NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery Set To Land Wednesday

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The space shuttle Discovery crew is scheduled to complete a 15-day mission to the International Space Station with a landing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Wednesday, Nov. 7.

The STS-120 mission began Oct. 23 and delivered the Harmony module to the station, relocated the P6 truss and featured four spacewalks. During the fourth spacewalk, the crew repaired a torn solar array on the P6 truss, enabling them to fully deploy the array.

NASA managers will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy before permitting Discovery to return to Earth. Wednesday landing opportunities are at 1:01 p.m. and 2:36 p.m. EST. The backup landing sites at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and White Sands Space Harbor, N.M., will not be activated on Wednesday.

Two hours after landing, NASA officials will hold a briefing to discuss the mission. The tentative participants will be:

- NASA Administrator Michael Griffin
- NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier
- NASA Space Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach

After touchdown, the astronauts will undergo physical examinations and meet with their families. Some crew members are scheduled to hold a news conference six hours after returning to Earth.

The Kennedy press site will open for landing activities at 8 a.m. Wednesday and close one hour after the crew news conference. The STS-120 accreditation badges are in effect through landing. The press accreditation building on State Road 3 will be open on Wednesday from 8 to 11 a.m. The last bus will depart from the press site for the Shuttle Landing Facility one hour before landing. For updated information about the landing, call 321-867-2525.

If weather prevents a Kennedy landing Wednesday, NASA will activate backup landing sites for attempts on Thursday. Dryden has limited facilities available to previously accredited journalists. For further information, journalists should call the Dryden Public Affairs Office at 661-276-3449.

If White Sands Space Harbor is called up for strong consideration as a shuttle landing site, media desiring credentials there should contact the White Sands Missile Range Public Affairs Office at 505-678-1134. Journalists with STS-120 mission badges from NASA will be issued credentials.

For the latest information about the STS-120 mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle