Today's Date:

After eleven days in space, U.S. Shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center, Florida., today, bringing to an end to a successful mission to the International Space Station and returning the Expedition Four crew to Earth.

Endeavour delivered the Expedition Five crew and the Mobile Base System to the station. It also carried the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, which contained supplies and equipment for the new ISS crew. The STS-111 crew performed three spacewalks.

Astronaut Philippe Perrin will travel to the International Space Station on board U.S. Space Shuttle Endeavor, now scheduled to launch June 5.

STS-111 is the 14th shuttle mission to visit the International Space Station. Endeavour will carry the Expedition Five crew to the station and return the Expedition Four crew to Earth after more than 180 days in space. Also, riding in Endeavour is the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, which contains science equipment and supplies for the station. The STS-111 crew will attach the Italian supply module to the station's Unity node to be unpacked and then filled up again with garbage for the return to Earth.

For his first voyage into space, Perrin will participate in three six- to seven-hour-long spacewalks to continue the assembly of the International Space Station by installing the Mobile Remote Servicer Base System, a work platform that moves along rails covering the length of the space station to provide lateral mobility for the Canadian robot arm. During the third spacewalk, the French astronaut will replace a joint at the base of the robot arm, Canadarm2.

Perrin who was born in Morocco but grew up in Avignon, France, was selected by CNES for training as an astronaut candidate with NASA at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Perrin has been with NASA since 1996.

The astronaut will be the second French native ever on board a complex orbital space station. Last October, Claudie Haigneré became the first French native to board the International Space Station .

The STS-111 flight will last 11 days of which eight will be spent anchored at the station./.

Photo: NASA.