Space Shuttle Discovery Undocks from International Space Station

Discovery undocked from the International Space Station today at 7:42 a.m. EDT, ending its almost nine-day stay at the orbital outpost. On Tuesday, The STS-124 and Expedition 17 crews bid one another farewell, and closed the hatches between the two spacecraft at 4:42 p.m.

STS-124 arrived at the station June 2, delivering the Japanese Pressurized Module, the second pressurized component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory, to the station.

In addition, the STS-124 astronauts delivered Expedition 17 Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff, who replaced Garrett Reisman, now a mission specialist returning to Earth aboard Discovery.

The crew also performed three spacewalks while at the station.

Discovery is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Saturday.