Endeavour to return to Florida

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency says space shuttle Endeavour is being readied to make its cross-country trip back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said Endeavour ended its latest mission to the International Space Station with a landing Sunday at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The spacecraft is now being mounted atop a modified Boeing 747 shuttle carrier aircraft and is expected to begin its journey to Florida as early as next Sunday.

"The exact date and time of departure have yet to be determined because of changing weather conditions and the fluid nature of preparing Endeavour for this ferry flight," NASA said in a statement.

During the shuttle's 16-day journey of more than 6.6 million miles to the ISS, the STS-126 crew conducted important repair work and prepared the space station to house six crew members on long-duration missions, NASA said.