Shuttle and Station Crews Close the Hatches

The 12 crew members onboard the International Space Station and space shuttle Atlantis said their farewells today.

The STS-129 and Expedition 21 crew members bid farewell. Photo credit: NASA TV

After packing some final items, the crews closed the hatches that divide the two spacecraft at 1:12 p.m. EST. Afterwards, the shuttle crew began setting up and checking out tools and a camera needed for undocking tomorrow.

Earlier, Commander Charles Hobaugh, Pilot Barry Wilmore and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Mike Foreman, Randy Bresnik, Robert Satcher Jr. and Nicole Stott joined European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne and the Expedition 21 crew when he ceremonially handed over command of the station to NASA astronaut Jeff Williams.

On Sunday, Bresnik told the flight controllers his new daughter, Abigail Mae Bresnik, had been born in Houston at 11:04 p.m. CST Saturday. He said his wife Rebecca and new daughter, 6 pounds, 13 ounces and 20 inches long, were doing well. Bresnik got the news by private phone patch through mission control shortly after the crew was awakened.