Atlantis astronauts who fixed Hubble earn day off

(AP) -- After five grueling spacewalks to fix the Hubble Space Telescope, the crew of the space shuttle Atlantis gets a day off.

NASA managers are giving the seven astronauts well deserved rest on Wednesday. All they have scheduled are a couple of social calls.

In the morning the crew will take part in a news conference with reporters back on Earth. After that, they will make an in-orbit call to their colleagues on the International Space Station.

And what do astronauts do on off days? Usually they look down at Earth, take pictures and play with their food in zero gravity.

Then it's back to work Thursday, getting the shuttle ready for their return to Earth planned for Friday, weather permitting.

©2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.