International Space Station astronaut Soichi Noguchi has posted a picture he snapped looking down at Endeavour's fiery re-entry. Check it out on his Twitter feed.

Endeavour's 25th and final flight is scheduled for launch on July 29 at 7:51 a.m. EST to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer scientific experiment payload and another pallet of spare parts for the International Space Station.

The astronauts climbed aboard the AstroVan to head for crew quarters where they will be reunited with family members and have some dinner.

They will spend the night here before returning to Houston for a welcome ceremony at about 4 p.m. local time Monday at Ellington Field's Hangar 990.

The astronauts are looking heart and hardy as they take a close-up inspection of Endeavour.

The six astronauts have left the Crew Transport Vehicle for the traditional walkaround look at the space shuttle on the runway. There to greet them are NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and KSC Center Director Bob Cabana, both former astronauts themselves, plus other space agency officials.

We've posted our gallery of landing photos.

Reports from the Shuttle Landing Facility indicate that Endeavour is in great shape. The towing of orbiter from the runway to its processing hangar is expected to begin around 2:30 a.m. EST.

Endeavour rolled to a stop right at the 13,000-foot mark of the 15,000-foot long runway. Inspections of the landing strip have not revealed any debris that could have fallen off the vehicle.

All six 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 hatch was opened at 10:50 p.m. and the crew egress was called complete at 11:16 p.m. EST.

The shuttle Endeavour dropped through a partly cloudy sky and glided to a ghostly night landing at the Kennedy Space Center Sunday, leaving the International Space Station behind with a new life support module and observation deck.

Read our full story.

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

We've posted a high definition video clip of Endeavour's landing for Spaceflight Now+Plus users here.

If you are not yet a subscriber for our premium video service, learn more here.

The APU shutdown has been completed by pilot Terry Virts.

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 astronauts were just given permission to remove their entry spacesuits.

Space station resident Soichi Noguchi has posted a message on his Twitter feed that he watched Endeavour's atmospheric entry from the cupola windows.

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

The ship's flight computers are transitioning to the OPS-9 software package.

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

Main Gear Touchdown
10:20:31 p.m. EST
MET: 13 days, 18 hours, 6 minutes, 24 seconds

Nose Gear Touchdown
10:20:39 p.m. EST
MET: 13 days, 18 hours, 6 minutes, 32 seconds

Wheels Stop
10:22:10 p.m. EST
MET: 13 days, 18 hours, 8 minutes, 3 seconds

The external tank umbilical doors on the shuttle's belly have been opened.

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

"Houston, it is great to be home. It was a great adventure," says commander George Zamka as Endeavour rolled to a stop.

WHEELS STOP. Shuttle Endeavour and crew have safely returned from their mission to bring Tranquility to the International Space Station and throw open the curtains to a spectacular bay window view on our home planet.

Endeavour is back home at the Kennedy Space Center some 14 days after launching from the Florida spaceport on a trip that spanned 5.7 million miles.

TOUCHDOWN! Main gear touchdown. Pilot Terry Virts is putting out the drag chute as commander George Zamka brings the nose gear to the surface of Runway 15.

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

Altitude 5,000 feet.

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 George Zamka reports he can see the runway as he guides Endeavour to landing.

Less than 90 degrees left in this turn. Endeavour is right on track.

Now descending through 23,000 feet.

The shuttle is in the Heading Alignment Cylinder, an imaginary circle to align with Runway 15. Commander George Zamka is piloting Endeavour through a 234-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.

Commander George Zamka has taken manual control of Endeavour for landing.

Four minutes to landing.

The spacecraft remains on course. 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 Titusville 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 George Zamka will begin a sweeping 234-degree left-overhead turn to align with Runway 15 that extends from the northwest to southeast.

Endeavour is 87,000 feet in altitude, traveling at 1,700 mph.

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.

Endeavour is 119,000 feet in altitude, 154 miles from the runway, traveling at 3,400 mph.

