet down the runway at 195 knots.

Crossing above Cuba some 167,000 feet in altitude at Mach 10.

Now passing through a period of expected ratty communications.

The space shuttle is soaring high over the western Caribbean now, soon to pass above Cuba.

Endeavour is 194,000 feet in altitude, traveling at 11,000 mph.

Endeavour is 219,000 feet in altitude, 1,400 miles from the runway, traveling at 13,500 mph.

The space shuttle is approaching landfall in the skies over Costa Rica.

Now traveling at 15,400 mph some 236,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean just east of the Galapagos Islands.

The shuttle is in the midst of the four banks to scrub off speed as it descends into the atmosphere. These turns basically remove the energy vehicle built up during launch.

Endeavour is 243,000 feet in altitude, 2,600 miles from the runway, traveling at 16,000 mph.

Time to touchdown now 25 minutes. Endeavour is continues its plunge over the Pacific Ocean.

Endeavour is 256,000 feet in altitude, 3,400 miles from the runway, traveling at 16,800 mph.

Now 30 minutes from touchdown as Endeavour plunges into the upper atmosphere. The path will take the spacecraft over the Pacific before reaching Costa Rica. The trajectory continues soaring high over the Caribbean and Cuba before reaching Florida.

ENTRY INTERFACE. Endeavour's thermal protection system is feeling heat beginning to build as the orbiter enters the top fringes of the atmosphere -- a period known as entry interface.

The shuttle is flying at Mach 25 with its nose elevated 40 degrees, wings level, at an altitude of 400,000 feet over the southern Pacific Ocean.

Touchdown remains set for 10:48 a.m. EDT in Florida.

Now 35 minutes left to go. This will be the 71st shuttle landing at Kennedy Space Center.

The Florida spaceport's Shuttle Landing Facility was built in 1975. The concrete strip is 300 feet wide and 15,000 feet long with 1,000-foot overruns at each end. The runway is located about three miles northwest of the 525-foot tall Vehicle Assembly Building.

Endeavour is targeting Runway 15, which is the northwest to southeast approach. The shuttle will make a 210-degree left overhead turn to align with the runway.

A reminder that if you will be away from your computer but would like to receive occasional updates, sign up for our Twitter feed to get text message updates sent to your cellphone. U.S. readers can also sign up from their phone by texting "follow spaceflightnow" to 40404. (Standard text messaging charges apply.)

Now 40 minutes to touchdown. Onboard guidance has maneuvered Endeavour from its heads-down, tail-forward position needed for the deorbit burn to the reentry configuration of heads-up and nose-forward. The nose will be pitched upward 40 degrees. In this new position, the black tiles on the shuttle's belly and the reinforced carbon-carbon panels on the wing leading edges and nose cap will shield the spacecraft during the fiery plunge through the Earth's atmosphere with temperatures reaching well over 2,000 degrees F. Endeavour will begin interacting with the upper fringes of the atmosphere above the South Pacific at 10:16 a.m. EDT.

All three Auxiliary Power Units are up and running now.

Now 50 minutes from touchdown at the Kennedy Space Center to conclude Endeavour's 15-day, 16-hour, 45-minute flight.

Endeavour is flying over Australia, about to pass above the Southern Ocean now.

Excess propellant reserves in the maneuvering thrusters on the shuttle's nose will be dumped overboard through thrusters. The dump time will be 31 seconds.

Sixty minutes to touchdown. Endeavour is maneuvering to the orientation for entry. The shuttle will hit the upper atmosphere at 10:16 a.m.

DEORBIT BURN COMPLETE. Endeavour has successfully completed the deorbit burn for the trip back home. Landing is scheduled for 10:48 a.m. EDT at the Cape to conclude this latest shuttle run to the space station.

Both engines continue to fire, each producing about 6,000 pounds of thrust.

DEORBIT BURN IGNITION. Flying upside down and backwards more than 200 miles above the Indian Ocean just west of Malaysia, Endeavour has begun the deorbit burn. The firing of the twin Orbital Maneuvering System engines on the tail of the shuttle will last two minutes and 51 seconds, slowing the craft by 207 mph to slip from orbit. The retro-burn will send Endeavour to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a touchdown at 10:48 a.m. EDT.

Endeavour is in the proper configuration for the deorbit burn, Mission Control has confirmed for the crew.

Pilot Doug Hurley has activated one of three Auxiliary Power Units in advance of the burn, now three minutes away. The other two APUs will be started later in the descent to provide pressure needed to power shuttle's hydraulic systems that move the wing flaps, rudder/speed brake, drop the landing gear and steer the nose wheel. NASA ensures that at least one APU is working before committing to the deorbit burn since the shuttle needs only a single unit to make a safe landing.

