Atlantis begins ferry flight home from Calif.

[June 02, 2009]  EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) -- Space shuttle Atlantis has begun its ferry flight home from California to Florida.

A NASA Boeing 747 carrying the shuttle took off from Edwards Air Force Base at 8:07 a.m. PDT Monday.

NASA spokeswoman Leslie Williams said the first stop will be at Biggs Army Airfield in El Paso, Texas.

Weather will determine how long it takes to reach Florida.

Atlantis landed in California on May 24 after a 13-day mission to repair and enhance the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA chose the California landing site because of poor weather in Florida.

[Associated Press]

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