KSC-2010-2851

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Larry Ostarly (red tie), director of Ground Systems Support, United Space Alliance, welcomes STS-131 Mission Specialist Rick Mastracchio back from space following the landing of space shuttle Discovery on Runway 33. Also moving down the receiving line, from left, are STS-131 Mission Specialists Naoko Yamazaki of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Stephanie Wilson, and Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger; and Pilot James P. Dutton Jr., at right. Discovery landed at Kennedy after 15 days in space, completing the more than 6.2-million-mile STS-131 mission on orbit 238. Main gear touchdown was at 9:08:35 a.m. EDT followed by nose gear touchdown at 9:08:47 a.m. and wheelstop at 9:09:33 a.m. The seven-member STS-131 crew carried the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that were transferred to the International Space Station's laboratories. The crew also switched out a gyroscope on the station’s truss, installed a spare ammonia storage tank and retrieved a Japanese experiment from the station’s exterior. STS-131 is the 33rd shuttle mission to the station and the 131st shuttle mission overall. For information on the STS-131 mission and crew, visit http:__www.nasa.gov_mission_pages_shuttle_shuttlemissions_sts131_index.html. Photo credit: NASA_Jim Grossmann