KSC-08pd1729

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA helicopter flies over space shuttle Discovery on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Discovery landed on Runway 15, ending the 14-day, STS-124 mission to the International Space Station. In the background is the Vehicle Assembly Building. Discovery is being purged -- providing cool and humidified air conditioning to the payload bay and other cavities to remove any residual explosive or toxic fumes – while still on the runway. Cooling transfer to ground services occurs at about the same time, allowing onboard cooling to be shut down. When it is determined that the area in and around the orbiter is safe, the crew prepares for departure from the orbiter. The STS-124 mission delivered the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's large Japanese Pressurized Module and its remote manipulator system to the space station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett