The US space agency NASA has successfully brought the space shuttle Atlantis and its seven crewmembers back to Earth.
The shuttle touched down in California's Mojave Desert, at the Edwards Air Force Base, after rain blocked it from returning to its Florida base and kept its crew an extra day in orbit.
If none of today's orbits provided an opening, opportunities were also available tomorrow and the craft had enough fuel and supplies to stay in space until Sunday.
The shuttle had been circling Earth since the beginning of this month to install a pair of solar power wings on the International Space Station.
The crew also prepared the facility for new laboratories built by Europe and Japan and delivered a new station crew member to replace astronaut Suni Williams, who set the record the longest single spaceflight by a woman.
