Discovery
mission lands safely back on earth
Patrick Moser | Cape Canaveral, United States
17 July 2006 03:24
Space shuttle Discovery made a smooth landing in Florida on Monday,
completing a 13-day mission considered critical for the United
States space programme's recovery from the 2003 Columbia
disaster.
The orbiter landed on schedule under overcast skies at the Kennedy
Space Centre at 1.14pm GMT after what the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (Nasa) called a highly successful
mission.
Officials heaved a sigh of relief as a parachute deployed from the
shuttle's rear, and Discovery came to a full stop on the 4 572m
Atlantic seashore runway, safely returning the six astronauts to
Earth.
"Welcome back Discovery and congratulations on a great mission,"
ground control told the crew of six, as they shut down the systems
and prepared to leave the space vehicle.
"The crew of Discovery is safely home," mission control said.
