The space shuttle Discovery touched down at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 1:02 p.m, Wednesday afternoon, concluding a 15-day mission to the International Space Station that saw the crew repair a ripped solar wing and complete four spacewalks.
The shuttle landed on Runway 33, making a right overhead turn as it approached the landing facility.Discovery's return to Earth was the first coast-to-coast re-entry by a space shuttle since the destruction of Columbia over Texas in 2003. The landing path started over British Columbia then cut diagonally east over the Great Plains and several southern U.S. states.
The crew had completed landing preparations earlier in the day, including changing into their orange launch-and-entry suits, testing flight control systems and thruster jets, stowing equipment and installing a special reclining seat for astronaut Clay Anderson, who is returning after five months aboard the International Space Station.The original landing plan called for a pre-dawn touchdown in Florida with a flight over Central America and the Caribbean.
However, crew fatigue after the long and busy mission, which began Oct. 23, led NASA to change plans.Astronauts undocked from the International Space Station on Monday and used Tuesday to ensure the shuttle was prepared for re-entry, using a laser-tipped boom to check the ship for any micrometeorite damage.
I am very proud of all the astronauts. They are spending months and years at space and risking their life in order to improve our lifestyle. Even though the space shuttle had a little of a delay, I understand the fact that all of the astronauts were very tired. Also, I congradulate all of them that they had a successful mission.
Article from: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/11/07/shuttle-landing.html
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