"They were reunited in Houston last night at Ellington airfield," NASA spokeswoman Tanya Deason-Sharp told AFP. A public welcome ceremony was to be held later Wednesday in the Texas city.

Spouses, children and parents of the seven astronauts had been waiting in Florida where the shuttle was originally scheduled to land on Monday. But bad weather shifted the shuttle landing to Edwards Air Force Base in California where it landed Tuesday.

The families and the crew were flown to Houston for the delayed meetings.

The astronauts were enjoying rest and relaxation with their families before returning to Ellington airfield for a welcome back ceremony. More than 1,000 people, mostly NASA employees, were expected to crowd into an airfield hangar to cheer the crew led by commander Eileen Collins.

Collins was also the only mother on board and reportedly e-mailed her son and daughter throughout the mission.

The astronauts successfully resupplied the International Space Station in the first mission since the disintegration of the Columbia two and a half years ago. But concerns about the long-term future of the shuttle program remained with Discovery suffering similar problems that triggered the Columbia disaster.

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