BRUCE BUCKINGHAM: And we are watching now our astronauts coming down from the crew transport vehicle,
again being led by the mission commander, Mark Polansky, and shaking hands with NASA Administrator Mike Griffin.
Joan Higginbotham, of course, returning to Kennedy Space Center.
She, she actually was an employee here at one time, not too long ago.
Again, standing next to Mark Polansky, our commander, as they chat about the mission with Administrator Griffin.
Again, Discovery came down on the second of our two landing opportunities today,
landing at Kennedy Space Center at 5:32 p.m., right at about sunset...
traveled over five million miles in orbit this mission...
13 days, 204 orbits. Again, equaling over five million miles of travel.
MARK POLANSKY: Well, it's a little bit windy. I don't know, is this on? Is this on?
A little bit windy and a little bit rainy, and we just want to go ahead and thank everybody for helping get
us back to the Kennedy Space Center. Discovery's a beautiful vehicle.
We're happy that we're able to bring her home safely and that she can process here at the Kennedy Space Center
for her next mission. And we want to thank everybody that worked, because -- we'll be saying this a lot
this mission is really a demonstration of how well we can work as a team at NASA when the ground
folks and the contractors, the crew, the flight directors, the control teams, when everybody works together towards a common goal.
And I think we demonstrated what happens in a case like that. So we want to thank everybody
and wish everyone a real happy holiday, a great new year, and thank you very much. OK. Let's get out of here.
BUCKINGHAM: Astronauts now loading up on the, in the astronaut van, with some other support personnel and,
and they'll be heading back to their crew quarters again to meet with their families,
to finish up their final mission examinations and then, of course, they'll be heading back to their homes
in Houston tomorrow, just in time to spend Christmas with their, with their loved ones and their friends.