After accomplishing their Hubble mission, spanning thirteen days, the Atlantis crew safely landed on the earth on Sunday. The thunderstorms in Florida resulted in the Atlantis' landing, two days behind schedule, in California rather than Florida's Kennedy Space Center.

Shuttle commander Scott Altman had to resort to the 3000 mile detour to California - which the mission was trying to avert due to its additional expense of $1.8 million - because of bad weather in Florida since Friday. Talking about the unforeseen problems related to the touch-down, Altman said: "I didn't realize it was going to be so hard to get back to Earth."

During the course of the 19-year-old Hubble telescope's repair and enhancement mission, the astronauts not only secured the conked out instruments - like cameras, computers and gyroscopes - but also provided Hubble with new batteries, science instruments, and pointing devices.

With the successful completion of the tasks related to the delicate 'eye and brain surgery' on the telescope - all during the 350-mile trajectory above the Earth - the Atlantis crew's efforts have added years to Hubble's life.

The latest Atlantis mission marks the fifth and final trip to Hubble, with the space shuttle program ending next year; and would help scientists "bring back images from the depths of space for at least another five years."