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NASA Extends Space Shuttle Flight


The U.S. space agency NASA has added a day to the flight of the space shuttle Discovery to allow time to review a routine inspection of the orbiter's heat shields.

NASA said Saturday a problem with Discovery's communication system prompted the extension.

Astronauts will use communications equipment aboard the International Space Station to transmit heat shield video and laser scans to engineers on the ground.

Discovery is now scheduled to land Monday at 1254 UTC.

The space shuttle docked at the space station Wednesday.

On Friday, shuttle astronauts conducted a spacewalk to disconnect an old ammonia tank and prepare for the installation of a new one. They also retrieved a Japanese experiment from the station's exterior.

The second of three planned spacewalks will begin early Sunday.

Some information for this report provided by AP.

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