Shuttle Endeavour lands at California air base

(CNN) — Area shuttle Endeavour landed safely Sunday afternoon at California’s Edwards Air Drive Base after NASA waved off two alternatives for a Florida touchdown due to poor climate.

The shuttle, steered by commander Christopher Ferguson, landed at 1:25 p.m., ending a mission that lasted greater than two weeks.

Wind, rain and studies of thunderstorms inside 30 miles of the shuttle touchdown facility at Florida’s Kennedy Area Heart prompted NASA to cancel the touchdown makes an attempt there. These had been scheduled for 1:19 p.m. and a couple of:54 p.m. ET.

After figuring out Monday’s climate forecast at Kennedy Area Heart was equally unpromising, flight controllers determined they might attempt to land the shuttle and its seven astronauts at Edwards AFB, about 100 miles from Los Angeles, California, the place Sunday’s forecast was sunny.

Flight controllers favor landings at Kennedy Area Heart due to value and schedule. NASA has estimated it prices about $1.7 million to carry a shuttle dwelling to Kennedy Area Heart from California. Watch Endeavour’s Sunday touchdown in California »

It additionally takes at the least every week to get the shuttle prepared for the journey, however schedule is just not a significant component for the Endeavour; it’s not scheduled to fly once more till Could.

Endeavour’s 15-day mission to the worldwide area station started on November 14 and included 4 spacewalks.

Throughout that point, the crew introduced key items — together with train gear, extra sleeping berths and a urine recycling system — for a venture to double the capability of the station from three in-house astronauts to 6.

The recycling system was put in to show urine and sweat from the astronauts into ingesting water.

Different modules are scheduled to reach on a February shuttle flight. The objective of increasing the station’s capability to 6 astronauts is anticipated to be reached by the summer time.

The crew additionally labored on a joint that helps generate energy for the area station. Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper and Steve Bowen spent hours cleansing and lubricating the Photo voltaic Alpha Rotary Joint, which is designed to permit the photo voltaic panels on the left facet of the station to rotate and observe the solar.

The astronauts additionally eliminated and changed a number of trundle bearing assemblies.

The mission went in line with plan, regardless of a minor interruption on the primary spacewalk when a grease gun in Stefanyshyn-Piper instrument’s bag leaked, coating every part inside with a movie of lubricant. Whereas she was attempting to scrub it up, the bag — with $100,000 in instruments — floated away.

CNN’s Kate Tobin and Miles O’Brien contributed to this report.

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