Atlantis back from Hubble

SPACE Shuttle Atlantis and its crew of seven has returned to Earth, ending their exalted Hubble Space Telescope repair mission in California after stormy weather prevented a return to NASA’s Florida base.

Mission Control waited as long as possible for the weather to improve before finally giving up and directing commander Scott Altman and his crew to the Mojave Desert.

Atlantis touched down on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base.

“Welcome home, Atlantis,” Mission Control radioed once the shuttle came to a safe stop. “Congratulations on a very successful mission giving Hubble a new set of eyes.”

“It was a thrill from start to finish,” Altman replied. “We’ve had a great ride.”