Tuesday, August 9, 2005

The US Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery has returned to Earth safely, landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, touching down on runway 22 at 8:11:22 am EDT (1211 GMT), and rolling to a stop.

Commander Eileen Collins and the rest of her crew on Discovery are going through check-out procedures to secure the vehicle and assure safety. A convoy of specially-designed vehicles have parked near Discovery, ready to assist in debarkation of the astronauts from on-board the shuttle, and other initial post-flight processing of the orbiter.

The astronauts on board Discovery (Orbital Vehicle 103 (OV-103)) are expected to disembark at approximately 9 am EDT.

A press conference has been scheduled for 8:30 am CDT, including Dr. Michael Griffin, NASA Administrator, among others. NASA-TV will be providing live coverage, among others.