Ralph Nader enters presidential race

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Ralph Nader is entering the presidential race as an independent, he announced Sunday, saying it is time for a "Jeffersonian revolution."

Ralph Nader is running for president as an independent.

"In the last few years, big money and the closing down of Washington against citizen groups prevent us from trying to improve our country. And I want everybody to have the right and opportunity to improve their country," he told reporters after an appearance announcing his candidacy on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Asked why he should be president, the longtime consumer advocate said, "Because I got things done." He cited a 40-year record, which he said includes saving "millions of lives," bringing about stricter protection for food and water and fighting corporate control over Washington.

This marks his fourth straight White House bid -- fifth if his 1992 write-in campaign is included.

Nader said Thomas Jefferson believed that "when you lose your government, you've got to go into the electoral arena."

"A Jeffersonian revolution is needed in this country," he said.

Nader told NBC that great changes in U.S. history have come "through little parties that never won any national election."

"Dissent is the mother of ascent," he said. "And in that context I've decided to run for president."

Nader, who turns 74 this week, complained about the "paralysis of the government," which he said is under the control of corporate executives and lobbyists.

Nader was criticized by some Democrats in 2000 for allegedly pulling away support from Democrat Al Gore and helping George Bush win the White House. Nader has long denied that portrayal of his candidacy.

Long-shot GOP contender Mike Huckabee said Nader's entry would probably help his party.

"I think it always would probably pull votes away from the Democrats and not the Republicans, so naturally, Republicans would welcome his entry into the race," Huckabee said Sunday on CNN.

But Nader -- citing the Republican Party's economic policies, the Iraq war, and other issues -- told NBC, "If the Democrats can't landslide the Republicans this year, they ought to just wrap up, close down, emerge in a different form."

Nader's entry into the race did not come as a surprise to political watchers.

On Sunday, Sen. Barack Obama criticized him. "My sense is that Mr. Nader is somebody who, if you don't listen and adopt all of his policies, thinks you're not substantive," Obama told reporters when asked about Nader's possible candidacy.

"He seems to have a pretty high opinion of his own work."

Obama said Nader "is a singular figure in American politics and has done as much as just about anyone for consumers."

"I don't mean to diminish that," he said. "There's a sense now that if someone's not hewing to the Ralph Nader agenda, he says they're lacking in some way."

Responding to those remarks during his "Meet the Press" interview, Nader encouraged people to look at his campaign Web site, votenader.org, which he said discusses issues important to Americans that Obama and Sen. John McCain "are not addressing."

Nader called Obama "a person of substance" and "the first liberal evangelist in a long time" who "has run a good tactical campaign." But he accused Obama of censoring "his better instincts" on divisive issues.

He also said political consultants "have really messed up Hillary Clinton's campaign."



News Source: CNN

Former Detroit TV anchor charged with embezzlement found dead

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) — A former TV news anchor facing felony charges for embezzling $149,000 from a man she had dated and advised financially, has been found dead in her Detroit-area home.

Police Detective Don Swiatkowski tells The Detoit News that a relative found Suzanne Wangler "unresponsive" Saturday afternoon in her Royal Oak home.

He says Wangler was pronounced dead at 3:27 p.m. An autopsy has been scheduled.

Swiatkowski says a cause of death will not be confirmed without an autopsy.

The 42-year-old Wangler had retired last week from Lansing station WLAJ, where she worked under the name Suzanne Page. She had previously worked at WDIV-TV in Detroit.

She had been arraigned on felony charges of embezzlement by an agent and larceny by conversion. Each charge carried a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if convicted.

News Source: The Associated Press

Clinton Leaves Primary States For "State of the Black Union"

CINCINNATI -- With the Ohio and Texas primaries only 10 days away, one would think that both candidates would be spending most of their time between these two states. But Hillary Clinton is taking time away from campaigning in the Lone Star and Buckeye states to head to Louisiana for the annual “State of the Black Union” hosted by Tavis Smiley.

The problem is that Louisiana has already voted in the primary and gave Barack Obama a large victory. So why is Clinton taking time out of her limited campaign schedule to participate? Clinton Senior Spokesman Mo Elleithee said, “She’s always been committed to dealing with the issues that are important to the African-American community.” Elleithee said Clinton agreed to attending this summit weeks ago.

