"In my mind, in my view, it's been an extraordinary mission," said LeRoy Cain, chairman of the mission management team, "It's just been a textbook mission up and down the line in every way that I look at it."

Garrett Reisman flew up aboard Endeavour to replace French astronaut Leopold Eyharts, who was going home on the shuttle.

Endeavour, Eyharts and six others are due back on Earth on Wednesday evening.

NASA wants to complete construction of the ISS by 2010, when its three-shuttle fleet is scheduled to be retired.  

Shuttle Commander Dominic Gorie (L) and International Space Station Commander Peggy Whitson (C) share a laugh as she holds Garrett Reisman (R) by the waist after he jokingly tried to get aboard the shuttle Endeavour after the farewell ceremony aboard the ISS in this image from NASA TV March 24, 2008. Reisman is scheduled to live aboard the ISS until May 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) 

 (Xinhua News Agency March 25, 2008)