As Atlantis Shuttle neared the end of its last mission, the crew of the space shuttle reflected on what has been a smooth and successful flight. The astronauts managed to enjoy themselves during their mission.
“The main reason we're all having so much fun is that everything has gone pretty smoothly,” said Garrett Reis-man, an Atlantis mission specialist.
Reis-man praised NASA's legion engineers and technicians for their efforts in coming up with a nearly flawless equipment. “I probably can't reveal some of the best fun we've had,” quipped Ken Ham, the shuttle commander. “It's mainly spending time with this group of people. All 12 of us. We've bonded up here in space. We've worked really hard together, and we've had a lot of fun laughing together,” Ham added.
The Atlantis was launched nine days ago with six astronauts. It joined the six space station residents a week ago. It undocked from the station yesterday after completing all of the mission's tasks. Atlantis also installed a Russian module and six large new batteries on the station.
Now only two shuttle flights are remaining and the station is more or less complete. Piers Sellers, who flew to the station in 2006, said that the station was nearly 33 percent complete four years ago. “It was very different. This place is now a palace. It's huge. We're seeing the station in pretty much its final form, and it's fantastic,” said Sellers.
