The Space Shuttle Atlantis safely landed at the Edwards Air Force Base north of Los Angeles on Friday after successfully installing new equipment on the International Space Station.

The shuttle touched down at 12:49 PM local time after being diverted from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida because of bad weather there.

"Welcome back and congratulations on a great mission," the mission control said to the seven-member crew after the shuttle touched down.

The shuttle was originally scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Center yesterday, but rain showers forced flight controllers to wave off two landing opportunities at Kennedy.
 
Weather conditions turned out to be favorable in the landing area in California despite earlier concerns about the possibility of excessively strong winds in the Mojave Desert.

When the shuttle was landing, it announced its presence by creating a sonic boom as it cruises toward the base.

Officials at the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) said the shuttle passed over the California coast near the Los Angeles area at about 75,000 feet.

The landing came as the shuttle's hydrogen batteries were running out, only having one more day of life. The batteries provide electric power for the shuttle.

NASA spokesman Frederick Johnsen said it costs about US$1 million extra to land the shuttle at Edwards, because the shuttle must then be mounted on top of a specialized 747 airplane and flown back to Florida.

"There is a cost involved, but the safety of the crew and the shuttle is far more important," he said.

Atlantis was launched on June 8 and arrived at the International Space Station on June 10, with crew members helping to install new equipment.

Originally scheduled for 11 days, the mission was extended by two days to give astronauts time to repair a thermal blanket that had peeled away during the June 8 launch.

While at the orbital outpost, the crew installed the Starboard 3 and 4 truss segment, unfurled a new pair of power-generating solar arrays and activated a rotating joint that allows the new solar arrays to track the sun. The crew also conducted four spacewalks.

During the third spacewalk, the crew repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod.

Atlantis also delivered a new station crew member, Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson. He replaced astronaut Suni Williams, who is the new record holder for a long-duration single spaceflight for a woman. She arrived at the station in December with STS-116.

STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space station. The next mission, STS-118, is slated to launch in August.

(Xinhua News Agency June 23, 2007)