There’s no doubt that after a series of gaffes and ill-advised comments throughout this campaign, there has been tension between the Clintons and the African-American community.

Weeks ago, Clinton was hammered for a comment she made that some suggested discredited the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. during the civil rights movement. Prior to the New Hampshire primary Bill Clinton criticized Barack Obama, suggesting his views on the Iraq war were “the biggest fairy tale” he’s ever seen and later was accused of playing up the race issue prior to the South Carolina primary.

When pressed on why Clinton was spending campaign resources in a state that has already voted, Elleithee said “She’s got a commitment to these issues, and is looking forward to the opportunity to discuss them.”

Obama will not be attending the summit at all, causing some stir in the African-American community. In a letter sent to Smiley, Obama offered to send his wife Michelle, but Smiley declined to have her participate.

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Obama says his campaigning in Ohio and Texas is keeping him from the event. Smiley called Obama's decision "a critical miscalculation and a missed opportunity."


News Source: CBS News

Winning Mega Millions ticket sold in Portal, Ga.

A 47-year old iron worker from the tiny town of Portal, Ga., claims to have won the $270 Mega Millions lottery. He showed up Saturday morning to celebrate at Clyde's Market, where he bought the ticket Friday night.

The winner, who would only give an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter his name as "Mr. Harris," said he lives in a mobile home with his wife and two daughters and drives to Atlanta to work on skyscrapers.

"But all that's about to change," he said. "I used to live in a trailer. And I used to be an iron worker."

Georgia Lottery officials could not be reached for comment Saturday morning to confirm that Harris purchased the winning ticket. Harris said he selected the winning numbers - 7, 12, 13, 19, 22 and Mega Ball 10 - by using the birthdates of his six granddaughters, but he did not elaborate.

"I'm too happy and confused right now to think too clear," he said.

Georgiana Mulrooney - a clerk who works at Clyde's Market on Highway 80, the main road through the town of about 600 - confirmed that the store sold Harris the ticket. She said the store and Harris have been in touch with lottery officials.

Portal is between Statesboro and Swainsboro.

At the only other place in Portal where lottery tickets are sold, Mighty Mike No. 19 on Highway 80, clerk Bridget Clarke said they were crossing their fingers earlier Saturday morning that the winning ticket had been sold there since a portion of the winnings goes to the retailer that sells the winning ticket.

"It's just between us and the other store," she said.

Guessing who had won was all the talk. Bulloch County Sheriff Lynn M. Anderson, who said he read that the ticket had been sold in Portal on ajc.com, said he and a group of five had bought lottery tickets Friday.

One of the members was absent Saturday morning from their usual coffee gathering. "We thought maybe she already went to Atlanta to collect," Anderson said.

At Portal Auto and Hardware, store owner Sammy Deal said the phone was ringing off the hook with people speculating who won. Were they from Portal or just passing through? And what would it mean to the town, which is a farming community?

"With that kind of money," he said, "they could buy the place."

Harris didn't mention the purchase of the city as one of the items on his shopping list.

News Source: ajc.com

Beef yanked from Phila, area schools

A Philadelphia parents' group sharply criticized the city school district and the USDA this morning for not acting earlier to recall possibly tainted beef served to children in school cafeterias.

An alert went out yesterday to 196 school districts from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture advising them to remove most beef products from the schools.

The beef may have originated at a California meat packing plant that slaughtered "downer" cattle and distributed the meat through the the USDA's School Lunch Program, state officials said.

More than 143 million pounds of raw and frozen beef products were "voluntarily recalled" last week by Hallmark-Westland Meat Packing of Chico, Ca.

The Philadelphia School District, the largest district in the state, banned beef Tuesday from the schools after being contacted Tuesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

Other regional schools and districts affected by the recall include Abington, Bensalem Township, Bishop Carroll High School, Bristol Township, Eastern Lancaster County, Gateway, Haverford Township, La Salle Academy, and Lower Merion.

The recall, the biggest in United States history, was spurred by the release of a video last month which showed workers at Hallmark using forklifts to terrorize sick cattle.

Helen Gym, director of Parents United for Public Education, said she wants to know why the schools didn't move faster to learn the source of the meat.

"There's a childhood joke about 'mystery meat'," Gym said this morning. "But we knew that Hallmark was a school food provider. So why wasn't there a serious inquiry immediately?"

