She'll be flying three robotic arms in space, incredibly motivated, well ahead of the game and I expect great things from her.

All the modules were manufactured at the Tsukuba Space Center and were shipped to the KSC SSPF for launch processing.

Discovery carried with it replacement parts in a mid-deck locker for a malfunctioning toilet on the International Space Station.

The crew had been using other facilities for waste until the new replacement parts were installed on the Zvezda module of the ISS.

Flying with the STS-124 crew was an action figure of Buzz Lightyear, a fictional character in the Toy Story franchise.

[11] With the completion of STS-124, the next permanent pressurized module would not be delivered to the ISS by a Space Shuttle until STS-130 brought up Tranquility in February 2010.

Once in the VAB it was lifted vertically and mated with its external tank and solid rocket boosters on April 28, 2008.

"[15] One of the trenches at launch pad 39A that channels flames away from the shuttle during lift-off was significantly damaged.

[16] The subsequent mishap investigation found that the damage was the result of carbonation of epoxy and corrosion of steel anchors which held the refractory bricks in place.

The crew also installed the centerline camera and extended the orbiter's docking system ring to prepare Discovery' for arrival at the space station.

Karen Nyberg and Akihiko Hoshide, using the station's robotic arm, removed the JEM-PS from the shuttle's payload bay and latched it in place on the Harmony node, completing the task at 23:01 UTC.

[26] Hoshide and Nyberg moved two of the six joints on the Japanese Kibō lab's robotic arm for the first time, maneuvering them very slightly with a series of commands.

"[28] Fossum and Garan conducted the third and final spacewalk, replacing an empty nitrogen tank and collecting a sample of debris from the solar array.

Saying goodbye to the ISS and its crew, commander Kelly said "We wish them the best with their expedition and we hope we left them a better, more capable space station than when we arrived.

"[33] Afterwards the crew of Discovery conducted the late inspection of the shuttle's Thermal Protection System that was unable to be performed as usual on Flight Day 2, due to the size of the Kibō Pressurized Module.

The crew conducted routine testing of the steering jets and an examination of the flight control system.

This was identified as a thermal clip from the shuttle's rudder speed brake, and should pose no danger during landing.

This decision was made based on the sun glare that would be present on the Commander's window as he lined up Discovery with the runway.

NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Gemini program, which was first used to wake up a flight crew during Apollo 15.

[40] STS-326 was the designation given to the Contingency Shuttle Crew Support mission which would have been launched in the event that Discovery became disabled during STS-124.

[41] It would have been a modified version of the STS-126 mission of Endeavour, which would have involved the launch date being brought forward.