Ten minutes from landing. Endeavour has reached southwest Florida near Naples. The flight path will skirt west of Lake Okeechobee and east of Sebring as it heads northward toward Brevard County.

Now 11 minutes from touchdown. Mission Control computes Endeavour will land 2,300 feet down the runway at 195 knots.

Now descending through 164,000 feet in altitude.

The space shuttle is soaring high over the Gulf now, passing just west of Cuba.

Endeavour is 182,000 feet in altitude, traveling at 8,900 mph.

The shuttle is skirting just off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula at 200,000 feet in altitude.

Endeavour is 216,000 feet in altitude, 1,300 miles from the runway, traveling at 13,000 mph.

The space shuttle is approaching landfall in the skies over El Salvador. The spacecraft will cross Honduras in a few moments before flying just east of the Yucatan Peninsula and off the western tip of Cuba.

Now 20 minutes from landing. Weather pilot Chris Ferguson says there's some scattered clouds over the runway, but commander George Zamka won't have any problems with those as he punches through at about 12,000 feet.

Now traveling at 15,000 mph some 239,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean 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.

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

Endeavour is 254,000 feet in altitude, 3,300 miles from the runway, traveling at 16,700 mph.

Now 30 minutes from touchdown as Endeavour plunges into the upper atmosphere. The path will take the spacecraft over the Pacific before reaching Central America. The trajectory continues soaring high over the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico 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 10:20 p.m. EST in Florida.

Now 35 minutes left to go. This will be the 73rd 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 234-degree left overhead turn to align with the runway.

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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 9:49 p.m. EST.

All three Auxiliary Power Units are up and running now.

The orbiter will weigh 205,694 pounds at touchdown, some 66,776 pounds less than it did at launch with Tranquility and a full load of fuel aboard.

Now 50 minutes from touchdown at the Kennedy Space Center to conclude Endeavour's 13-day, 18-hour, 6-minute flight.

Endeavour flew over western Australia and is passing 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 12 seconds.

Sixty minutes to touchdown. Endeavour is maneuvering to the orientation for entry. The shuttle will hit the upper atmosphere at 9:49 p.m.

DEORBIT BURN COMPLETE. Endeavour has successfully completed the deorbit burn for the trip back home. Landing is scheduled for 10:20 p.m. EST at the Cape to conclude this construction mission to the space station and Endeavour's penultimate flight.

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

DEORBIT BURN IGNITION. Flying upside down and backwards 218 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 34 seconds, slowing the craft by about 200 mph to slip from orbit. The retro-burn will send Endeavour to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a touchdown at 10:20 p.m. EST.

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

Pilot Terry Virts 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.

The shuttle is flying over India now.

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

CAPCOM Rick Sturckow radioed weather pilot's Chris Fergusons observations from the Shuttle Training Aircraft.

"He says it is a great night to land in Florida. There may be a couple of very thin decks (of clouds) that you might punch through. He's breaking out just at 8,000 feet with nothing below and the last deck was so thin he could see through it in most places. So it looks really good for KSC (Runway) 15."

GO FOR THE DEORBIT BURN! Weather conditions at the Kennedy Space Center are going to cooperate for the space shuttle landing this evening, allowing entry flight director Norm Knight in Mission Control to give final approval for Endeavour to perform the deorbit burn at 9:14:47 p.m. EST that will commit the spacecraft for the journey back to Earth.

Touchdown in Florida on Runway 15 is set for 10:20:32 p.m. EST, completing a mission that delivered and activated the Tranquility module at the International Space Station, a utility room to house air and water recycling systems, exercise equipment and seven windows on the world.

The crew was instructed to continue with preps including repositioning the shuttle's vent doors while Mission Control finishes its assessment of the weather.

Endeavour is crossing the North Atlantic on orbit 217. The upcoming engine firing will happen over the Indian Ocean.

Only about 30 minutes remain until entry flight director Norm Knight 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.

Now two hours from touchdown.