Gym noted that the upsetting video was released in January by the Humane Society. She said her group was shocked to learn that beef from the California meatpacker had been distributed to schools on the East coast.

"This is not just a Philadelphia problem. This affects Lower Merion as well," Gym said. "The National School Lunch program has clearly not been using products that are of high quality."

School District spokesman Fernando Gallard said the district moved as swiftly as possible to remove any and all beef products.

"We are just at the bottom of the information flow," Gallard said. "It was up to the USDA to do an investigation and inform states of their findings."

Beef has long been a staple in the Philadelphia schools.

During the first week in February, cafeterias served processed beef four times.

A menu posted on the Meredith Elementary School website showed hamburgers were served Feb. 1; pasta with meatsauce or beef tacos on Feb. 4; hamburgers on Feb. 6; and meatloaf on Feb. 7.

"We have not heard of any child becoming ill as a result of eating the beef," said Gallard.

In Philadelphia, all schools have been asked to destroy any suspect meat until the suppliers can certify that their beef is not part of the recalled stock.

Turkey, fish, chicken and vegetables are replacing beef on cafeteria menus until the district is assured the meat supply is not contaminated.

"We want to be very cautious," said Gallard. "So we've pulled all the beef and all beef products from our schools until we can be 100 percent sure its safe."

Gallard said he wasn't sure how much of an economic hit the district would take as a result of the recall.

"It's going to cost a lot," he said. "But over 190 districts are going through the same thing. The USDA is looking to figure out to make sure the districts don't lose any money."

A complete list of schools in Pennsylvania asked to participate in the recall is available at http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/agriculture/cwp/view.asp?Q=147738&A=390.

News Source: INQUIRER

Large earthquake rattles northeast Nevada

WELLS, Nev. (AP) - A large earthquake has struck northeast Nevada near Elko.

The U.S. Geological Survey now estimates the preliminary magnitude at 6.0.

There are no immediate reports of serious injuries.

Elko County Undersheriff Rocky Gonzalez says there are unconfirmed reports of damage to buildings. He says a Flying J truck stop was evacuated because of a propane leak.

The quake was reported at 6:16 a.m. in a sparsely populated area 11 miles southeast of Wells, near the Nevada-Utah line.

A woman who ansered the telephone at a Motel 6 says everything in the building shook and they have cracks in the walls.

The temblor was felt across eastern Nevada, Utah, and as far away as Southern California.

News Source: Associated Press

NYC man who gained notoriety in '86 gunfight with police is stabbed to death in prison

NEW YORK - A man who gained notoriety after wounding six police officers in a 1986 gunfight that led to a nationwide manhunt was killed in prison, corrections officials said Thursday.

Larry Davis, serving 25 years to life on a murder conviction in an unrelated case, was stabbed to death around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday during a recreational break at Shawangunk Correctional Facility in Ulster County, said Erik Kriss, a spokesman for the state Department of Correctional Services.

Davis was stabbed repeatedly with a 12-inch long, half-inch wide homemade metal shank in the arms, head, back, upper thigh and chest, Kriss said.

"I don't know what was happening at this exact moment," he said, adding that prison staff were in the yard when a fight was observed and inmates began congregating. "Things happen quickly."

Another inmate at the prison 80 miles north of the city was being questioned in Davis' death by state police and the inspector general for corrections and had been placed in a segregated cell, Kriss said. The inmate had not been charged in Davis' death as of early Thursday.

Davis, 41, had most recently been convicted in 1991 of fatally shooting a suspected drug dealer in the Bronx.

Five years earlier, police had gone to an apartment to arrest him as a suspect in the slayings of five other drug dealers.

During the ensuing shootout, Davis escaped unhurt through a window, setting off a 17-day manhunt that involved hundreds of officers. He eventually surrendered to police after being tracked to a housing project where one of his sisters lived, where he held a woman and her children hostage in an all-night standoff before giving up, police said at the time.

At his trial, the defense contended that the officers were trying to kill Davis because he had knowledge about police corruption, and that he opened fire in self-defense. Prosecutors said Davis was trying to evade arrest by shooting at the officers.

A jury acquitted him of attempted murder and aggravated assault. He was instead convicted on weapons charges and sentenced to five to 15 years in prison.

