WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

The astronauts of STS-31 egress the Space Shuttle Discovery following a smooth landing on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base to complete a highly successful five-day mission. Approaching from the far right to greet the crew is Dr. William B. Lenoir, NASA's Acting Associate Administrator for Space Flight. Leading the way down the steps is astronaut Loren J. Shriver, mission commander, followed by (in order from bottom of steps) astronauts Steven A. Hawley, Bruce McCandless II and Kathryn D. Sullivan, all mission specialists; and Charles F. Bolden Jr., pilot. Theirs was an Earth-orbital flight during which the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was sent toward its 15-year mission.