NASA astronaut Sunita Williams retires after 27 years, completing three missions aboard the International Space Station and setting numerous spaceflight records. She is currently visiting India.
As the shuttle, scheduled to dock at 3:38 pm (0108 IST on Monday), closes in on the ISS, the stage is set for changes at the station and for its crew members.
Attempting to land so close to rain or clouds would violate flight rules, NASA said.
Williams, 41, is also set to break astronaut Shannon Lucid's record for the longest stay in space ever by a woman -- 188 days and 4 hours -- on June 16, three days before Atlantis brings her back to Earth.
Williams will be in rehab for at least 45 days, depending on her overall health condition, after which both her parents will join her in Houston, where she has been living since 1998 after being selected as astronaut by NASA.
Endeavour and its crew safely returned to the Earth on Wednesday after 16 days, successfully completing its last mission and the penultimate flight in NASA's 30-year-old space shuttle programme.
The sea 'n' sand is calling. Hit the beach no matter what!