The gunfight and Davis' flight from the law made him a folk hero to some and a symbol of outrage to others, especially law enforcement. More than 1,500 officers incensed by the verdict gathered outside the courthouse to demand the maximum penalty.

News Source: The Associated Press

John McCain's Close Personal Relationship With Lobbyist Threatens Campaign

The New York Times reported today that during Senator John McCain's first campaign for the presidency eight years ago, his campaign advisers became distressed over the persistent presence of a certain female lobbyist. Vicki Iseman had reportedly turned up with McCain at various fundraisers, in his offices, and even on board a client's corporate jet.

Having become convinced that their relationship had become romantic, according to the NYT, some of McCain's top advisers stepped into protect him from himself. Reportedly, they stopped Iseman's access, warned her privately, and confronted McCain.

His advisers were further concerned when the media began reporting on how McCain wrote letters to government regulators on behalf of Iseman's clients. They thought that attention might come back to her involvement.

Both McCain and Iseman deny that they had any romantic relationship. But according to former staffers, they were worried about the appearance of any kind of close bond - romantic or not.

Now, that potential affair may be coming back to bite him, eight years later as he embarks on another bid for the presidency.

News Source: Cleveland Leader

Last chance to see lunar eclipse until 2015

You can howl at the moon. You can believe in all sorts of full-moon folklore -- from the advent of werewolves to a corruption of the tides.

But if you want to see the full moon aglow in a dramatic range of colors -- a shift that could be anything from bright orange to blood red to dark brown or dark gray -- then look out your window starting at 8:43 p.m. Wednesday.

Starting then and lasting for the next three hours and 26 minutes you'll be able to watch the complete saga of the last visible total eclipse of the moon in North America until 2010, according to officials at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

A lunar eclipse can only occur at full moon, NASA scientists said. And it can only occur if the moon passes through a portion of the Earth's shadow.

A full lunar eclipse occurs when, according to the official NASA Web site "Eclipse Home Page," the entire full moon is "completely immersed" in the Earth's shadow. The total phase of eclipse is called "totality," according to NASA.

Different lunar eclipses can color the moon different colors, officials said. This depends on atmospheric conditions and, according to NASA, "the color and brightness of the totally eclipsed moon can vary considerably from one eclipse to another." The NASA Web page explains that dark eclipses are often the result of volcanic dust in the atmosphere. But since there has been no recent volcanic activity, scientists expect the Wednesday-night eclipse to be a "vivid red or orange" in the total phase.

The eclipse sequence will begin with a partial eclipse starting at 8:43 p.m. and will end at 12:09 a.m. Thursday.

The total eclipse of the moon will occur at 10:01 p.m. and last until 10:51 p.m., NASA said.

Mid-eclipse is expected at 10:26 p.m.

Scientists said the this lunar eclipse is "well-placed" for viewers in North America. The eclipse will not be observable in eastern Asia or Australia.

Unlike solar eclipses, NASA scientists remind would-be viewers that lunar eclipses are "completely safe" to watch.

"Protective filters are not necessary," according to NASA, "and neither is a telescope." However, while completely visible with the naked eye, scientists suggest binoculars will enhance the view.

News Source: newsday.com

Mexican drug hitmen kill singer near U.S. border

TIJUANA, Mexico, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Drug hitmen have killed a popular Mexican singer along with his manager and assistant near the U.S. border, authorities said on Wednesday, the latest murder among musicians who sing "narcocorrido" ballads glorifying drug traffickers.

The body of Jesus Rey David Alfaro, known as "The Little Rooster," was one of six that turned up tortured, murdered and pinned with threatening messages for Mexico's army last week in the border town of Tijuana near San Diego.

"We believe Alfaro had links to the Arellano Felix cartel," said an official with the Baja California state attorney general's office who declined to be named.

The official was referring to Tijuana's main drug smuggling cartel, which is fighting a gory turf war with traffickers from Mexico's Pacific state of Sinaloa, led by the country's most-wanted man, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman.

At least half a dozen Mexican folk singers, who play narcocorridos and upbeat, brassy "grupera" music, have been killed since Mexico's drug war flared in 2006.

Alfaro, a regular act at Tijuana's biggest bars and music halls, was found covered in a blanket in wasteland on the edge of the city with rope marks around his neck, suggesting he was tortured before he was shot in the head, the attorney general's office said.

