Astronauts say goodbyes and begin trip home

Space shuttle Discovery decamped from the international space station today to begin the return trip to Earth.

Pilot Mark Kelly fired up steering jets, slowly backed Discovery up and put it on a path away from the space station as they passed over the Pacific Ocean. Two hours earlier, Discovery’s six astronauts snapped last-minute photos and bid farewell to the space station’s crew before closing a hatch for departure.