Commander Eileen Collins and the six-member Space Shuttle Discovery crew are scheduled to land at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) at approximately 4:46 a.m. EDT, Monday. Discovery began the 13-day Return to Flight (STS-114) mission July 26.
Landing at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) is planned for orbit 201 at mission elapsed time 12 days, 18 hours, 07 minutes. The deorbit burn is at approximately 3:43 a.m. EDT. A second KSC landing opportunity is also available Monday at 6:21 a.m. EDT, with a deorbit burn at 5:19 a.m. EDT.
Two landing opportunities are planned for the back-up landing location at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), Calif., on Monday. The first opportunity is 7:52 a.m. EDT; the second is 9:27 a.m. EDT. If Discovery lands at EAFB, an augmented KSC convoy team will be on-site for post-landing processing and disembarking the crew. The turnaround team will be deployed to EAFB by charter aircraft on landing day.
If Discovery must stay in orbit beyond Monday, two landing opportunities are available at KSC on Tuesday at 5:09 a.m. and 6:45 a.m. EDT. Two additional times are also available at EAFB on Tuesday.
If landing occurs as scheduled, it will be the 62nd at KSC and the 15th night Kennedy landing in the history of the Shuttle program. About an hour after touchdown, the STS-114 crew will be taken to their KSC quarters to meet with their families and for initial physicals.
A post-mission press conference with select members of the STS-114 crew is scheduled at the KSC News Center no earlier than six hours after touchdown. Media should check with the KSC Press Site for details.
The KSC press site opens for landing activities at 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 7. Accredited news media on the approved list to view Discovery’s landing from the SLF should be at the KSC News Center beginning at 2 a.m. EDT, Monday for transport to the landing site. The last bus leaves the Press Site at 3 a.m. EDT. Media must sign up for the SLF prior to bus departure.
Launch/mission badging requirements and security restrictions for the media remain in effect. Mission STS-114 accredited U.S. media may drive directly to the KSC News Center. Foreign media must ride a bus to the Press Site from the Pass and Identification Building on State Road 3. Buses begin running at midnight.
For the latest information about the STS-114 mission and Return to Flight, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight
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