Space shuttle Discovery touched down on Kennedy Space Center's Runway 15 at 5:32 p.m. EST on December 22, wrapping up a resoundingly successful mission to rewire the International Space Station (ISS) and retract a stubborn solar array.
"It's a little bit windy and a little bit rainy. And we just want to go ahead and thank everybody for helping get us back to Kennedy Space Center. Discovery is a beautiful vehicle," Commander Mark Polansky said before the crew departed the Shuttle Landing Facility.
"The mission is really a demonstration of how well we can work as a team at NASA when the ground folks, and the contractors, the crew, the flight directors, the control teams - when everybody works together toward a common goal."
"On behalf of the crew at the Kennedy Space Center, Christmas came three days early for us," agreed Launch Director Mike Leinbach. "It is great to have Discovery out on our runway. The team is just jubiliant."