U.S. space officials were expected good weather for the landing of the Discovery, which departed the International Space Station and was scheduled to touch down in Florida early Monday morning, NASA said, dpa reported. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has set the landing time at 4:46 a.m. EST (0846 GMT) with a two-hour window. NASA would have to wait another day if the two-hour window could not be met. There are alternate landing sites in Mexico and California. Discovery undocked successfully early Saturday from the International Space Station (ISS) to start a two-day journey back to Earth. The undocking took place on schedule at 0724 GMT, NASA said, and occurred high above Chile. Following the manoeuvre, Discovery remained near the ISS to allow the shuttle's crew to take pictures of the space station. The NASA orbiter then left the vicinity of the ISS to orbit Earth for another 48 hours before leaving its path and descending towards the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida's Cape Canaveral. Earlier, Discovery's seven astronauts bid the two-member crew of ISS farewell with hugs. Shuttle Commander Eileen Collins thanked the ISS crew for being "such great hosts" and "for being part of such a successful mission". "These are memories we'll have forever," Collins added. The most dangerous part of the return to Earth is the entry into the Earth's atmosphere when friction causes the shuttle to heat up to extreme temperatures. The tragic accident that struck the damaged Columbia shuttle two and a half years ago saw it break up as it entered the Earth's atmosphere. All seven astronauts on board died. --mor 1141 Local Time 0841 GMT