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, orange, lemonade, lemon-lime, grape 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 at least possible.

The crew has verified the correct positions of switches in the cockpit.

NASA astronaut Chris Ferguson just got airborne at the Kennedy Space Center in the Shuttle Training Aircraft to fly weather reconnaissance around the Florida spaceport today. Earlier this evening, 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.

At this point in the deorbit preparation timeline, commander George Zamka and pilot Terry Virts 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.

"Things continue to look promising," CAPCOM Rick Sturckow tells commander George Zamka about the weather picture.

The latest data from Mission Control shows the upcoming deorbit burn ignition time will be 9:14:47 p.m. EST. The twin braking rockets will fire for two minutes and 34 seconds, slowing the shuttle enough to slip out of orbit.

Once in range of the Kennedy Space Center, commander George Zamka will perform a 234-degree left overhead turn to align with Runway 15 for touchdown at 10:20:32 p.m. EST.

Meteorologists are discussing an update to the official forecast and deleting the chance showers within the 30-mile zone around the runway at landing time. But low clouds remain the concern.

Overseeing today's return of Endeavour from the Mission Control Center in Houston is entry flight director Norm Knight, a veteran controller of several shuttle launches and landing. Seated alongside in Houston in direct radio contact with the shuttle crew is CAPCOM astronaut Rick Sturckow, a previous shuttle pilot and commander.

The astronauts have deactivated Endeavour's navigational star trackers and closed the associated doors on the ship's nose.

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 9:14 p.m., with touchdown at 10:20 p.m. EST (0320 GMT), weather permitting.

The current weather is "no go" at the Kennedy Space Center due to a thin layer of clouds between 6,000 and 7,000 feet that's constituting a ceiling. But weather pilot Chris Ferguson buzzing around the Cape tonight says he can see through those conditions and there's "some cause for optimism," CAPCOM Rick Sturckow in Mission Control just told the astronauts.

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 crew has re-installed the mission specialists' seats. They've also Endeavour into the "cold soak" attitude that's proven over the years to help keep the avionics' temperatures in check during the landing.

Chris Ferguson, a space shuttle astronaut and commander, is flying weather reconnaissance around the Kennedy Space Center this evening. He's in a T-38 jet right now going out to the east to look at some showers about 20 miles away. Radar shows those showers are moving away from land.

The latest weather forecast from the Spaceflight Meteorology Group for today's 10:20 p.m. EST landing at the Kennedy Space Center is calling for broken decks of clouds forming ceilings at 6,000, 12,000 and 25,000 feet, 7 miles of visibility, a south-southeasterly wind from 160 degrees of 7 peaking to 10 knots. There's also a concern for a "chance" for rain showers and thunderstorms developing within the sensitive 30-mile zone around the runway,

Although the skies don't look too bad right now at the Kennedy Space Center, the weather forecast for landing time continues to call for low cloud ceilings and showers in the area.

The astronauts have performed an inertial measurement unit alignment for the guidance system. And a short time ago, they opened the deorbit preparation timeline.

Here's a look at the timeline for tonight's first landing opportunity at Kennedy Space Center. (all times EST)

05:14 PM......Begin deorbit timeline
05:29 PM......Radiator stow
05:39 PM......Mission specialists seat installation
05:45 PM......Computers set for deorbit prep
05:49 PM......Hydraulic system configuration
06:14 PM......Flash evaporator checkout
06:20 PM......Final payload deactivation
06:34 PM......Payload bay doors closed
06:44 PM......Mission control 'go' for OPS-3 entry software load
06:54 PM......OPS-3 transition
07:19 PM......Entry switchlist verification
07:29 PM......Deorbit maneuver update
07:34 PM......Crew entry review
07:49 PM......CDR/PLT don entry suits
08:06 PM......IMU alignment
08:14 PM......CDR/PLT strap in; MS suit don
08:31 PM......Shuttle steering check
08:34 PM......Hydraulic system prestart
08:41 PM......Toilet deactivation
08:54 PM......Mission control 'go' for deorbit burn
09:00 PM......MS seat ingress
09:09 PM......Single APU start

