87 DAY IN THE LIFE: THE MAKING OF A MISSION CHAPTER 4 return home. Far more had been accomplished than had been planned for even a year prior to the mission. Endeavour undocked on February 20 and flew around the station. Photos were taken of the new installed module (Figure 24). The ISS crew took a much-needed break and then completed the outfitting of Node 3 and the Cupola over the next few weeks. On February 21, 2010, Endeavour made a flawless nighttime landing at Kennedy Space Center. Figure 23. View of Earth from the newly installed Cupola. Figure 24. The underside of the ISS, as photographed by astronauts aboard the undocking shuttle, showing the newly installed Node 3 and the Cupola. Epilogue The final task of any mission is to conduct a “Lessons Learned” review. Even though more than 100 shuttle flights had flown and dozens of ISS assembly missions had been conducted, NASA still learned from its mistakes. Every organization examined every step, from planning through training and into execution. The flight control team generated recommendations in each area and the flight director conducted a panel to determine which of those should be elevated and instituted in future missions. For example, it was agreed that all future spacewalks that entailed working with the ammonia lines would conduct some sort of contamination scenario in a simulation. But it was not all about criticism. Things that worked well were also highlighted so that other teams in the future can carrying those practices forward to help ensure everything goes as smoothly, or better. This is a key part of the Flight Operations Directorate culture,