Space shuttle Endeavourleft the International Space Station a day ahead of schedule in light of a posssible threat from Hurricane Dean.
Nasa ordered the space shuttle Endeavour to return home a day ahead of schedule
The ship, which launched on August 8th, is set to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida tomorrow, a day earlier than planned.
Nasa ordered the early return amid fears that Dean could turn toward the Texas coast and Johnson Space Center, home of Mission Control, in Houston. Forecasters say the storm is heading for Mexico, however, and it appears likely to miss Johnson.
Dean, with top winds of 230 kilometres per hour, lashed Jamaica yesterday and is on track to cross Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula before making landfall late Wednesday on the central Mexican coast.
If the storm shifted toward Houston, Nasa would evacuate the space centre, which oversees the shuttle during flight, and set up an emergency command post at Kennedy.
Endeavour is scheduled to touch down in Florida tomorrow, but the back-up landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California will be available if needed.