NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Mission: STS-127
Orbiter: Endeavour
Primary Payload: Kibo Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility, Kibo Japanese Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section
Launch Date: July 15
Launch Time: 6:03 p.m. EDT
Launch Pad: 39A
Landing Date: July 31
Landing Time: 10:48 a.m.
Mission Duration: 16 days
Inclination/Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

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Endeavour, STS-127 Crew Complete 16-Day Mission

Image above: The fiery blaze below space shuttle Endeavour as it launches from NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A bathes the smoke and steam with an orange glow. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray, Tom Farrar
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Image above:The unfurled drogue chute slows space shuttle Endeavour as it lands on Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete the 16-day, 6.5-million mile journey on the STS-127 mission to the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray, Tom Farrar
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Space shuttle Endeavour and a crew of seven astronauts lifted off from NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A at 6:03 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, July 15, 2009.

The on-time liftoff followed several prior launch attempts. The first two tries in June were foiled by a gaseous hydrogen leak from the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, which attaches a gaseous hydrogen vent line to the shuttle's external fuel tank. Crews worked tirelessly to investigate and repair the problem, and a successful July 1 tank test cleared the vehicle for flight. But Florida's notoriously dynamic weather prevented the next few launch attempts.

Finally, after a smooth countdown that saw steadily improving weather, Endeavour and its crew launched on a complex mission to complete assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex on the International Space Station.

Nearly sixteen days and more than 6.5 million miles later, Endeavour touched down on Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility at 10:48 a.m. EDT on the mission's first landing opportunity.