SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY LANDS SAFELY CAPE CANAVERAL ON WEDNESDAY 07 NOV 07 AFTER A SUCCESSFUL MISSION - WORLD NEWS HEADLINES
CAPE CANAVERAL NEWS HEADLINES: - The U.S. space shuttle Discovery touched down safely at its home port in Florida on Wednesday after a grueling but successful construction mission that prepared the International Space Station for new laboratories. Gliding through crisp, clear skies, the shuttle settled onto a concrete, canal-lined landing strip at the Kennedy Space Center at 1:01 p.m. (1801 GMT). The ship's fiery re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere began high above the southern Indian Ocean. Discovery was extensively inspected during its 15-day mission as part of post-Columbia safety upgrades. Commander Pamela Melroy became only the second woman in NASA's 50-year history to land a spaceship.
During an 11-day stay at the $100-billion, half-built space station, the shuttle astronauts installed a new chamber, called Harmony, which will serve as the connecting node for Europe's Columbus and Japan's Kibo laboratories. The final leg of the descent took it over populated areas in the United States, the first time that path has been taken since the 2003 Columbia accident, which showered debris over Texas and Louisiana as the ship broke apart due to a heat shield failure.
