Atlantis lands in California after successful Hubble fix

USA: The space shuttle Atlantis made a picture perfect landing in Calfornia Sunday, nearly two days behind schedule at the end of a successful mission to repair and upgrade the Hubble telescope.

Bypassing Florida because of uncertain weather conditions, the shuttle and its crew of seven landed at this desert air base 160 kilometers (100 miles) northeast of Los Angeles after 12 days, 21 hours and 37 minutes in flight. "Congratulations on a very successful mission giving Hubble a new set of eyes that will continue to expand our knowledge of the universe," said mission control in Houston as it welcomed the US astronauts back to Earth. EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, California, Monday, AFP