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The astronauts on shuttle Endeavour must be feeling a bit cramped today, with seven people floating around the small crew cabin after enjoying nine days aboard the sprawling International Space Station. But you won't hear any complaints. Besides, by now even the first-time fliers, like teacher Barbara Morgan, have long since learned how to make full use of the ceilings and walls.

There's still some packing up to do, but the crew enjoyed a few hours time off for planet-watching and other recreational activities. Soaring 214 miles above the planet, they caught sight of Hurricane Dean, the massive storm that is prompting NASA to end the mission a day early.

Managers are concerned the powerful storm, which is blasting into the Gulf of Mexico with its 145-mph winds, could force an evacuation of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, which operates the shuttle during flight.

Weather in Florida is looking good for a change and if conditions hold, Barbara will be testing her land legs for the first time in 13 days on Tuesday. Touchdown is scheduled for about 12:32 p.m. Eastern time.

If storm stays on its present track however and veers south of Texas, NASA could decide to keep the shuttle in orbit for a few extra days if weather or technical issues prevent a Florida touchdown on Tuesday. Landing at the backup site in California adds a few weeks time to prepare the shuttle for a cross-country piggyback ride on top of a specially modified jet aircraft, which NASA would rather not have to do.

Before the astronauts' time-off, they unfolded the shuttle's robot arm, doubled its length with a laser- and camera-tipped extension boom and for a third time since reaching orbit, scanned their ship's heat shield for any damage that could pose a hazard during the superheated descent through the atmosphere. Traveling at 25 times the speed of sound, the shuttle's outer surfaces get as hot as the surface of the sun. The ceramic tiles and carbon wing panels keep the ship's aluminum frame intact during the ride through the atmosphere.

The shuttle is returning with a small divot in two of its belly tiles, but NASA says it is 100 percent sure the damage will not pose a threat to the crew or the shuttle during re-entry.
The crew's last day in space will be spent testing out all the equipment needed for landing and packing away any equipment and items that are still floating around the crew cabin.

Barb will be getting an eyeful on the ride home. She's upgraded her launch seat in the window-less mid-deck for one on the flight deck, which is filled with windows.