Space Shuttle Concludes Its 'Fantastic Voyage'

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE.Calif: The space shuttle returned to Earth yesterday as a tried and true carrier of space cargo, its commander sculpting. "Yes sir, we deliver," With dawn's early light shining off the American flag un its side the shuttle cut through desert clouds to a centerline landing.

"We've been on a fantastic voyage," Vance Brand said.

Making it look easy, the spacecraft commander steered Columbia over California's Mojave Desert and glided to a smooth stop with more than 5000 feet of concrete left.

"You certainly lived up to the motto of this flight." Roy Bridges at the console in Mission Control, told the astronauts.

The molts repeated often during the flight, was "We Deliver."

Columbia's flight five was the first operational mission of the world's first reusable spacecraft. With more than 10 million milestone its flight lot the ship will undergo a 10 month overhaul.

Challenger the next ship in the fleet, is being readied at Cape Canaveral to take the next three flights, beginning with flight six. Jan. 24 James A. Abrahamson, NASA's associate administrator for space flight said the space walk scrubbed on Monday because of malfunctioning space suits may be take then "if we are certain we understand exactly what wheat wrong and have corrected it."

Mission specialist Joseph Allen recalled that after he and William Lenoir deployed tow communications satellites last week Brand commented that the only flight objectives left were an EVA, extravehicular activity and a landing. Allen said he responded.

"If we have a to make a choice, we want a safe landing. It turned out we made that choice."

As night be expected, Columbia no longer looked as if it just came out of the box. Its while surfaces were streaked with smudges. Its dark surfaces were more gray than black.

Thirty minutes after touchdown the astronauts--Brand, plot Robert Overseer. Allen and Lenior--slapped from-the ship that had been their home for five days. Waving and smiling they bounced jauntily one after the other, down a stair ramp, walked around Columbia and appeared pleased with what they saw.

Although the space walk was scrubbed, Columbia accomplished its primary goals: Eating as a carrier then a launch platform for two communications satellites. The satellites were deployed on flight days one and two. Their own rockets then sent them to their "Stationery" orbit 22,300 miles above the equator.

The space walk scheduled for mission specialist Lenior and Allen was abandoned when both their 52 million suits malfunctioned. If it can't be worked into flight six it will be scheduled for flight seven, Abrahamson said.