It was the end of a 12-day mission, during which six astronauts installed a new solar-power array on the International Space Station — and faced a few minor but vexing problems along the way.More info at ABC News.
"Wheels stop," said CAPCOM Tony Antonelli, after the shuttle came to rest on the runway at 6:22 a.m. ET.
"Glad to be back. It was a great team effort, so I think assembly is off to a good start," said Atlantis' commander, Brent Jett.
This was the first flight since 2002 to deliver a sizable new component to the space station, which needs to be finished so that the shuttle fleet can be retired in 2010.
Space Shuttle Atlantis back home safely
Posted on Thursday, September 21 2006 @ 16:49 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Space Shuttle Atlantis arrived safely at Kennedy Space Center in Florida this morning.