2 space crews say goodbye, close hatches between shuttle and station for undocking

2 space crews say goodbye, close hatches

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — It’s almost check-out time for space shuttle Discovery.

The seven shuttle astronauts and six station residents said goodbye and hugged one another Saturday morning. Then they closed the hatches between them in preparation for Discovery’s undocking.

Shuttle commander Alan Poindexter thanked his International Space Station friends for their “utmost hospitality.” He said he hoped he and his crew didn’t “tear up” their house too much. Station skipper Oleg Kotov said, “It’s really, really sad” to see them go. But he noted: “It’s time.”

Discovery and its crew spent one-and-a-half weeks at the International Space Station, outfitting it with a new ammonia tank and other supplies. The shuttle will return to Earth on Monday.