Endeavour undocked and headed home

At 6:57 a.m. Endeavour undocked and will slowly back to 400 from the space station before performing a separation burn.

"Undocking confirmed" said NASA commentator Rob Navias. "Endeavour sets sail from the Interational Space Station."

The ISS commander rang a bell, which is tradition when vessels depart or arrive.

U.S. flight engineer Clay Anderson thanked the Endeavour crew, with whom he had trained.

A Tuesday landing is scheduled at Kennedy Space Center to allow Johnson Space Center the option of closing before Hurricane Dean bears down on the Texas coast. The landing attempt will be 12:29 p.m. Tuesday at KSC. A second would come at 2:04 p.m., also at KSC. Thunderstorms could prevent a Tuesday landing at KSC, moving the touchdown to California.

To save time, Endeavour will skip the ISS fly around and begin inspecting the shuttle's thermal protection system at 9:32 a.m.

Endeavour winds up a stay of almost nine days at the laboratory. The mission was shortened by a day after being extended by three days, due the perfect functioning of a $68 million power transfer system that allowed the shuttle to use power from the space station and conserve its fuel cells.

Astronauts performed four spacewalks, adding a strut the space station, replacing a failed gyroscope and performing many construction tasks.

National Weather Service forecast for Tuesday at KSC: "Partly sunny with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 90s. East winds 5 to 10 mph increasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20 percent."

Click here to see a fact sheet on the STS-118 mission.

Click here to see a schedule of landing opportunities..