SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY COMES HOME TODAY @1:39 PM,3-28-2009

Will the bat come back from space ? Just kidding. Scroll down for the pics.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — It's landing day for space shuttle Discovery.
Discovery and its crew are scheduled to touch down at NASA's Florida spaceport early Saturday afternoon. Favorable weather is expected.
The seven astronauts are winding up a 13-day mission that was highlighted by the successful installation and unfurling of the space station's last pair of solar wings. The $300 million addition brought the orbiting outpost up to full power. It's an essential part of NASA's plan to double the space station population by late spring and boost the amount of science work

Discovery Crew Set for Saturday Landing

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 09:17:39 PM EDT
The astronauts on space shuttle Discovery are preparing to spend what is planned to be their final night in orbit, with wake up set for 5:13 a.m. EDT Saturday to ready for a 1:39 p.m. landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Weather conditions are forecast to be acceptable for the shuttle's return home to Florida.Discovery's crew will go to sleep at 9:13 p.m. Following wake up on Saturday, they will begin deorbit preparations at 8:33 a.m. Discovery will fire its engines at 12:33 p.m. to begin the descent to Florida. A second opportunity is available if needed for Discovery to land at Kennedy on Saturday, beginning with a deorbit burn engine firing at 2:08 p.m. leading to a 3:14 p.m. touchdown

Bat Hung onto Shuttle During Liftoff
03.17.09

This free tail bat was hanging on to space shuttle Discovery as the countdown proceeded. Credit: NASA View Hi-res Image

The bat was seen on the external tank as the shuttle cleared the launch tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: NASA View Hi-res Image

A bat that was clinging to space shuttle Discovery’s external fuel tank during the countdown to launch the STS-119 mission remained with the spacecraft as it cleared the tower, analysts at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center concluded.Based on images and video, a wildlife expert who provides support to the center said the small creature was a free tail bat that likely had a broken left wing and some problem with its right shoulder or wrist. The animal likely perished quickly during Discovery’s climb into orbit.Because the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge coexists inside Kennedy Space Center, the launch pads have a number of measures available, including warning sirens, to deter birds and other creatures from getting too close. The launch team also uses radar to watch for birds before a shuttle liftoff. Nevertheless, the bat stayed in place and it was seen changing positions from time to time.Launch controllers spotted the bat after it had clawed onto the foam of the external tank as Discovery stood at Launch Pad 39A. The temperature never dropped below 60 degrees at that part of the tank, and infrared cameras showed that the bat was 70 degrees through launch.The final inspection team that surveys the outside of the shuttle and tank for signs of ice buildup observed the small bat, hoping it would wake up and fly away before the shuttle engines ignited.It was not the first bat to land on a shuttle during a countdown. Previously, one of the winged creatures landed on the tank during the countdown to launch shuttle Columbia on its STS-90 mission in 1998.