Sushi, anyone? Astronaut feted upon returning

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The shuttle Endeavour and its seven astronauts returned to Earth yesterday, completing a long but successful construction job that boosted the size and power of the International Space Station.

They ended up swamped with sushi.

Endeavour's smooth and punctual arrival, after more than two weeks in orbit, set off a steady stream of congratulations and an ecstatic welcoming reception for Koichi Wakata, the first Japanese astronaut to return from a long space journey. His station mission lasted 41/2 months.

At his request, sushi awaited him. But it was more than Wakata had anticipated. He was overloaded with sushi as Kennedy Space Center workers dropped off the delicacy at crew quarters.

Looking remarkably fit for someone still getting used to gravity, Wakata, who turns 46 today, said four hours after touchdown that he had yet to eat any sushi, because of all the medical testing. But he planned to splurge as soon as the crew news conference ended.

"I feel great," he told journalists who jammed an auditorium, most of them Japanese. "When the hatch opened, I really smelled the grass of the ground, and was just glad to be back home."

Keiji Tachikawa, president of the Japanese Space Agency, was among the first to greet Wakata, and said the astronaut would be accommodated properly when he returns to Japan in a few months. He said he was surprised to see Wakata walking so soon after landing.

While visiting the space station, the Endeavour crew put an addition on Japan's $1 billion lab, installed fresh batteries, and stockpiled some big spare parts. They accomplished all their major objectives and were part of the biggest gathering ever in space: 13 people, counting the six station residents.

The shuttle flight lasted 16 days and spanned 6.5 million miles, one of NASA's longest. It wrapped up a 138-day trip for Wakata, who moved into the space station in March. He swapped places with American Timothy Kopra, who rode up on Endeavour.

Seven shuttle flights remain to finish the station, now 83 percent complete with nearly 700,000 pounds of mass. The next launch, by Discovery, is targeted for the end of August.