spacetoday.net: Shuttle undocks from station

Posted: Wed, Mar 25, 2009, 10:13 PM ET (0213 GMT)
STS-119: ISS after undocking (NASA)

The space shuttle Discovery undocked from the International Space Station Wednesday afternoon, having completed its mission to add the final set of solar panels to the orbiting outpost. Discovery undocked from the station at 3:53 pm EDT (1953 GMT) and, after performing a fly-around, departed from the vicinity of the station. Discovery spent eight days docked to the station, during which time it installed the final set of solar panels to the station's truss as well as other maintenance outside and inside the station. Returning home on Discovery is astronaut Sandra Magnus, who spent over four months on the station. She was replaced by Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, who came to the station on Discovery. The shuttle is scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Center Saturday at 1:43 pm EDT (1743 GMT).