09:14:52 PM...Deorbit ignition
09:17:30 PM...Deorbit burn complete

09:49:03 PM...Entry interface
09:53:54 PM...1st roll command to left
10:04:34 PM...1st roll left to right
10:07:37 PM...C-band radar acquisition
10:14:06 PM...Velocity less than mach 2.5
10:16:18 PM...Velocity less than mach 1
10:17:11 PM...241-degree left turn to runway 15
10:20:37 PM...Landing

The entry team of flight controllers is arriving on console in the Mission Control Center to take a handover from the planning shift that oversaw shuttle systems while the crew slept today. Norm Knight and his team will be on duty for tonight's activities to bring Endeavour back to Earth.

Space shuttle Endeavour will be heading back to Earth tonight and the six astronauts just received a musical wakeup call 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 5:14 p.m. EST.

Endeavour's astronauts will be awakened at 2:14 p.m. EST to begin preparing for landing. The ship's 60-foot-long payload bay doors are scheduled to be closed at 6:34 p.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 around 9 p.m., leading to ignition of Endeavour's braking rockets at 9:14:52 p.m. for 2 minutes and 38 seconds to start the trek home. The shuttle would hit the upper atmosphere at 9:49 p.m.

Landing on Runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center is scheduled for 10:20:37 p.m. EST.

If the weather or a problem forces entry flight director Norm Knight 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 10:50:52 p.m. and a touchdown in Florida at 11:55:50 p.m. EST.

NASA is calling up support from the alternate landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert of California. So if the weather prevents a landing in Florida, the spacecraft could be diverted there. The first deorbit opportunity will be 12:20:31 a.m. EST and landing on the temporary Runway 22R at 1:25:41 a.m. EST. A second shot into Edwards would come an orbit later.

However, weather forecasters are calling for the chance of low clouds and rain showers at both landing sites tonight.

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

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As flight controllers continue to troubleshoot space station computer glitches, space shuttle Endeavour's crew is asleep. They will be woken at 2:14 p.m. EST (1914 GMT) but the weather forecast for today's planned landing does not look promising, as Bill Harwood reports:

The Spaceflight Meteorology Group at the Johnson Space Center in Houston has updated its forecast for this evening's planned landing of the shuttle Endeavour. The SMG is predicting the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and NASA's backup landing site at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., will both be "no-go" barring an unexpected change in the weather.

In Florida, forecasters are expecting broken decks of clouds at 6,000, 12,000 and 25,000 feet with winds out of 160 degrees at 7 knots, gusting to 10 knots, and a chance of showers within 30 nautical miles.

At Edwards, the forecast calls for broken decks at 3,000 and 6,000 feet, overcast at 10,000 feet, winds out of 240 degrees gusting to 18 knots and rain within 30 nautical miles.

The forecast for Monday is even worse in Florida, with a broken deck as low as 2,000 feet and thunderstorms in the area. Edwards, however, appears "go" with scattered clouds and light winds.

Multiple computer glitches aboard the International Space Station triggered intermittent communications blackouts early Sunday, officials said, and while the three command and control computers seem to be working, engineers do not yet understand what has caused the machines to repeatedly transition from one to the other. Read our latest update.

The station crew was supposed to be enjoying a day off after a hectic week working with the shuttle Endeavour crew. Instead they have been working with mission control to troubleshoot the problems that have plagued the station's three central computers today. The computer issues forced NASA to postpone planned video conferences between the astronauts and their families on the ground.

The space station has three central computers serving three roles: prime, backup and standby. Each of the computer has suffered a failure that forced it offline, forcing the systems to cycle, or transition, through the three different roles. Mission control's current theory is that commands from the ground might be triggering the problem.

All three central computers aboard the space station have suffered failures this morning. The issues have interrupted communications with mission control, complicating the troubleshooting process.

