Summary

Description	Racing to a smooth, predawn touchdown at Edwards Air Force Base, Space Shuttle Discovery's safe arrival punctuated NASA's first Return to Flight mission. Mission controllers originally hoped to land at Kennedy Space Center, but poor weather forced the crew to divert to the California desert. Discovery's controlled dive from space to the runway took approximately 60 minutes. The ship's reentry track saw the soaring orbiter light up the skies across the Pacific Ocean and southern California. Commander Eileen Collins and Pilot Jim Kelly were in control of Discovery as the space-fairing glider touched down. Roughly one week after Discovery's landing, the orbiter was hoisted onto the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft - a modified 747 - for its trip back to Florida. The flight home took three days, with stops in Oklahoma and Louisiana for fuel and checks of the 747's roof-top cargo. Discovery's final leg of the flight featured a brief, low altitude tour across Florida, which included a careful 'buzzi
Date	2005-08-26
Source	images.nasa.gov

Licensing

Public Domain (US Government Work)