DISCOVERY PREPPED FOR RETURN HOME 747 TO FLY CRAFT TO FLORIDA.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE - Space shuttle Discovery's astronauts returned home Wednesday to Houston while workers at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center began preparing the orbiter for its return trip to Florida.

After a picture-perfect landing under sunny skies Tuesday afternoon, Discovery was towed to the mate/demate gantry at Dryden to begin the processing for its return to Florida. The orbiter is scheduled to be placed on top of a modified Boeing 747 on Monday and start its return trip Tuesday.

``It could be earlier if things go super well, but it might be later,'' said Allan Brown, spokesman for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ``We haven't done this in 4 1/2 years.''

Shuttle managers are planning a one-day return flight, but that could change depending on weather. There are restrictions on flying the shuttle/carrier tandem in rain, thick clouds and high turbulence.

Discovery's seven-member crew, including mission commander Brian Duffy, a graduate of the Test Pilot School at Edwards, and former Edwards test pilot Pam Melroy, met briefly with NASA workers Wednesday morning and then returned to Houston.

In his remarks to the employees, Duffy recalled seeing the space shuttle Columbia land at Edwards on July 4, 1982, the day after he arrived at the base for Test Pilot School. He and his family went out to the hillside viewing area outside Dryden to watch that landing.

``I stood in amazement as the space shuttle came back from space, landed and rolled out. I thought, How cool would that be?'' Duffy said. ``Yesterday we had a chance to fulfill that dream. I got to tell you it is awesome.''

A preliminary post-flight inspection showed Discovery had the typical wear and tear expected of an orbiter that had just logged 5.3 million miles in space. There were the expected dings to about 85 of the shuttle's protective tiles, a typical number, said Grant Cates, acting vehicle manager for Discovery.

``Overall the vehicle looks very good,'' Cates said.

Discovery's landing at Edwards was the first shuttle landing at the base since March 1996. The landing ended a string of 23 consecutive landings at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The landing was the 46th at Edwards in the 100 flights of the shuttle fleet.