The space
shuttle Discovery almost resembles a commercial jet sitting on the runway after
landing, but its two-week flight was far from ordinary.
The
shuttle landed
on June 14, 2008 after delivering Japan’s $1
billion Kibo research module to the space station. The mission also carried
a new crewmember for the space station, along with spare Russian space toilet
parts. Discovery’s crew performed three spacewalks to maintain the station, outfit
Kibo, and test new ways to clean and repair a damaged solar array.
Here
Discovery gets an interior cleaning with cool and humidified air conditioning,
which helps flush out residual explosive or toxic fumes from the payload bay
and other cavities.
— NASA and SPACE.com Staff
Credit: NASA/Kim
Shiflett
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