GO FOR THE DEORBIT BURN! Weather conditions at the Kennedy Space Center are acceptable to welcome home the space shuttle this morning, allowing entry flight director Bryan Lunney in Mission Control to give final approval for Endeavour to perform the deorbit burn at 9:41:10 a.m. EDT that will commit the spacecraft for the journey back to Earth.

Touchdown in Florida on Runway 15 is set for 10:48 a.m. EDT, completing a mission that finished construction of the Japanese science facilities at the international space station.

The latest weather outlook for landing time removed the chance of showers within 30 miles of the runway, giving an official "go" forecast.

Now 15 minutes from the time in which Endeavour would have to ignite its braking engines to begin the trip back home.

Endeavour is passing 209 miles above Europe now, some 20 minutes away from the deorbit burn time.

The crew was instructed to continue with preps including repositioning the shuttle's vent doors while Mission Control finishes its assessment of the weather. The astronauts are suited up and getting strapped into their seats for the entry.

"We are still watching the weather," CAPCOM astronaut Alan Poindexter just radioed commander Mark Polansky. Meteorologist continue to track those showers over the Atlantic.

Entry flight director Bryan Lunney is receiving another detailed weather briefing before making the decision about the deorbit burn.

Endeavour has crossed the equator over South America to begin orbit 247.

About 30 minutes remain until entry flight director Bryan Lunney will have to decide whether Endeavour can perform the deorbit burn that commits the shuttle for the glide back to Earth for the day's first landing opportunity. There is a backup landing option available one orbit later, if the weather situation should fall apart.

Thus far, those showers to the southeast have remained well offshore.

The crew has been given a "go" to start the "fluid loading" protocol. That involves drinking large amounts of liquids and salt tablets to assist in the readaptation to Earth's gravity. Water, chicken consomme, orange, lemon-lime and tropical punch drinks are on the menu for the astronauts to pick from today.

This "go" from Mission Control is seen as a good step toward an on time landing. Houston typically doesn't force the crew into fluid loading unless deorbit looks realistic.

At this point in the deorbit preparation timeline, commander Mark Polansky and pilot Doug Hurley are scheduled to be climbing into their bright orange launch and entry spacesuit. They'll be strapping into the flight deck's left-forward and right-forward seats shortly while the rest of the crewmembers don their suits.

"The latest (observation) is about what we expected...We are tracking a few showers and thunderstorms out offshore to the southeast, keeping an eye on those. But so far everything is developing about like we expected," CAPCOM astronaut Alan Poindexter just radioed commander Mark Polansky.

"We will keep our fingers crossed," Polansky replied.

Weather-wise, it is a beautiful morning at the runway. However, meteorologists are watching some showers offshore and a patch of storms to the southeast over the Atlantic.

Endeavour is flying over the Philippines on a northwest to southeast trajectory. The deorbit burn will occur near this area of the world one orbit from now.

Chief NASA astronaut Steve Lindsey just got airborne at the Kennedy Space Center in the Shuttle Training Aircraft to fly weather reconnaissance around the Florida spaceport today. Earlier this morning, he was flying in a T-38 jet to examine how the weather situation was developing.

The Shuttle Training Aircraft is a modified Gulfstream jet that offers a close simulation to the flying characteristics of a space shuttle during landing.

The latest data from Mission Control shows the upcoming deorbit burn ignition time will be 9:41:10 a.m. EDT. The twin braking rockets will fire for two minutes and 51 seconds, slowing the shuttle enough to slip out of orbit.

The onboard software switch has been completed. Next, the star trackers on the nose of Endeavour will be stowed for entry.

Mission Control has given the crew a "go" to transition the onboard computers from the OPS-2 software used during the shuttle's stay in space to OPS-3, which is the software package that governs entry and landing.

And Endeavour will soon maneuver into a new orientation in space to improve the communications link with NASA's orbiting data relay satellite network.

Space shuttle Endeavour's clam-shell payload bay doors have been closed and locked in preparation for today's descent into Earth's atmosphere and landing at Kennedy Space Center. The deorbit burn is scheduled for 9:42 a.m., with touchdown at 10:48 a.m. EDT.

The "go" has been radioed to the crew for payload bay door closing.

The crew completed the work to bypass the shuttle's radiators on the insides of the payload bay doors and checked out of the ship's flash evaporator cooling system for entry.

The astronauts have been proceeding through the deorbit preparation timeline. Early steps included verifying the correct positions of switches in the cockpit and re-installing the mission specialists' seats.

Overseeing today's return of Endeavour from the Mission Control Center in Houston will be entry flight director Bryan Lunney, son of legendary Apollo flight director Glynn Lunney. Seated alongside in Houston in direct radio contact with the shuttle crew is CAPCOM astronaut Alan Poindexter, the upcoming commander of the STS-131 shuttle mission next year.

