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Space shuttle Discovery returns safely
www.chinanews.cn 2005-08-10 09:15:38
(Agencies)
Discovery, seen here, roared safely back to Earth after a tense first
shuttle flight since the 2003 Columbia disaster and its crew pleaded for
support for future space travel(Photo: AFP/NASA-HO)
(Photo: AFP/NASA-HO)
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, California, Aug 9 - Space Shuttle Discovery
roared safely back to Earth in California on Tuesday in a nail-biting but
picture-perfect climax to the first flight since the Columbia disaster in
2003.
Commander Eileen Collins staged a flawless night-time touchdown at
Edwards Air Force Base at 5:11 am (1211 GMT), ending a problem-riddled
14-day trip that raised new doubts about the US shuttle programme.
NASA officials said every bit of data collected during the flight would
be carefully analyzed in order to make the shuttle a safer craft.
The mission was largely designed to test changes made to the shuttle
since the Columbia disaster, including improvements meant to prevent foam
from breaking off upon launch.
During the mission, Stephen Robinson conducted an unprecedented spacewalk
under the shuttle to extract two protruding pieces of fiber that risked
overheating during re-entry.
Robinson and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi also tested repair
techniques adopted after the Columbia tragedy, and replaced one of four
gyroscopes that keep the International Space Station (ISS) in its orbital
position.
The crew also delivered 12 tonnes of equipment to the Russian and the
American aboard ISS, and retrieved waste to clear out space in the
cramped orbiting lab.
��Discovery landing posponed until Tuesday (2005-08-08)
��Discovery astronauts complete second spacewalk (2005-08-02)
��Discovery astronauts go spacewalking (2005-07-30)
��Shuttle Discovery docks at Space Station (2005-07-29)
��Shuttle Discovery launched successfully (2005-07-27)
��Space shuttle Discovery blasts off (2005-07-27)
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