In pictures: Space shuttle landing

The shuttle touches down on schedule at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, under overcast skies. There had been concern bad weather could delay the return, but this was unfounded.

This Nasa TV image shows the runway with superimposed information seen by pilot Mark Kelly as he prepared to land the shuttle after 13 days in space.

As the orbiter lands safely, a parachute is deployed from its rear to bring it to a halt.

Millions of people followed the progress of Discovery as the craft returned to Earth, including the crew of the International Space Station (ISS).

Mission complete, the landed shuttle is towed from the runway at Cape Canaveral.

Nasa administrator Michael Griffin congratulates crew members as they inspect the tyres of their spacecraft.

A close-up image of the tiles on the underside of the shuttle's nose. The orbiter's tiles make up a thermal shield designed to protect it on its journey back to Earth.

Astronaut Lisa Nowak signs a model of the Discovery, as she and colleague Stephanie Wilson relish their return.

After being towed from the runway, the shuttle is rolled back to the orbiter processing facility for a full inspection.

The proud crew speak to journalists about their mission. Seven of them blasted off from Florida - German Thomas Reiter will remain on the ISS for six months.

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