"And Roman, we just had our first weather briefing of the day. No real changes from what we sent you yesterday afternoon, still carrying a slight chance of rain showers within 30 miles. But right now it is looking nice," CAPCOM astronaut Alan Poindexter just radioed commander Mark Polansky.

"Copy, Dex. We're holding you to it," Polansky replied.

The latest weather forecast from the Spaceflight Meteorology Group for today's 10:48 a.m. EDT landing at the Kennedy Space Center is calling for a few clouds at 3.000 feet, scattered clouds at 8,000 feet, a broken deck of clouds at 25,000 feet, seven miles of visibility, a south-southeasterly wind from 160 degrees of 5 peaking to 8 knots. The concern will be a "slight chance" for rain showers developing within the sensitive 30-mile zone around the runway,

For the backup landing opportunity one orbit later, with a touchdown time of 12:22 p.m. EDT, the outlook has a little better chance for showers to have popped up.

Here's a look at today's deorbit and landing timeline for Endeavour's planned 10:48 a.m. EDT homecoming to the Kennedy Space Center: (All times are EDT)

Rev. 248 Deorbit to KSC

Deorbit burn: 09:42:02 AM
Change in velocity (dV): 218 mph
Burn duration (dT): 03:04
Crossrange: 760 sm
Range from EI to KSC: 5,033 sm
Turn: 215-degree left turn to runway 15

05:42 AM......Begin deorbit timeline
05:57 AM......Radiator stow
06:07 AM......Mission specialists seat installation
06:13 AM......Computers set for deorbit prep
06:17 AM......Hydraulic system configuration
06:42 AM......Flash evaporator checkout
06:48 AM......Final payload deactivation
07:02 AM......Payload bay doors closed
07:12 AM......Mission control 'go' for OPS-3
07:22 AM......OPS-3 transition
07:47 AM......Entry switchlist verification
07:57 AM......Deorbit PAD update
08:02 AM......Crew entry review
08:17 AM......CDR/PLT don entry suits
08:34 AM......IMU alignment
08:42 AM......CDR/PLT strap in; MS suit don
08:59 AM......Shuttle steering check
09:02 AM......Hydraulic system prestart
09:09 AM......Toilet deactivation

09:22 AM......MCC 'go' for deorbit burn
09:28 AM......MS seat ingress
09:37 AM......Single APU start

09:42:02 AM...Deorbit ignition
09:45:06 AM...Deorbit burn complete

10:16:35 AM...Entry interface
10:21:42 AM...1st roll command to left
10:35:20 AM...C-band radar acquisition
10:36:06 AM...1st left-to-right roll reversal
10:41:59 AM...Velocity less than mach 2.5
10:44:09 AM...Velocity less than mach 1
10:45:08 AM...215-degree left turn to runway 15
10:48:20 AM...Landing

If the weather or some problem prevents Endeavour from returning to Earth on schedule, there is one additional landing opportunity available today one orbit later. Here is the timeline for that:

Rev. 249 Deorbit to KSC

Deorbit ignition: 11:16:55 AM
Change in velocity (dV): 218 mph
Burn duration (dT): 3:04
Crossrange: 292 sm
Range from EI to KSC: 5,086 sm
259 Left turn to runway 15

10:56 AM......MCC 'go' for deorbit burn
11:02 AM......MS seat ingress
11:11 AM......Single APU start

11:16:55 AM...Deorbit ignition
11:19:59 AM...Deorbit burn complete

11:50:54 AM...Entry interface
11:55:57 AM...1st roll command to left
12:05:41 PM...1st left-to-right roll reversal
12:16:13 PM...Velocity less than mach 2.5
12:18:27 PM...Velocity less than mach 1
12:19:07 PM...259-degree left turn to runway 15
12:22:42 PM...Landing

Space shuttle Endeavour will be heading back to Earth today and the seven astronauts just received a musical wakeup call -- "Beautiful Day" by U2 -- from Mission Control to get the day started.

The crew has a couple of hours to eat breakfast and go about their morning routine before beginning the deorbit preparation timeline at 5:43 a.m. EDT.

The ship's 60-foot-long payload bay doors are scheduled to be closed at 7:02 a.m., followed by the transition of onboard computers to the software for entry and the crew donning its spacesuits.

A final decision whether to land on time will come from Houston around 9:20 a.m., leading to ignition of Endeavour's braking rockets at 9:42 a.m. to start the trek home. The shuttle would hit the upper atmosphere at 10:16 a.m.

Landing on Runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center is scheduled for 10:48 a.m. EDT.

If the weather or a problem forces entry flight director Bryan Lunney to scrub the day's first re-entry opportunity and keep Endeavour in space, there is a backup landing option available one orbit later. That would begin with a deorbit engine firing at 11:16 a.m. and touchdown in Florida at 12:22 p.m. EDT.

