The Final Frontier Is Finally Here... (kind of)

A Safe Return!

The space shuttle Endeavor enjoyed a safe return to NASA's Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.  The shuttle travelled sixteen days and nearly seven million miles to the International Space Station to set up the first of three installations of the Kibo laboratory, a facility provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.  The Canadian Space Agency also contributed a two-armed robotic system, Dextre.  This journey is considered the first globally united space venture, as NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations, Bill Gerstenmaier explains, "The success of this missions makes the International Space Station truly international... Japan is now a full-time participant, controlling the Kibo module from its center near Tokyo.  We have teams working around the clock in the United States, Russia, Germany, and Japan overseeing the crew's work and various elements of station.  With the ATV scheduled to dock next week, Dextre ready to go, our partners' modules operating, and the next [shuttle] preparing to launch, it's an exciting time to be in the space business." 

Could it be possible that space exploration will finally be a progressive tool of discovery and not a chauvinistic device for flaunting this nation's technological resources?  It looks to be the case!  With many Eastern and Western countries united, focusing on a beautiful and technological tomorrow, one can only expect the next millennium to look like Epcot.

A floating woman is commonplace in the circus of space.

For more information on Nasa's shuttle missions, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle and for more information about the International Space Station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.