Sept 11, 2009

Allard Beutel Kennedy Space Center, Fla 321-867-2468 allard beutel@nasa gov

Katherine Trinidad Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 katherine trinidad@nasa gov

RELEASE: 09-212

SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY RETURNS TO EARTH AFTER SUCCESSFUL MISSION

EDWARDS, Calif -- Space shuttle Discovery and its crew of seven astronauts ended a 14-day journey of more than 5 7 million miles with a 5:53 p m PDT landing Friday at Edwards Air Force Base in California

The mission, designated STS-128, delivered two refrigerator-sized science racks to the International Space Station One rack will be used to conduct experiments on materials such as metals, glasses and ceramics The results from these experiments could lead to the development of better materials on Earth The other rack will be used for fluid physics research Understanding how fluids react in microgravity could lead to improved designs for fuel tanks, water systems and other fluid-based systems

STS-128 Commander Rick Sturckow was joined on the mission by Pilot Kevin Ford, Mission Specialists Pat Forrester, Jose Hernandez, Danny Olivas and European Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang NASA astronaut Nicole Stott flew to the complex aboard Discovery to begin a nearly three-month mission as a station resident, replacing Tim Kopra, who returned home on Discovery

Weather concerns prevented the crew from returning to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the primary end-of-mission landing site In seven to 10 days, Discovery will be transported approximately 2,500 miles from California to Florida on the back of a modified 747 jumbo jet Once at Kennedy, Discovery will be separated from the aircraft to begin processing for its next flight, targeted for March 2010

A welcome ceremony for the crew's return to Houston will be held at Ellington Field's NASA Hangar 990 at 4 p m CDT on Saturday, Sept 12 The public is invited to attend

In addition to carrying a new station crew member, Discovery and the crew also delivered a new sleeping compartment, an air purification system and a treadmill named after comedian Stephen Colbert The mission included three spacewalks that replaced experiments outside the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory and an empty ammonia storage tank Ammonia is needed to move excess heat from inside the station to the radiators located outside

Disney's toy astronaut Buzz Lightyear also returned from the space station aboard Discovery He flew to the station in May 2008 on shuttle Discovery's STS-124 mission and served as the longest tenured "crew member" in space While on the station, Buzz supported NASA's education outreach by creating a series of online educational outreach programs

The crew's return will be broadcast on NASA Television's video file For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:

http://www nasa gov/ntv

With Discovery and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the launch of shuttle Atlantis on its STS-129 mission Atlantis' liftoff currently is targeted for Nov 12, although shuttle and station teams are assessing Nov 9 as a potential launch date The flight will focus on storing important spare hardware on the station's exterior The 11-day flight will include three spacewalks and the installation of two platforms to the station's truss, or backbone Atlantis also will bring Stott back to Earth

Stott and STS-128 astronaut Hernandez are providing updates on Twitter To connect to their Twitter feeds and other NASA social media, visit:

http://www nasa gov/collaborate

For more about the STS-128 mission and the upcoming STS-129 flight, visit:

http://www nasa gov/shuttle

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www nasa gov

-end-

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