NASA is not calling up support from the alternate landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert of California today. The space agency wants to get Endeavour back to the Florida spaceport, and the spacecraft has enough consumables and supplies to remain aloft an extra day if necessary. However, Edwards will be an option on Saturday.

Watch this page for continuing updates throughout the day as the astronauts prepare for the return to Earth.

And if you will be away from your computer but would like to receive occasional updates, sign up for our Twitter feed to get text message updates sent to your cellphone. U.S. readers can also sign up from their phone by texting "follow spaceflightnow" to 40404. (Standard text messaging charges apply.)

Optimistic the weather will cooperate for a morning landing, entry Flight Director Bryan Lunney said Thursday NASA will only staff the Kennedy Space Center for back-to-back landing opportunities Friday in hopes of bringing the shuttle Endeavour back to Florida.

Read our full story.

The Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment 2 just launched from the right rear corner of space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay while flying 205 miles over Texas.

The ANDE 2 project by the Naval Research Laboratory features two nearly perfect spherical micro-satellites 19 inches in diameter and packed with instrumentation. Although both are the same physical size, they have different masses. The lighter satellite is called Pollux and the heavier one is Castor.

They'll probe the density and composition of the upper atmosphere to improve orbit determination. A second objective is serving as a test object for radar and optical sensors in the U.S. Space Surveillance Network.

Shortly after ejecting from the payload bay, the canister separated in half and the two spheres emerged in a beautiful scene captured by cameras on the shuttle with the Earth as backdrop.

Today's deployment follows an earlier ANDE test flight in December 2006 in which only one of the spheres came out of the canister after launch.

Yesterday's inspections of Endeavour's wing leading edges and nose cap have cleared the space shuttle's heat shield for re-entry. The crew performed the inspections to look for any space debris impacts that could have occurred during the flight. The Mission Management Team meeting in Houston just reviewed the analysis and formally gave Endeavour a clean bill of health.

The shuttle Endeavour's crew completed a set of pre-entry tests today and pressed ahead with work to ready the ship for landing Friday at the Kennedy Space Center. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station, meanwhile, disassembled the lab's U.S. carbon dioxide removal assembly for work to replace a suspect controller.

Read our full story.

DRAGONSAT DEPLOYED! A pair of student-built picosatellites just launched together from the payload bay of space shuttle Endeavour. Ejection out of a carrier on the starboard sidewall of the bay occurred as Endeavour flew 209 miles over Bolivia.

Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: DRAGONSAT LAUNCHED FROM ENDEAVOUR PLAY
VIDEO: OVERVIEW OF FLIGHT DAY 16 ACTIVITIES PLAY
MORE: STS-127 VIDEO COVERAGE

The DRAGONSat project is comprised of the Bevo 1 craft from the University of Texas at Austin and AggieSat 2 from Texas A&M. The two were launched coupled together but will separate apart in orbit to collect Global Positioning System data as a stepping stone toward use in future spacecraft performing autonomous rendezvous and dockings. DRAGONSat is short for the Dual RF Astrodynamic GPS Orbital Navigator Satellite.

The Endeavour astronauts tested the shuttle's re-entry systems today before packing up for the trip back to Earth Friday to close out a 16-day space station assembly mission. There are no technical problems of any significance, but forecasters are predicting a slight chance for rain and thunderstorms near Endeavour's Florida runway at the 10:48 a.m. EDT landing time.

Aboard the International Space Station, meanwhile, flight engineer Michael Barratt reviewed plans to troubleshoot another problem with the lab's U.S. carbon dioxide removal assembly, or CDRA, which is currently out of action after a restart failure.

Read our full story.

The crew has successfully completed the flight control system checkout, starting up one of the Auxiliary Power Units for the orbiter's hydraulics and moving the aerosurfaces through a planned test pattern. The astronauts then checked out the onboard suite of sensors and navigation devices.

The 44 thrusters on Endeavour's nose and tail have been systematically fired as part of normal day-before-landing checks. One thruster -- F2F -- appeared failed. Mission Control says it is the first time that the jet had been fired thus far in the mission. All of the others were normal.

The astronauts are getting ready to perform the reaction control system hot-fire. The 38 primary and 6 vernier thrusters on the nose and tail of the shuttle will be pulsed twice as part of the continuing entry and landing checks for tomorrow's homecoming by Endeavour.

The Endeavour astronauts have been been awakened for their final full day in space on the STS-127 mission. This morning's wakeup song was "I Got You Babe" by Sonny & Cher.

Today will be spent packing the crew cabin for tomorrow's return to Earth, plus testing the shuttle's thrusters and checking the various flight controls for the landing.

The launch of two small satellite payloads will occur later today as well. DRAGONSat, a project between Texas A&M and the University of Texas, is scheduled for deployment at 8:33 a.m. EDT, followed by the Naval Research Laboratory's ANDE 2 at 1:22 p.m. EDT.

Read our earlier status center coverage.