June 2, 2009--Piggybacking on a modified Boeing 747, the space shuttle Atlantis soars over a desert en route from Edwards Air Force Base in California to Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

After a successful mission (see pictures) to repair and improve the Hubble Space Telescope, the shuttle had been detoured by foul weather at its scheduled Florida landing site. Two days behind schedule, Atlantis touched down under blue skies in California on May 24.