KSC-2009-4380

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour is towed toward Orbiter Processing Facility #2. Endeavour landed at 10:48 a.m. EDT, completing a journey of 6.5-million miles on the STS-127 mission. Umbilicals are still attached to purge the vehicle of any possible residual explosive or toxic fumes. Towing normally begins within four hours after landing and is completed within six hours unless removal of time-sensitive experiments is required on the runway. In the OPF, turnaround processing procedures on Endeavour will include various post-flight deservicing and maintenance functions, which are carried out in parallel with payload removal and the installation of equipment needed for the next mission. The STS-127 mission was the 29th flight to the station, the 23rd flight of Endeavour and the 71st landing at Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann