NASA delays shuttle landing until Tuesday

NASA responded to the disaster by making dozens of upgrades in the shuttle and its tank, and also subjecting Discovery to the most exhaustive on-orbit inspection ever. NASA's cameras spotted a flying piece of foam debris — which, fortunately, did not strike the orbiter — as well as two protruding gap fillers that were pulled out during an unprecedented spacewalk. But overall, mission managers said Discovery was one of the "cleanest birds" ever, and they expected a trouble-free re-entry.

Nevertheless, the managers acknowledged that Discovery's descent would be their most anxious hour.

"We are going to be pretty darn happy to get to wheels stop and see this good crew step off Discovery," flight director Paul Hill told reporters in Houston. “We all are going to feel a huge sense of accomplishment having gotten through the last 2 1/2 years and demonstrated that we still know how to do this very difficult and dangerous business.”

Mission's goals
The Discovery mission's goals were to resupply the space station, and to test the inspection and repair techniques that NASA developed in the wake of Columbia's catastrophic breakup.

NASA set up scores of cameras to record Discovery's launch and built a new kind of laser- and camera-equipped inspection boom to survey the shuttle's protective skin while on orbit. During one of the mission's three spacewalks, Discovery astronauts Stephen Robinson and Soichi Noguchi tested patches and fillers that could be used to mend gaps in the shuttle's tiles or reinforced panels.

The pair also repaired one of the station's gyroscopes and replaced another one, bringing the station's four-gyro guidance system to full strength for the first time in three years. During the third spacewalk, they installed a storage platform on the station for future construction jobs — and then Robinson took an unprecedented ride on the station's robotic arm to Discovery's tile-covered belly, where he removed the protruding gap fillers by hand.

Discovery's crew delivered tons of supplies to the station, and for the return trip, they loaded the shuttle with tons of trash and old equipment from the station.

The mission was extended by a day to allow for more transfers, in large part because it may be longer than expected before a space shuttle pays another visit.

Future flights suspended
After Discovery's launch, NASA officials said they were surprised to see that the shuttle's external fuel tank shed more debris than expected, including a pillow-sized, 1-pound (450-gram) piece from an area known as the protuberance air load ramp, which had not been redesigned after the Columbia tragedy.

Mission managers said the problem with the foam debris and the gap fillers would have to be resolved before another shuttle lifts off. In all, deputy shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said 47 items “great or small” would be addressed before the next launch.

Currently, the shuttle Atlantis is due to fly another test mission to the space station no earlier than Sept. 22, but Hale said he didn't consider that "a serious launch date." If Atlantis doesn't lift off by Sept. 24, the next opportunity would be in early November.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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