Second to last space shuttle lands; final on launch pad

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA's 30-year shuttle program inched closer to the end Wednesday, wrapping up its next-to-last mission and moving Atlantis to the launch pad for next month's final flight.

Endeavour and its six astronauts returned to Earth after more than two weeks in space, gliding down the runway one last time during a middle-of-the-night landing. A few miles away, Atlantis reached the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center for the grand finale in five weeks.

Endeavour commander Mark Kelly — whose wife, wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, remained behind at her rehab center in Houston...