Final inspection as shuttle heads home
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Space shuttle Atlantis headed for Earth on Wednesday as its crew awaited the results of a final heat shield inspection.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida  - The U.S. space shuttle   Atlantis returned safely to its Florida home on Thursday,   capping a successful mission to resume International Space   Station construction 3-1/2 years after the 2003 Columbia   disaster.
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The Atlantis shuttle detaches from the International Space Station in preparation to return to Earth.
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Astronauts aboard Discovery plan a final, routine check of the space shuttle's heat shield and the launch of two small satellites on Wednesday before landing two days later.
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Space shuttle Atlantis began its long  trek home on Tuesday after a nine-day stay at the International  Space Station in which crew members installed new solar energy  panels and battled balky computers.
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Space shuttle Atlantis headed for home  on Wednesday with NASA pushing to get it back to Earth before  the U.S. military tries to shoot a dead spy satellite out of  the sky.
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Astronauts on the shuttle Atlantis  packed up gear and checked out their spacecraft on Tuesday as  they prepared to come home from their 11-day mission to the  International Space Station.
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In a routine familiar to travelers on Earth, shuttle astronauts were spending Tuesday packing their things, indulging in their surroundings for one last day and making sure their vehicle is ready for the ride home.
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Atlantis astronauts will inspect the space shuttle once more before its scheduled return to Earth Thursday, after a mysterious object was spotted orbiting nearby, NASA said.
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The shuttle Atlantis astronauts   completed their work on the International Space Station on   Friday with a third and final spacewalk to put the finishing   touches on a new power module and set up gear for NASA's next   service call.
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By Traci Watson  The astronauts aboard space shuttle Atlantis will search their ship's exterior today for missing pieces of the vehicle after a mysterious object was seen whizzing along near the spacecraft Tuesday.  NASA engineers do not know the object's size or altitude.
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Dodging thunderstorms en route The space shuttle Atlantis is packing up and heading for home. The bird is due to land at Florida's Kennedy Space Centre this afternoon, but the exact time of the landing will depend on weather conditions.â¦
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Shuttle Discovery astronauts checked the orbiter's wings and nose for damage on Wednesday using lasers and a camera atop its robotic arm, a day ahead of its rendezvous with the International Space Station.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida  - NASA cleared space   shuttle Atlantis to return to Earth on Thursday, confident that   unidentified objects spotted floating near the spaceship did   not result from damage to its heat shield or other critical   equipment.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.  - A redesigned space shuttle  fuel tank arrived at NASA's main assembly hangar on Thursday in  what managers said was a first tangible sign that the two-year  effort to return the fleet to flight following the Columbia  disaster is nearing its end.
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Astronauts on shuttle Atlantis  conducted a final inspection of their spacecraft's heat shield  on Monday as they began early preparations for their return to  Earth.
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HOUSTON  -- Space shuttle Atlantis neared the end  of a two-day orbital journey on Saturday, approaching the  International Space Station to deliver Europe's first permanent  space research laboratory.