Discovery returned to Earth safely

The scan shows no damage to the shuttle spacecraft (Photo: BBC) The orbiter and the six-member fleet begin an hour-long landing after firing the missiles. .

Discovery ship is allowed to return to the weekend when inspections show no signs of damage to the ship.

The shuttle landed at Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 13:14 GMT.

Flight crew members were awakened early on Monday to begin preparing for their return to Earth, often judged to be the most dangerous phase for a shuttle flight.

NASA officials said the apparent success in Discovery's flight this time outlined the cease of skepticism about the safety of the shuttle program.

The Discovery ship's flight was only the space shuttle's second mission since Columbia's accident on its return to Earth in 2003 killed all crews and left only the remaining pieces of the ship falling. to the ground.

Threat of rain

The shuttle when landing had less than one person compared to takeoff, leaving the German astronaut Thomas Reiter on the cabin of the International Space Station working for six months.

Flight control had to wait until the last minute to confirm the weather was good enough for the shuttle to return.

There have been a few concerns about a forecast of a north Florida rain cloud that could fly toward the landing zone.

Once approved, space shuttle commander Steven Lindsey and co-pilot Mark Kelly started the spaceship leaving the orbit and began landing.

Back on the right path

Before landing, Mr. Lindsey said the flight apparently had no trouble with Discovery, which would dispel the doubts about the safety of the shuttle program.

'I hope about what we have done that we will close the return to the test flight of this program after the Columbia ship accident , ' he told ABC TV in the United States.

'I personally believe that we are returning in the right direction.'

Columbia disaster disaster investigators are due to the insulating foam sheet being dropped from the vessel's external fuel tank when launched, hitting the ship's wing and damaging the insulation board to the task. protect the ship during landing.

The Discovery ship's thermal insulation scans are made by the same laser system and camera used to check for possible damage caused by debris flying in the air during earlier take-offs during flight.

This system also examines the effects of sandstone that can damage the shuttle in the journey.

The ship's flight this time includes three times out of the space station and makes important repairs to the restoration of construction work on the International Pillar Station.

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