The crew of space shuttle Discovery are welcomed back to earth in Houston, TX. The crew included astronauts, from left to right, Commander Eileen Collins, Jim Kelly and Soichi Noguchi of Japan (not pictured are crew members Steve Robinson, Andy Thomas, Wendy Lawrence and Charlie Camarda). (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Repairs in Space Lead to Safe Landing for Crew of Discovery

The space shuttle Discovery is home. Some feared it would never return.            

Discovery was the space shuttle's first flight since Columbia exploded on its return from space in 2003. All seven crew members on board died.

Discovery's flight also almost ended in disaster.

The shuttle took off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 26. NASA is the government agency that oversees the space program.

Concerns about the flight started almost immediately. Video showed a large chunk of foam fell off the shuttle's fuel tank when it took off.

It appeared very similar to what happened with Columbia. Foam from that flight also broke off and hit an area near the wing. The shuttle suffered severe damage. It crashed over the skies of Texas while on its way back to earth.

The Discovery situation was less serious. NASA said the foam that fell from the tank did not hit the shuttle itself.

Still, there remained a lot of tension. People were relieved when Discovery landed safely at 7:11 a.m. on August 9 at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

“Discovery is home,” NASA spokesman James Hartsfield said.

Spacewalk helped

The work of the crew may have saved the shuttle. Crew members first tried to figure out if the foam damaged the shuttle. They used cameras to check the outside of Discovery.

Astronaut Steve Robinson then made a spacewalk to repair the shuttle. He removed two pieces of filler material sticking out from Discovery's underside.

NASA feared the material could overheat when the shuttle left space to land. That is what investigators think happened with the Columbia disaster.

“OK, that came out very easily,” Robinson said after removing one of the fillers. “It looks like this big patient is cured.”

It may have ended OK, but fears about the foam have grounded all shuttle flights indefinitely. NASA wants to make sure the shuttles are safe before they return to space.

“We are not going to go until we are ready to go,” NASA administrator Michael Griffin told CNN. He said the shuttle will eventually be needed to help build the international space station.

Discovery spent much of its time docked at the space station. It delivered supplies to astronauts there and helped repair it.

Discovery's flight was important for another reason. It was commanded by Eileen Collins. She is the first woman to captain a flight.

“We're happy to be back,” she said. “We brought Discovery back in great shape.”

Source: www.nasa.gov