Nation IN BRIEF : TEXAS : Shuttle May Extend Record Space Stay

The space shuttle Endeavour spent its 12th day in orbit as NASA officials pondered adding up to two days to what already is expected to be a record-duration flight. Mission Control’s Jeff Bantle said in Houston that an extension to nearly 18 days was under review. “The payload folks have asked for . . . two days, and that’s to get more observations and further refinement of their targets and objects,” said Bantle, a member of mission management. Scientists at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., are analyzing telescope data continuously being beamed down. Endeavour remained scheduled to return Friday to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida after 246 orbits of Earth. The flight would surpass the previous shuttle duration record by about 19 hours.