The crew of the U.S. space shuttle Discovery is finalizing preparations for the return to Earth after 13 days in space. Forecasters are predicting good weather for Discovery's landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday (0846 UTC). During their preparations on Sunday the astronauts checked the spacecraft's flight-control systems and practiced landings on a computer simulator. Shuttle commander Eileen Collins and Flight entry director LeRoy Cain both say they are confident about their return. The landing comes after an unprecedented repair operation as space-walking Discovery astronauts removed some protruding material from the shuttle's belly that could have posed a problem during re-entry. Discovery is the first shuttle to fly since Columbia disintegrated during re-entry to Earth's atmosphere more than two years ago killing all seven astronauts. Launch problems similar to those that doomed Columbia have raised concern during Discovery's flight and U.S. space officials say the fleet will again be grounded until such problems are fixed.
