美国亚特兰蒂斯号航天飞机在执行了一个多星期的改进国际空间站的任务之后，正在返回地球。亚特兰蒂斯号星期一早晨脱离国际空间站，定于星期三返回地球。亚特兰蒂斯号和国际空间站的机组人员星期天下午激动地相互告别，然后关闭了对接舱口。
这次道别对宇航员丹尼尔.塔尼来说更加意味深长，他在空间站上留驻了4个月，在此期间，他的90岁的母亲死于车祸。亚特兰蒂斯号上的宇航员在这次飞行任务中完成了3次太空行走。下一次航天飞机飞行定于3月11号起飞。
The space shuttle Atlantis is on its way home after working more than a week to improve the International Space Station. The shuttle undocked from the scientific outpost early Monday morning and is slated to return to Earth Wednesday.The crews of Atlantis and the International Space Station had an emotional farewell Sunday before they closed the hatches.
The goodbyes were especially poignant for astronaut Daniel Tani who had a four-month stay on the station. During that time, his 90-year-old mother died in a car accident. The Atlantis astronauts completed three spacewalks during their mission. The next shuttle flight is scheduled for a March 11th liftoff.