Discovery makes Florida landing

Discovery touched down on schedule after 13 days in space Watch the landing

The Discovery space shuttle and its six-strong crew have returned to Earth after a 13-day mission to the International Space Station.

The orbiter touched down at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1314 GMT.

Mission control had raised concerns about weather conditions, but gave the go-ahead shortly before the ship began its hour-long descent.

Nasa hopes the mission's success has drawn a line under doubts over the shuttle programme's safety.

"Welcome back Discovery and congratulations on a great mission," mission control told shuttle commander Steven Lindsey, as the orbiter came to a halt on the runway after deploying its parachute.

"It was a great mission. A really great mission," Lindsey replied.

Discovery was cleared for re-entry over the weekend when inspections revealed no signs of damage to the craft.