Endeavour Mission STS-118

space shuttle Endeavour glides — AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

Space shuttle Endeavour returns to Earth on Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2007, ending a nearly two-week orbital drama that centered on a deep gouge in the shuttle's belly and an early homecoming prompted by Hurricane Dean. The shuttle swooped out of a partly cloudy sky and touched down on the runway at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. at 12:32 p.m.

Space Shuttle Endeavour touches down at the shuttle landing facility at Kennedy Space Center Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2007, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Endeavour successfully completed a 13-day mission to the International Space Station.

Space Shuttle Endeavour's nose and forward cabin are seen while docked with the International Space Station, Wednesday Aug. 15, 2007. The shuttle Remote Manipulator System (RMS) robotic arm and station's Canadarm2 are also featured in the scene. NASA ordered Endeavour back to Earth a day early out of fear that Hurricane Dean might disrupt flight operations. The shuttle is expected to land Tuesday, Aug. 21.

A close-up view of damaged tile on the underside of the Space Shuttle Endeavour is seen during an inspection of the shuttle's heat shield while docked with the International Space Station Sunday, Aug. 12, 2007. Mission managers concluded that the deep gouge on Endeavour's belly posed no Columbia-like threat to the seven crew members during re-entry.

The view from the helmet camera of Canadian astronaut Dave Williams as he and mission specialist Rick Mastracchio, right, use hand tools to work outside of the Space Shuttle Endeavour during a space walk, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2007. A spacewalk on Wednesday, Aug. 15, was cut short after an astronaut ripped a glove. As a precaution, they frequently checked their gloves and stayed clear of sharp edges on future walks.

In this image from NASA TV Endeavour shuttle mission specialist Benjamin Drew and Barbara Morgan enter the international space station after docking, Friday, Aug. 10, 2007

In this image from NASA TV taken on Aug. 10, the shuttle Endeavour flies with its underside toward the international space station so digital photos could be taken to determine if the shuttle sustained any damage on launch. NASA discovered a gouge about three inches square possibly caused by ice that broke off the fuel tank a minute after liftoff.

In this image from NASA TV commander Scott Kelly sits in the flight deck of shuttle Endeavour as he prepares to dock with the international space station, Friday, Aug. 10, 2007.

The shuttle Endeavour lifts up...

...up...

...and away, on Wednesday evening, August 8, 2007 from Cape Canaveral, Fla. with a crew of seven, including teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan -- the 119th space shuttle flight, the 20th for Endeavour, and the 22nd one to help assemble the international space station.

Earlier, Commander Scott Kelly, right, led the STS-118 crew from the Operations and Checkout Building on their way to Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

The night before, Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-118) stood on launch pad 39A as the Rotating Service Structure swung away from the shuttle.

During Endeavour's 11-day mission the seven-person crew will continue International Space Station construction.

Workers gather near the base of a solid rocket booster during preparations the day before the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour. This will be the last dedicated shuttle mission providing cargo to the International Space Station for 12 to 15 months.

Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-118) stands on launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center Monday, Aug. 6, 2007, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. During Endeavour's mission the crew will deliver a third starboard truss segment to continue International Space Station construction.

There are seven members of the crew for the Endeavour mission. From left to right: Pilot Charles Hobaugh, Barbara Morgan, Tracy Caldwell, Dave Williams, Rick Mastracchio, Scott Kelly, and Alvin Drew Jr. Williams is Canadian.

Twenty-two years after first being selected as Christa McAuliffe's backup for the Teacher in Space Project in the Shuttle Challenger's tragic flight, former teacher Barbara Morgan, now 55, will strap into space shuttle Endeavour as a fully-trained astronaut. She will serve as a robot arm operator aboard Endeavour as well as supervise the transfer of supplies delivered to the space station.

Mission specialist Alvin Drew Jr. prepares to drive an M-113 armored personnel carrier at the Kennedy Space Center during dress rehearsal training. Drew, a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, has spent more than 3,000 hours flying in more than 30 different types of aircraft, but he is one is one of three crew members who will be going into space for the first time.