Space Shuttle Discovery Makes Final Return to Earth Wednesday

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Discovery is scheduled to return
to Earth for the final time on Wednesday, March 9, completing a
13-day mission to outfit the International Space Station. If
Discovery lands Wednesday, it will have spent a total of 365 days in
space and traveled more than 148 million miles during 39 flights. It
launched on its first mission on Aug. 30, 1984.

Wednesday landing opportunities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in
Florida are at 11:57 a.m. and 1:34 p.m. EST. NASA managers will
evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy before permitting Discovery to
land. If Discovery is unable to land Wednesday, additional
opportunities are available on Thursday at Kennedy and at backup
landing site Edwards Air Force Base in California. For recorded
updates about landing, call 321-867-2525.

Approximately two hours after Discovery lands, NASA officials will
hold a briefing to discuss the mission. The participants will be:

- Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations
- Mike Moses, space shuttle launch integration manager
- Mike Leinbach, space shuttle launch director

After touchdown, the astronauts will undergo routine physical
examinations and meet with their families. The crew may participate
in a post-landing news conference about 6.5 hours after landing. The
news events will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the
agency's website.

The Kennedy news center will open for landing activities at 8 a.m.
Wednesday and remain open until 11 p.m. because of shuttle
Endeavour's 8 p.m. rollout to Launch Pad 39A. Endeavour is targeted
to launch April 19 on the STS-134 mission to the space station.

The STS-133 media badges are in effect through landing. The media
accreditation building on State Road 3 will be open from 7 to 10 a.m.
Wednesday. The last bus will depart from the news center for the
Shuttle Landing Facility one hour before landing.

If the shuttle landing is diverted to Edwards after Wednesday, news
media should call the public affairs office at NASA's Dryden Flight
Research Center at 661-276-3449. Dryden has limited facilities
available for previously accredited journalists.

The NASA News Twitter feed is updated throughout the shuttle mission
and landing. To follow, visit:

http://www.twitter.com/nasa

For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming
video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For the latest information about the STS-133 mission and
accomplishments, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For more information about the space station and its crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

Source: NASA

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