Space shuttle Discovery back home in Florida after cross-country journey and trip to orbit

Space shuttle Discovery back home in Florida

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space shuttle Discovery is finally back home in Florida following a cross-country journey and a trip to orbit.

Discovery arrived at Kennedy Space Center at noon Monday atop a modified jumbo jet. The plane left Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana in the morning. The flight actually began Sunday at Edwards Air Force Base in California, where Discovery ended its space station visit.

Stormy weather prevented Discovery from returning to its home base 1½ weeks ago. It ended up in California, the the backup landing site. The detour cost NASA nearly $2 million.

Discovery’s next flight is in the spring.

During the two-week mission, Discovery and its crew delivered a fresh load of supplies to the international space station.

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NASA: www.nasa.gov/