Friday Snippets and Soundbites

• The space shuttle Atlantis wrapped up its 5 million-mile journey this week and returned to earth on Wednesday. The shuttle and crew circled the earth 202 times during the mission, which began on February 7. Crew members spent the majority of the trip at the international space station. Their primary duty was to install the European science lab (Columbus) that they brought with them. French astronaut, Leopold Eyharts, who was on the shuttle remained at the space station in order to help get the science lab up and running. He replaced NASA astronaut Daniel Tani who returned home on Atlantis after 120 days in space. NASA's next mission is set for March 11 when Endeavour will blast off with the first piece of Japan's space station lab.

• Speaking of space, the U.S. launched a missile from a war ship in the Pacific Wednesday night and destroyed a dying satellite many feared would soon crash into earth. The government wanted to destroy the satellite before it reached the earth because it had a potentially toxic fuel on board. The use of the missile system cause an outcry from other nations, particularly China. Read more about that here.

• Apple announced this week that performances from the top 24 semifinalists and top 12 finalists will be available for purchase on iTunes this year. “We have some truly outstanding talent this year, and by working with Apple and iTunes, we're giving viewers another great way to enjoy America's brightest new stars from ‘Idol,’” said “American Idol” creator Simon Fuller.

• DVDs can save your life! Just ask South Carolina fire chief Barry McRoy. Saturday night, McRoy walked into a local Waffle House with a DVD tucked into his pocket. It stopped a bullet from entering his stomach when two men who were fighting accidentally fired a gun. Check out the story here.