Drug hitmen pinned a message on his body saying "You'll be next," a taunt aimed at the thousands of soldiers sent by President Felipe Calderon to Tijuana to crush the drug gangs and clean up police forces working with the cartels.

Tijuana, long a transit point for narcotics heading to the United States, has seen a spike in murders this past year, with drug gangs even killing children. More than 2,500 people were killed in drug violence in Mexico last year and at least 320 people have died so far this year. (Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz, editing by Todd Eastham)


News Source: Reuters

Film: U.S. Students Can't Compete in High-Tech World

Bob Compton, an Indianapolis venture capitalist-turned-film producer, has produced a controversial new documentary called "2 Million Minutes" that looks at education in the United States as it compares with other countries.

The film follows two students from Carmel High School in Indianapolis, who have since graduated and gone on to study at Indiana University and Purdue University, as well as two students from India and two from China.

The film's premise is that as soon as children exit the equivalent of the eighth grade, the clock starts ticking. They have roughly 2 million minutes to build their intellectual foundation and prepare for college and career.

Twenty months in the making, "2 Million Minutes" highlights the pressures and priorities of these students and their families, providing insight into the changing nature of competition in a technology-based global economy.

"As a high-tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist for the past 25 years, I can tell you the people who have reaped the greatest economic rewards in the past two decades have been those with the most rigorous and thorough understanding of technology -- and thus a solid foundation in math and science, and who have an ability to solve problems and possess entrepreneurial skill," Compton said.

The film looks at how American students fall short in those categories and ways to change the education system.

"2 Million Minutes" is not without its critics, however, including many educators in the U.S.

The National Association of Secondary School Principals put out a statement that outlines some of the group's problems with the film. The NASSP says that the film engages in "statistical sleight of hand," by providing statistics about dropout rates in the U.S. but never mentions similar statistics from China or India.

The group also says that the film focuses exclusively on math, science and engineering but doesn't consider excellence in other subjects, and that the film compares students of different achievement levels.

Find out more about the documentary at www.2Mminutes.com.

News Source: abc News

Australian penis artist bids for top art prize

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A cheeky artist who uses his penis as a brush has entered a racy self-portrait for Australia's top art prize.

Australian Tim Patch, who calls himself Pricasso, usually exposes his talents at sex product fairs around the world, but has decided to go upmarket by entering a painting for Australia's Archibald Prize -- the nation's top award for portraiture.

In a unique painting style, Patch does not use paint brushes, but his penis to apply paint to the canvas.

"I had to use my bum to paint in the background, because you have to have the occasional break," Patch told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper on Wednesday.

Patch entered a painting of a plastic surgeon in last year's Archibald Prize, but failed to impress the judges. This year's entry depicts a nude Patch, wearing only a hat, holding a blank canvas to hide his "brush".

The Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney expects up to 700 portraits to be entered for the 2008 Archibald Prize, with the finalists to be announced in March.

News Source: Reuters

GENE SIMMONS SEX TAPE APPEARS

Mine eyes! OK, if you thought that Paris Hilton rolling around in a champagne glass yesterday was the least sexy thing since Anne Widdecombe started penning racy novels, then get ready for the Gene Simmons sex tape.

Yes, The Kiss legend, who has reportedly slept with close to 5000 women, unfortunately didn't think to leak a tape in his hey day (or some sort of cinefilm or whatever they had back then) and is now pictured AGED 58 going at it with a girl half his age. And it's not his partner Shannon Tweed (pictured with him below).

OK, so there's nothing inherently wrong with a rock star going at it with a model half his age, but Gene doesn't even bother taking his T-Shirt and underwear off! We're not sure what counted for romancing in the Seventies, but surely a bit of nudity wouldn't go amiss, Gene?

A clip of the video is available at www.genessecret.com but it looks like you have to pay to see the whole thing at the moment.

Let's just hope that Lil' Chris doesn't follow in his mentor's footsteps - for the sake of the poor model who'd get done for shagging a child apart from anything.


News Source: Holy Moly!

Shuttle Atlantis Lands Safely in Florida

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The space shuttle Atlantis, after successfully delivering a major new section to the International Space Station, glided home for a safe landing at the Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, announcing its arrival with twin sonic booms just before touchdown.

