Space shuttle "Discovery"
In February 2003 the space shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. All seven crew were killed. The accident was caused by insulating foam from the external fuel tank breaking off during launch and damaging the wing. This allowed superheated gas to penetrate the craft during re-entry.

 Since the accident, Nasa has made changes is to cut the risk of damage from debris, improve detection of damage should it occur, and develop ways of making in-flight repairs. Follow the news of how this mission of the space shuttle Discovery is going.

Tuesday 26 July:
Discovery is launched after missing the previous launch window because of equipment problems. Everything looks good for the mission, which is expected to return to Earth on the 7th of August.


Tuesday 26 July (later)
NASA is now worried about debris seen by cameras, falling from the space shuttle as it launched earlier in the day. It looks very like what happened last time.

When the shuttle docks with the space station, the astronauts will look carefully at the hull to see if there is any damage that needs repair, so that the Discovery does not burn up on reentry, like the Columbia did.

Thursday 28 July.
Nasa has grounded its shuttle fleet after large pieces of foam debris peeled off Discovery's external fuel tank during Tuesday's launch. Although none is thought to have hit the orbiter, two shielding tiles on Discovery do appear to be damaged.

 Managers described the findings as "unacceptable" and said other orbiters would not be safe to fly until changes were made to the launcher system. "Until we fix this, we're not ready to go fly again," said Bill Parsons.

Sunday 31 July:
Astronauts on the space shuttle Discovery are unloading tons of supplies and equipment for the crew of the International Space Station. The transfer has been given added urgency by Nasa's decision to ground the shuttle fleet after this mission.

 The astronauts had planned to give the station 13.6 metric tons of items stored in a cargo unit. They are now also transferring computers, office supplies, food, water and other items from Discovery.
            

NASA has extended Discovery's mission by a day to allow time to unload the extra cargo, with the shuttle's return to Earth now set for 8 August. The experts think that the shuttle will come safely back to earth, even though it has been damaged.

Wednesday 3 August:
Nasa hopes a makeshift repair carried out to US space shuttle Discovery makes a safe return to Earth more likely.

"We've got a clear vehicle for de-orbit," said lead flight director Paul Hill, after astronaut Stephen Robinson finished a six-hour spacewalk.

 The astronaut used his hands to yank out two ceramic strips protruding from the heatshield on the orbiter's belly.

 Nasa was concerned the strips could have caused Discovery to overheat as it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere.

 Saturday 6 August:
Astronauts on the shuttle Discovery have undocked their craft from the International Space Station, in the first step towards returning home.

Nasa earlier declared the shuttle safe, clearing the way for the first step to Discovery's planned landing on Monday.

 After saying goodbye to the station's two residents, the crew slowly undocked and fired the shuttle's jets to reposition it ready for re-entry.

The shuttle is expected to arrive back on Earth at 8.45pm on Monday, New Zealand time.

1. The shuttle flies upside down in orbit to control its heating.
 2. To re-enter the atmosphere, the shuttle is turned tail first to the direction of travel, and fires its engines to slow its speed.
3. The orbiter is then flipped the right way up and enters the top layer of the atmosphere at about a 40-degree angle from horizontal with its wings level.
Discovery touches down at the Kennedy Space Center in 1998
4. The orientation keeps its black thermal tiles facing the majority of the heat - as high 1,650C (3,000F) on the leading edges of the wings and nose.
5. As its speed drops, the shuttle starts to fly more like an aircraft, using its rudder and wing flaps for control. It banks sharply to slow its speed still further
6. The shuttle falls from a height of more than 360km at speeds that top Mach 30, and at an angle of 19 degrees, far steeper than that of a commercial aircraft. The spacecraft comes to a dead stop half a world a way from where it began the descent.

Monday 8 August
Space shuttle Discovery's return to Earth has been delayed for 24 hours due to bad weather at its landing site.

The seven crew members aboard Discovery had been preparing for their re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.

 Low-lying cloud which could obscure the landing strip forced flight controllers to scrub Monday's two landing windows at Nasa's Kennedy Space Center. They hope to bring the shuttle back to earth some time on Tuesday.

             

The US space agency's administrator Dr Mike Griffin said there was "no agony" over the delay.  "We're going to land one way or another, one place or another, and all we're talking about is where," said Dr Griffin.

Tuesday 9 August
The shuttle Discovery has touched down successfully in California after the first mission since 2003's Columbia disaster.

Discovery landed at Edwards Air Force Base at around 1312 BST (0512 PST; 1212 GMT) when bad weather forced a change to the intended Florida landing site.

     

On leaving Discovery, the crew went to inspect the vehicle on the tarmac.

"It's absolutely fantastic to be back on planet Earth," said Discovery's commander Eileen Collins at a post-landing press conference on Tuesday.

 But the first woman to command a shuttle mission added that the crew had experienced mixed feelings: "It's a very bittersweet day for us too. We remember the Columbia crew and their families."

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