After twelve days spend in space, the US space shuttle Endeavour landed safely Tuesday at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, a day earlier than planned.

NASA decided to recall Endeavour earlier than indented due to the hurricane Dean, a powerful storm that hammered the Caribbean during the last two days. Mission managers feared that the hurricane may determine an evacuation of the mission control centre in Houston, Texas.

The Endeavour’s crew spent almost nine days at the international outpost. They continued the on-orbit construction of the station and transferred tons of cargo between the two spacecraft. The STS-118 crew conducted four spacewalks at the station. The two major objectives were the installation of the S5 and the replacement of a failed attitude control gyroscope.

Last week NASA mission managers in Houston decided not to repair the space shuttle Endeavour’s heat shield. An inspection revealed that the gouge, located near the ship's right wheel well, is 30.5 x 25.5 millimeters (1.2 x 1.0 inches) large (smaller than initially reported) and 28.5 millimeters (1.12 inches) deep. During take off, debris tore a gash in tiles on the underside of the shuttle.

NASA has been grappling with the problem since undetected damage to the ceramic tiles was blamed for the disintegration of Columbia during re-entry in February 2003 that led to the deaths of seven astronauts.

It looks like NASA’s decision was right, because Endeavour landed without any incident. Kennedy Space Center Launch Director Mike Leinbach confirmed Endeavour came through reentry in very good shape. "It looked almost like a pristine vehicle," he said.

With STS-118 completed and the crew home safe, NASA Administrator Mike Griffin pointed to the success of the agency in assembling the International Space Station. "This is one of the great accomplishments of mankind," Griffin said. The orbiting laboratory is about 60 percent complete, and is about to undergo substantial additions in the next few months as new lab segments from Europe and Japan are added, along with a new node module.

The crew of seven included 55-year-old Barbara Morgan, the backup for NASA's “Teacher in Space” program, which was suspended after Christa McAuliffe died in the shuttle Challenger in 1986.

Morgan remained on the transport vehicle while the rest of Endeavour's crew boarded a van to return to their quarters, NASA said in a statement.

“This was Barbara's first flight and she was feeling just a little bit under the weather,'' Griffin said. “The flight crew office said she was doing just fine but wasn't able to stand up and walk around in the Florida heat just yet.”

Barbara Morgan’ association with NASA began more than 20 years ago. Initially Morgan was selected as the backup candidate for the NASA Teacher in Space Program on July 19, 1985. After the Challenger accident Morgan resumed her career as teacher, but she was selected by NASA as a mission specialist in January 1998. During her stay at ISS, Morgan held three educational events.

The crew of Endeavour is to hold a press conference at about 5:30 p.m. EDT. The event will be broadcast on NASA TV.

Space Shuttle Endeavour's STS-118 mission was the 22nd shuttle flight to the International Space Station. NASA is planning other two missions to ISS for this year. Set for launch on October 23, STS-120 will be the twenty-third mission to the International Space Station and will deliver the U.S. Node 2 Harmony module expanding the space station's capability for future international laboratories.

Air Force Col. Pamela A. Melroy will command the STS-120 mission to take the Node 2 connecting module to the station. Melroy is the second woman to command a shuttle.

For December, NASA is planning STS-122 which will deliver the Columbus European Laboratory Module and will be the twenty-fourth mission to the International Space Station.