A central computer failure aboard the International Space Station early today briefly knocked the lab complex out of contact with mission control, but a backup computer took over as programmed, officials said, and communications were restored. Engineers are investigating the failure.

Entry Flight Director Norm Knight expects a "very difficult weather day" for the shuttle Endeavour's planned landing Sunday night at the Kennedy Space Center, with low clouds and showers in the vicinity.

Read our full story.

The latest version of the NASA Television schedule (Rev. O) can be downloaded here.

Here's an updated look at the available landing opportunities for space shuttle Endeavour on Sunday and Monday nights at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the backup site at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Due to the iffy weather forecasts, NASA plans to have both sites activated and ready to support a landing beginning Sunday. (all times EST)

DATE/TIME.....DD...HH...MM...SS...EVENT

Sunday night
09:14:52 PM...13...17...00...45...Deorbit burn (orbit 217)
10:20:37 PM...13...18...06...30...Landing at KSC

10:50:52 PM...13...18...36...45...Deorbit burn (orbit 218)
11:55:50 PM...13...19...41...43...Landing at KSC

12:20:31 AM...13...20...06...24...Deorbit burn (orbit 219)
01:25:41 AM...13...21...11...34...Landing at Edwards

01:56:41 AM...13...21...42...34...Deorbit burn (orbit 220)
03:00:56 AM...13...22...46...49...Landing at Edwards

Monday night
09:30:00 PM...14...17...15...53...Deorbit burn (orbit 233)
10:33:00 PM...14...18...18...53...Landing at KSC

11:00:00 PM...14...18...45...53...Deorbit burn (orbit 234)
12:03:00 AM...14...19...48...53...Landing at Edwards

11:07:00 PM...14...18...52...53...Deorbit burn (orbit 234)
12:08:00 AM...14...19...53...53...Landing at KSC

12:36:00 AM...14...20...21...53...Deorbit burn (orbit 235)
01:37:00 AM...14...21...22...53...Landing at Edwards

02:12:00 AM...14...21...57...53...Deorbit burn (orbit 236)
03:12:00 AM...14...22...57...53...Landing at Edwards

Keeping tabs on threatening weather, the Endeavour astronauts packed up Saturday, powered down the ship's robot arm and tested the shuttle's re-entry systems in preparation for landing Sunday night at the Kennedy Space Center.

Read our full story.

The hot-fire test has been accomplished.

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

The astronauts are checking out the onboard suite of sensors and navigation devices. Upcoming on the list of activities will be checking the entry-critical switches in the cockpit, testing the nose wheel steering system and evaluating the heads-up displays used during landing.

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.

Auxiliary Power Unit No. 1 has been fired up for the flight control system checkout.

Endeavour's robot arm has been placed into its cradles and powered down for landing.

The latest version of the NASA Television schedule (Rev. N) can be downloaded here.

The astronauts have awakened from an eight-hour sleep period to begin their final full day in space, weather permitting. They are due to land Sunday night at the Kennedy Space Center, if the forecast for clouds and showers doesn't materalize.

But tonight will be spent testing the ship's reaction control system and aerosurfaces for entry and landing, stowing away equipment for the homecoming and holding one more round of live media interviews.

The weather picture for both KSC and the backup site at Edwards Air Force Base in California continues to evolve. The latest forecast for the Florida spaceport on Sunday night still includes a chance of showers within 30 miles of the runway, but has added a prediction for low clouds forming a ceiling at 6,000 feet. Both would violate the landing weather rules.

If Endeavour stayed in orbit an extra day, the outlook in Florida gets worse on Monday night due to clouds, showers and thunderstorms in the area and a high crosswind.

In California, low clouds and rain are in the forecast for Sunday. But the latest forecast from the Spaceflight Meteorology Group in Mission Control now predicts "go" conditions at Edwards on Monday night, with just some scattered high clouds, good visibility and light winds.


Read our earlier status center coverage.