325p 11/30 Update: Shuttle braking rockets fired; California landing on tap

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CBS NEWS STS-126 STATUS REPORT: 88
Posted: 3:25 PM, 11/30/08

By William Harwood
CBS News Space Analyst

Changes and additions:

   SR-85 (11/30/08): Shuttle crew passes up first landing opportunity
   SR-86 (11/30/08): Second Florida landing opportunity waved off; crew sets up for California landing pending final weather update
   SR-87 (11/30/08): Shuttle crew cleared for California landing
   SR-88 (11/30/08): Shuttle braking rockets fired

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3:25 PM, 11/30/08, Update: Shuttle braking rockets fired

Flying upside down and backward over the southern Indian Ocean, commander Christopher Ferguson and pilot Eric Boe fired the shuttle Endeavour's twin braking rockets today a few seconds before 3:20 p.m. to begin an hour-long descent to California's Edwards Air Force Base.

The two-minute 54-second rocket firing sets up a touchdown on runway 4 at the Mojave Desert test center at around 4:25 p.m. to close out a successful 16-day space station assembly mission. This status report will be updated after Endeavour lands or as conditions warrant.

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Quick-Launch Web Links:

CBS News STS-126 Status Reports:
http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/current.html

CBS News STS-126 Quick-Look Page:
http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/currentglance.html

NASA ISS Expeditions Page:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/index.html

NASA Shuttle Web: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/index.html
NASA Station Web: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/index.html
Spaceflight Now: http://spaceflightnow.com/index.html
GoogleSatTrack: http://www.lizard-tail.com/isana/tracking/

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