Discovery lands at KSC
Space Shuttle Discovery touched down at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 23:32 CET (22:32 UT) this evening. The landing marks the end of ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter’s long-duration stay in space, concluding the Astrolab Mission. Whilst the return of ESA astronaut Christer Fuglesang, brings an end to the 13-day Celsius Mission.
Earlier in the evening Space Shuttle flight controllers passed on the first opportunity to land Discovery at KSC, because of poor weather at the Cape. Weather conditions cleared sufficiently ahead of the second opportunity and the ‘go’ was given to prepare for landing at KSC on the next orbit. The four-minute deorbit burn took place at 22:26 CET, setting the orbiter on a course for the landing in Florida.
More later…