STS-122 astronauts get ready for Earth

HOUSTON, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency was preparing for a Wednesday return to Earth and the end of STS-122's 13-day, 5.3 million-mile space mission.

The crew of space shuttle Atlantis was scheduled Tuesday to, among other things, test the spacecraft's thrusters and control surfaces for its flight through the atmosphere.

The STS-122 astronauts also were to set up a recumbent landing seat for astronaut Daniel Tani, who boarded the Atlantis at the International Space Station. Tani, who worked on the space station for nearly four months, was replaced by European Space Agency astronaut Leopold Eyharts. The seat is designed to help Tani adjust to Earth's gravity after spending so much time in weightlessness.

NASA controllers in Houston said Wednesday's landing opportunities at the Kennedy Space Center were 9:07 a.m. and 10:42 a.m. EST. There were additional opportunities at 12:12 p.m. and 1:47 p.m. EST at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., which is a backup landing site.

NASA meteorologists forecast "nearly ideal" landing conditions for the morning landing slots at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.