Atlantis returns to Earth, NASA Greets the Seven Astronauts with a "Welcome Back "

The shuttle Atlantis soared to landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, closing out a near flawless mission to the International Space Station.

Atlantis touched down at 9:44 a.m., under sunny skies with seven astronauts on board.

During an 11-day mission, the fliers delivered and equipped the space station with nearly 30,000 pounds of critical spare parts intended to ensure safe and scientifically productive operations well after the final shuttle flight, now scheduled for late September.
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The bulky spare gyroscopes, thermal control system components, oxygen tank and robot arm hardware hauled to the orbital outpost aboard Atlantis exceed the carrying capacity available on the short lineup of rocket launchers capable of reaching the station. The Obama administration is weighing a proposal to extend activities aboard the space station until 2020. Currently, operations are to end by 2016.

"Everybody, well back to Earth," Mission Control radioed Atlantis commander Charlie Hobaugh and his crew as the spacecraft rolled to a stop on the coastal runway.

Atlantis returned to Earth with one more astronaut than it launched with on Nov. 16 and a second astronaut excited to to see a daughter who was born while he was away.

Nicole Stott joined the Atlantis crew for the ride back to Earth, ending a 91-day mission to the space station.

"It was really sad to leave the station and my crew mates there," said Stott. "But I get to go home and see my family. So, I'm really excited."

Astronaut Randy Bresnik's wife, Rebecca, gave birth to a daughter, Abigail Mae, last Saturday, while he was in between two spacewalks.

The Marine Corps test pilot launched with assurances he could monitor his wife's labor through Mission Control.

"Hopefully, when she is older she will forgive me for being absent," he said.