Space shuttle returns to Earth after 14-day mission to International Space Station
16 Jun 2008
Space shuttle Discovery returned to Earth on Saturday after a busy, and fulfilling, 14 days in space during which the seven member crew delivered the giant $1 billion Kibo laboratory to the International Space Station (ISS) and a pump for its malfunctioning toilet.
Scheduled maintenance on an exterior cooling system and further inspection of a rotating joint for a pair of solar wings also occurred when the shuttle was docked at the ISS. A crew transfer also took place with astronaut Garrett Reisman, who was stationed aboard the ISS for 95 days, returning home in place of Greg Chamitoff, who stayed behind. (See: International Space Station update: Both Kibo and toilet operational and Action-packed Day 2 for discovery astronauts)
The mission, designated STS-124, spanned 14 days, 217 orbits and 5.7 million miles, and was described by NASA as being about as smooth as it gets. The next shuttle mission is STS-125, slated to lift off on 8 October, which will see Atlantis make one final servicing trip to the Hubble Space Telescope before the shuttle fleet retires in 2010, with nine other flights to the ISS scheduled before the shutdown.
The shuttle glided down for a smooth landing at 15:15 GMT at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, under the able guidance of shuttle commander Mark Kelly.
"Beautiful landing, Mark, and congratulations on a great mission," Mission Control said after the shuttle's wheels touched the runway.
"It's great to be here on the runway in sunny Florida," Kelly said after exiting the shuttle. "It was really an exciting mission."
The three ISS residents, two Russians and an American, watched Discovery's smooth landing on live television transmitted from Mission Control. Chamitoff, who's just starting a six-month mission, called it "an awesome sight."
"Before you know it, you'll be catching your own ride home," Mission Control assured him.
NASA mission commanders noticed a metal clip that was lost from the shuttle's rudder yesterday, but accurately guessed it would not affect the landing. The agency said the 2.5" x 1" clip is only needed during into an ascent into space.
The shuttle crew also inspected Discovery's heat shield several times while it was docked aboard the ISS. Nothing of significance was found, which allowed the shuttle to land as scheduled. NASA requires constant surveillance of the shuttle shield after the Columbia shuttle disaster in which the shuttle disintegrated as it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere during a mission in space. (See: Discovery heads for Earth, scheduled to touch down on Saturday)
