Discovery set to return to Earth

Leroy Chiao spent seven hours adjusting cables

The space shuttle Discovery is due to return to Earth on Sunday, having successfully prepared the International Space Station (ISS) for its first long-term crew.

Discovery is scheduled to touchdown at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral at 1814 GMT.

But the planned landing could be delayed because of strong runway crosswinds.

The shuttle has two opportunities to land on Sunday. If not, there is enough fuel to keep the shuttle in the skies until Wednesday.

Mission accomplished

Discovery completed its 11-day mission on Friday, when it undocked from the ISS having delivered two critical components to the station.

Crew added two segments to the ISS

The astronauts installed an aluminum framework containing antennas and motion-control gyroscopes and a new shuttle docking port.

Four spacewalks, on four consecutive days, were required to make all the connections.

Having completed their tasks, the The seven-member crew had some free time on Saturday, while they waited to return to Earth.

The space station is now ready for the arrival of Nasa astronaut William Shepherd and Russian cosmonauts Yuri Guidzenko and Sergei Krikaliov.

They are scheduled to blast off from Kazakstan on 31 October, arriving two days later for a four-month stay.