Ending a challenging 13-day mission, Atlantis and a crew of seven took advantage of favorable weather to return to Florida and clear the way for a military attempt to bring down a failed spy satellite.

Atlantis landed at Kennedy at 9:07 a.m. Eastern time, and did not need to make use of the backup landing strip at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Kennedy is the preferred touchdown site for space shuttles, sparing NASA the time and expense needed to ferry the orbiters across the country after missions, but stormy weather has sometimes gotten in the way.

NASA usually does not activate the Edwards site for shuttle landings unless conditions at Kennedy prove very unfavorable, but it took the unusual action of readying both sites this time, to assure that the shuttle was on the ground by Wednesday evening so that the military could proceed with its plans.

The Pentagon intends to fire a missile from a Navy ship to destroy the satellite, which is out of control and expected to crash to Earth early next month. The satellite, which failed soon after launch in December 2006, is carrying a half-ton of frozen hydrazine rocket fuel that could harm people if it crashes in a populated area, the Pentagon said. The attempt to destroy it could come any time this week, and possibly as early as Wednesday, according to military spokesmen.

Because Atlantis potentially could have been damaged by space debris from hitting the satellite during its descent from orbit, NASA and military officials wanted the shuttle to land before the military operation was attempted.

Bryan Lunney, the flight director for the shuttle landing, said on Tuesday that NASA was not pressured by the Defense Department to hurry the landing, and that Atlantis would have remained in space longer if the conditions for a safe landing were not met Wednesday.

Atlantis departed from the space station on Monday and the shuttle was cleared for landing after an inspection of its heat protection tiles showed that everything was normal.

The only technical issue that arose was failure of a heating system circuit that disabled four small aft thrusters.

These jets were not needed for re-entry, Mr. Lunney said, but rather to prevent any fuel-line damage that could delay Atlantis’s next flight.

Atlantis’s mission, which was delayed for two months because of a recurring problem with malfunctioning fuel tank sensors, mostly went according to plan.

The primary objective of the flight was adding the European Space Agency’s Columbus laboratory module to the orbiting space station. The laboratory, crammed with scientific equipment, is Europe’s main contribution to the international project.

The 17 nations who are members of the agency invested about $2 billion in the project in all, including the cost of the module, its equipment and experiments, and a control center located outside Munich, Germany.

Columbus, a pressurized unit 23 feet long, 15 feet in diameter and weighing 22,700 pounds, significantly increases the space station’s research capability and gives Europeans a major role in human spaceflight. It was built in Italy and outfitted in Germany.

The only major hitch in the mission came when Hans Schlegel, a European Space Agency astronaut from Germany who was to participate in two of the mission’s three spacewalks, suffered an unexplained medical problem. Mission managers delayed the first spacewalk, to install Columbus, by a day and substituted NASA astronaut Stanley G. Love for Mr. Schlegel.

Mr. Schlegel recovered to perform his other assigned spacewalk.

Atlantis also carried a new crewman for the space station. The crewman, Gen. Leopold Eyharts, a French Air Force general, replaced Daniel M. Tani as a member of the station crew. General Eyharts’ assignment is to finish setting up and testing Columbus, and to get its racks of experimental equipment ready for full operation.

Mr. Tani served on the station two months longer than planned because of Atlantis’ delayed flight. While in space, his mother died in a Dec. 19 car accident.

During an emotional farewell gathering before leaving the station, Mr. Tani dedicated his stay to the women in his life, including the 90-year-old mother he called “my inspiration.”

“And of course, my job is easy compared to my wife’s,” he said. “Jane’s the love of my life, and she had the hard work while I was having fun. So I can’t wait to get back to her and my two little girls.”

During the mission, the Atlantis astronauts also attached two large experiment packages to the outside of Columbus and retrieved a failed gyroscope unit from outside the station to return to earth for refurbishing. They also replaced a refrigerator-sized tank of nitrogen that pressurizes the station’s ammonia cooling system and loaded the spent unit into the shuttle to return to Earth.

The astronauts also transferred almost 1,300 pounds of supplies and equipment from the shuttle to the space station, and are bringing back about an equal amount of equipment and scientific samples from the station.

Atlantis will spend months on the ground being prepared for its next flight, scheduled for August, which will be the last mission to send astronauts to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope.

News Source: The New York Times