Thursday, May 28, 2009

Shuttle Atlantis Returnd Safely

Shuttle Atlantis Lands Safely After Hubble Success

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis landed safely in California on Sunday, bringing home seven triumphant astronauts after their successful service call on the beloved Hubble Space Telescope.

After two days of delay due to storms, the third time was the charm for Atlantis as it touched down on the dry lakebed runway at Edwards Air Force Base at 11:40 a.m. EDT (1540 GMT) to end a 13-day mission to the 19-year-old Hubble. Rainy weather thwarted the shuttle's attempts to land in Florida earlier today and on Friday and Saturday.

"Welcome home, Atlantis!" radioed Mission Control. "Congratulations on a very successful mission giving Hubble a new set of eyes that will continue to expand our knowledge of the universe."

"Thank you, Houston, it was a thrill from start to finish," Atlantis commander Scott Altman replied. "We've had a great ride. It took a whole team across the country to pull it off, our hats off to you all."

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