Skipper Sad To Give Discovery Back

Discovery's astronauts delivered NASA's shuttle fleet leader back to Kennedy Space Center ground crews today, and mission commander Steve Lindsey said it was a "bittersweet moment."

"As the minutes pass, I’m actually getting sadder and sadder about this being the last flight, and I know all the folks involved in the shuttle program feel the same way<" Lindsey said after he and his crew inspected the vehicle on the runway here.

"I’m sad to give her back, but I couldn’t imagine giving her back into a better hands than this group right here."

Lindsey and his crew headed off to crew quarters for post-flight medical exams and a reunion with their families. The crew is tentatively scheduled to hold a short news briefing later this afternoon. You can watch that live here in The Flame Trench. Click the NASA TV box to launch our NASA TV viewer and live coverage.