Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home IT Management
    • IT Management
    • Networking
    • Small Business

    Space Shuttle Discovery Returns to Earth

    By
    Nathan Eddy
    -
    April 20, 2010
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      The space shuttle Discovery and its crew of seven astronauts landed at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center this morning at 9:08 a.m. Eastern Time after a journey of 238 orbits around Earth and more than 6.2 million miles. The scheduled Monday landing had been delayed due to worries over rainy, foggy conditions. Weather conditions brought the space shuttle over an unusually wide stretch of the United States after crossing over the country from over Vancouver, British Columbia. The shuttle was visible over northeastern Washington, Helena, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and eventually Florida, the AP reported.
      Commander Alan Poindexter lead the STS-131 mission to the International Space Station to deliver a multipurpose logistics module filled with science racks to be transferred to laboratories on the Space Station. The mission also featured three spacewalks by Mission Specialists Clay Anderson and Rick Mastracchio to replace an ammonia tank assembly, retrieve a Japanese experiment from the station’s exterior and switch out a rate gyro assembly on an element of the station’s truss. NASA noted STS-131 was the 33rd shuttle mission to the International Space Station.
      As the last round trip for the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, Discovery’s 13-day mission provided the station with not only some 8 tons of science equipment and cargo, but also one last opportunity to send a large load of cargo back to the ground. Leonardo serves as basically a moving van for the space station, allowing the shuttle to, first of all, deliver shipments of equipment and supplies larger than any other vehicle could accommodate, and, second, to return science experiments, unneeded hardware and trash to the ground. A mission overview document provided by NASA explained all other cargo transfer vehicles burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
      Although Leonardo will return to the station once more on the last space shuttle mission later this year-there are only four more shuttle missions planned– this is scheduled to be its last round trip – Leonardo will remain permanently at the station after STS-133, according to NASA. So while it will deliver one more batch of goods, the cargo returning on STS-131 will be the last that it brings home.
      While shuttle missions are fast becoming an adventure of the past, NASA noted the agency continues to make records. With three female crew members on board the Discovery and one already at the station, the STS-131 mission marked the first time four women have been in space at one time. As there was one Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut on each crew, the mission was also the first time for two JAXA astronauts to be in space at the same time.

      Nathan Eddy
      A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Nathan was perviously the editor of gaming industry newsletter FierceGameBiz and has written for various consumer and tech publications including Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, CRN, and The Times of London. Currently based in Berlin, he released his first documentary film, The Absent Column, in 2013.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×