Spaceflight

Space Shuttle Endeavour blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center last week for the biggest-ever single gathering of humans in orbit. STS-127 lifted off at 18:03 on 15 July to deliver the final part of Japan's Kibo laboratory to the International Space Station. When Endeavour reaches the station on 17 July, the ISS will have a record-breaking 13 astronauts on board. After STS-127, NASA's manifest says Endeavour has only two missions, STS-130 in February 2010 and STS-133, the penultimate Shuttle flight next July.