Space Shuttle Atlantis touched down safely at Florida's Kennedy Space Center Wednesday morning after a near 13-day successful mission to install Europe's Columbus laboratory on the International Space Station, according to dpa. "We appreciate all the great help and support," Commander Steve Frick told space agency NASA's mission control in Houston after the shuttle came to a stop at 9:08 am (1408 GMT). Frick and his six crew members returned to Earth after bringing up and installing the Columbus laboratory on the ISS - Europe's most significant contribution to the space station so far. The crew conducted three space walks to hook up Columbus during a nine-day stay on the ISS. Among those back home Wednesday was Daniel Toni, a US astronaut who spent four months on board the ISS. Leopold Eyharts, a French astronaut who came up with Atlantis on February 7, took Tani's place on the station. Atlantis' landing was watched by the remaining three occupants of the ISS before they returned to work hooking up the Columbus module. Also watching and cheering was Germany's command control in Oberpfaffenhoffen, which will have primary responsibility for helping get the Columbus laboratory up and running. German astronaut Hans Schlegel returned with the Atlantis crew after a turbulent week in space that was dogged by illness early on. Atlantis carried the Colombus laboratory to the ISS after a four- year wait, as the Columbia shuttle disaster of 2003 postponed plans for Europe's contribution. Space Shuttle Endeavour is slated to launch next in March as NASA rushes to complete construction of the ISS before planning to retire the shuttle fleet in 2009.
