Minnesota astronaut presents American flag to hometown

VINING, Minn. (AP) -- Karen Nyberg came back from space with gifts for her hometown. Nyberg was the grand marshal in the Watermelon Day parade in the northwestern Minnesota town of Vining, population 68. Nyberg said it had been a long time since she'd been back for Watermelon Day, but that Vining will always be the place she calls home. Nyberg brought home an American flag that first flew over the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 5, 2007, then accompanied her into space, and a montage of photos of Nyberg and her crew featuring a Minnesota flag. She told the people of her hometown Saturday that both items flew nearly six million miles when she spent 14 days aboard the shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station in May... [read full story]