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Shuttle undocks from space station, heads home

by Staff Writers
 Washington (AFP) March 25, 2009
 The US shuttle Discovery undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) Wednesday to begin its return to Earth, NASA said.

After an eight-day stay, Discovery detached from its bay at the orbiting laboratory on schedule at 1953 GMT, as they passed 217 miles (350 kilometers) above the Indian Ocean.

"Houston, we have a physical separation," said a member of the shuttle crew, according to a broadcast of the maneuver on NASA TV.

The shuttle and its crew of seven astronauts are on course to return to Florida's Kennedy Space Center at 1:43 pm (1743 GMT) on Saturday, if weather conditions at the base remain favorable.

Before leaving behind the ISS, the shuttle crew were to move their craft 200 meters (yards) away to take photos and record film of the orbiting outpost.

Discovery docked at the ISS on March 17, two days after its launch. One of the mission's biggest tasks was to deliver the last set of solar arrays, which were successfully unfurled Friday.

The ISS now has four solar panels, two per wing, containing 32,800 cells that convert sunlight into electricity.

They will boost the outpost's full power generation from 90 to 120 kilowatts, providing the power the space station needs to carry out scientific experiments aboard Kibo and the European Columbus laboratory.

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SHUTTLE NEWS
Last Full Day At Station For Shuttle Visitors
 Houston TX (SPX) Mar 25, 2009
 With the third and final spacewalk completed Monday, the Expedition 18 and STS-119 crews are heading into the home stretch of their joint mission.






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