WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.000 00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:07.000 Music 00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:14.000 Space shuttle Endeavour lifted off in a blaze of smoke and clouds on the STS-127 mission at 6:03 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:19.000 p.m. Eastern time, July 15, 2009. 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:24.000 Safely secured inside the shuttle were the mission's seven astronauts, Commander Mark Polansky, 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:31.000 Pilot Doug Hurley, Mission Specialists Chris Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Dave Wolf, Tim Kopra and Julie 00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:38.000 Payette of the Canadian Space Agency. Also inside were the final segments of the Japan Aerospace 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:42.000 Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:48.000 Just before docking, Polansky guided the shuttle to within 600 feet of the station and performed the flip 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:54.000 maneuver, allowing photos to be taken of the shuttle's thermal protection system by the station crew. 00:00:54.000 --> 00:01:04.000 After docking and with the traditional ringing of the bell, the hatches between the two space vehicles 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:10.000 opened and the STS-127 crew was given a hearty welcome. This was the first time in space history 13 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:16.000 humans were in orbit together at the same time. 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:22.000 Within a few hours after docking, Kopra replaced Wakata as flight engineer. Wakata returned to Earth 00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:27.000 with the Endeavour crew after a four-month assignment on station. 00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:32.000 After "camping out" in the station's Quest airlock overnight, Wolf and Kopra were first to travel out into 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:37.000 space to install the Japanese Exposed Facility to Kibo. 00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:44.000 The second spacewalk executed by Wolf and Marshburn took place on July 20, the same day 40 years 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:50.000 ago when the world's focus was on the first moonwalk. The six-hour, 53-minute excursion involved a 00:01:50.000 --> 00:02:01.000 number of station hardware replacement and installation tasks. 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:03.000 During the third spacewalk to install six new batteries for the station's oldest solar arrays, Cassidy's CO2 00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:06.000 levels increased to a level that signaled an end to the spacewalk a little earlier than planned. The 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:11.000 remainder of the new batteries was installed during the fourth space excursion and the old ones were 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:15.000 stored in Endeavour's payload bay for the ride home. 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:21.000 Polansky, Hurley and Payette, along with Kopra, used the shuttle and station robotic arms to maneuver 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:27.000 the Japanese Exposed Section cargo carrier back into Endeavour?s payload bay. 00:02:27.000 --> 00:02:33.000 After a well-deserved day of rest for the entire crew, Marshburn and Cassidy performed the fifth and 00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:41.000 final spacewalk installing video cameras on the front and back of the new Japanese Exposed Facility. 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:46.000 A complex and demanding undertaking at the station that included 30 hours, 30 minutes throughout five 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:52.000 spacewalks came to a close as Endeavour parted company with the Expedition crew members and the 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:55.000 hatches were closed once again. 00:02:55.000 --> 00:03:01.000 After undocking, Hurley carefully guided the shuttle away from the station, flying around the orbiting 00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:06.000 outpost for one final look at all the work accomplished on this mission. 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:11.000 One more inspection of the spacecraft?s heat shield was performed with the Orbiter Boom Sensor 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:14.000 System before the shuttle was cleared for landing. 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:20.000 CAPCOM: Endeavour, Houston, great news! You are "Go" for the deorbit burn. 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:28.000 Commander Mike Polansky: You are a steely-eyed hero! "Go" for the deorbit burn. 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:33.000 Endeavour touched down on the first opportunity under clear-blue skies at Kennedy Space Center in 00:03:33.000 --> 00:03:39.000 Florida at 10:48 Eastern time July 31. 00:03:39.000 --> 00:03:45.000 A complex and successful 16-day mission packed with spacewalks, robotics work, science experiments 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:51.000 and completion of the Japanese segment on the orbital outpost came to a close with the safe return of 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:59.000 the crew and a flawless landing.