Touches Down At SLF On Schedule

ANN REALTIME REPORTING 03.28.09 1516 EDT: They make it look so easy. Moments ago, the shuttle Discovery came to a stop on Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facilty adjacent to Florida's Kennedy Space Center, bringing an end to the STS-119 mission.

(And while the shuttle isn't exactly the most graceful bird in the air... we're sure the ANN staff is not alone in our belief she's really beautiful on approach -- Ed.)

The only signs that the strong winds and low cloud deck at the SLF affected the orbiter's steep approach to the runway came with just a bit float over the numbers. Wheels stop came at 3:15 pm EDT, following a "nominal" parachute deployment on touchdown.

The STS-119 flight delivered the space station's fourth and final set of solar array wings, completing the station's truss, or backbone. The additional electricity provided by the arrays will fully power science experiments and help support station operations.

During three spacewalks, astronauts installed the S6 truss segment to the starboard, or right, side of the station and accomplished important tasks to prepare the station for future upgrades and additions later this year.

The flight also replaced a failed unit for a system that converts urine to potable water. Samples from the station's Water Recovery System will be analyzed. It's expected to take about a month for the analysis to be completed and the water to be cleared for the station crew to drink.

STS-119 spacewalkers were unable to deploy a jammed external cargo carrier on the Port 3 truss segment. It was tied safely in place. Because the issue is not yet understood, Mission Control cancelled the installation of a similar payload attachment system on the starboard side. Engineers are evaluating the problem and will address it during a future spacewalk.

With Discovery and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the launch of STS-125, targeted for May 12. Atlantis' mission will return the space shuttle to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope for one last visit before the shuttle fleet retires in 2010. Over 11 days and five spacewalks, Atlantis' crew will upgrade the telescope, preparing it for at least another five years of research.

Earlier Reports

1400 EDT: "Discovery, Houston, you are go for the deorbit burn." With those words issued moments ago by controllers, the shuttle Discovery was cleared to land at the Shuttle Landing Facility near Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle will fire its engines in about 8 minutes from the time of this report.

NASA waived off the first landing opportunity for Discovery, due to "uncertain" weather conditions at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The orbiter will now land in Florida at 3:14 pm EDT.

Controllers scrubbed the first attempt due to shifting winds, which thanks to the "sea breeze" effect off the Atlantic were projected to change direction while Discovery would have reentered the atmosphere on the earlier attempt. NASA prefers to have programming for the landing runway uploaded to the orbiter prior to reentry, to minimize any last-minute variables in the complicated process of returning the shuttle safely to Earth.

That program is now in place, with the winds blowing from the southeast at a fairly stiff 16-20 knots. While that's a little higher than NASA would prefer, the wind is also straight down Runway 15 at the SLF.

0001 EDT: The astronauts onboard space shuttle Discovery spent Friday getting themselves and their ship ready to wrap up their STS-119 mission, with a Saturday afternoon landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

While their crewmates begin stowing items in the crew cabin Friday morning, Commander Lee Archambault, Pilot Tony Antonelli and Flight Engineer Steve Swanson checked out Discovery's flight control surfaces, which guide the orbiter's unpowered flight through the atmosphere. They also test-fired the reaction control system thrusters, which control the shuttle's orientation as it begins its re-entry through the atmosphere.

After a full crew deorbit preparation briefing, all seven crew members crowded onto the flight deck just past noon EDT (above) to talk about their flight with students gathered at Punahou School in Honolulu. Following the school event, the crew went back to packing up for entry and landing, including stowing the antenna for the Ku band communications system, which is used for high data rate communications including television transmission.

Mission Specialists John Phillips and Sandra Magnus also set up a recumbent seat on the middeck for Magnus, so she can recline during the shuttle's return to Earth. The measure is meant to ease her body's transition to a gravity environment, after more than four months as an International Space Station crew member.

Meanwhile, the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft (type shown below)carrying Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, NASA astronaut Michael Barratt and spaceflight participant Charles Simonyi closed in on its Saturday morning rendezvous with the International Space Station. Docking is scheduled for 8:14 am Saturday.

Pending a weather diversion, Discovery is scheduled to land at the Shuttle Landing Facility at 1:39 pm EDT, with a second opportunity at 3:14 pm. Conditions at the SLF are forecast to be warm, with high clouds and winds from the south at 14 knots; if Discovery is waved off, NASA may also activate Edwards AFB as a landing site on Sunday.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/shuttle