Astronaut Robert Thirsk returns to earth
Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk rests in a vehicle after he returned to earth in the Russian Soyuz space capsule in the steppe near the town of Arkalyk, in northern Kazakhstan, December 1, 2009.
Space shuttle Endeavour and its six astronauts returned safely to Earth on Sunday, making a rare nighttime landing to end a mission that resulted in the virtual completion of the International Space Station.