Crews to Bid Farewell Today

The 13 crew members onboard the International Space Station and space shuttle Discovery will prepare to part today. They will pack up their final items and close the hatches dividing the two spacecraft in preparation for undocking tomorrow.

The crew will close up the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module today. Once configured, Pilot Kevin Ford will join Mission Specialist Jose Hernandez to use the station’s robotic arm to remove Leonardo from its location on the station, and position it in the shuttle’s payload bay for the ride back to Earth.

With Leonardo in place, the crew members will gather one last time for farewells before the hatch closure. Mission Specialist Tim Kopra will bid his Expedition 20 crewmates farewell as he prepares to wrap up his first spaceflight mission and return with the space shuttle crew, who will in turn be wishing well to Flight Engineer Nicole Stott who will remain on station, taking Kopra’s place as an expeditionary crew member.

Source and Photo: NASA