Atlantis leaves space station after making it more European

0 Comments | AFP, February, 2008

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US space shuttle Atlantis left the International Space Station Monday after a nine-day visit that gave the laboratory a European annex -- and a French scientist to bolster its crew.

After closing the hatch on Sunday, shuttle pilot Alan Poindexter gently unlocked latches and released powerful springs that pushed the spacecraft away from the station.

"Alpha, Houston -- physical separation confirmed," shuttle commander Stephen Frick radioed to mission control in Houston, Texas.

Once at a safe distance, Atlantis fired up its engines and executed a fly-around the ISS so that the shuttle's protective tiles could be photographed and inspected for possible damage.

The procedure was introduced in the wake of the 2003 fiery demise of the...