Atlantis returns to earth

CAPE CANAVERAL, MAY 29: Space shuttle Atlantis and its astronauts returned to earth early today and closed out a successful space station ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, MAY 29: Space shuttle Atlantis and its astronauts returned to earth early today and closed out a successful space station repair mission.

Throughout Sunday, NASA had fretted that the cross wind might be too strong. But the wind eased to within safety limits, and Mission Control gave the crew the go-ahead to come home. Atlantis glided onto the floodlit runway at 2:20 am(11.50 IST). It was only the 14th time in 98 flights that a space shuttle landed in darkness.

The rejuvenated international space station had passed over the Kennedy Space Center just 10 minutes earlier, and was crossing the North Atlantic when Atlantis touched down. "Jim, congratulations to you and the crew on just a supermission to the international space station," Mission Control told commander James Halsell Jr.

Halsell used both orbital-maneuvering engines for the ride home. The left engine seemed to have a stuck valve during the climb to orbit May 19, but flight controllers later concluded the valve was fine and a bad sensor was to blame. After the hectic pace of the past 10 days, the astronauts said they would not have minded an extra day or two in space with little to do.

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