ISS Crew Members: The station is in very good shape

In a televised media conference today, the 12 crew members onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and space shuttle Atlantis answered questions from reporters around the world and described their experience together very positively. STS-129 Shuttle crew members will part today from their colleagues in preparation for undocking tomorrow, after a successful mission delivering and storing space parts on the exterior of the station, crucial for its long-term operation. Frank De Winne, the first European commander of the ISS, said that “this is just the beginning of co-habiting in space” and “there is still a lot of work to do” for future space missions that he hoped would involve utilizing the ISS for 15 or 20 years more. De Winne will depart the station on a Soyuz on November 30, handing over the command of Expedition 22 to NASA astronaut Jeff Williams.