Astronauts on Endeavour and the International Space Station are preparing to open pressurized hatches and join each other for a welcome ceremony.You can watch live NASA TV coverage of the ceremony here on The Flame Trench, by clicking on the image at left.
On board the station are Expedition 18 commander Mike Fincke and flight engineers Greg Chamitoff and Yury Lonchakov, shown below preparing for Endeavour's arrival.
Entering from the shuttle will be commander Chris Ferguson, pilot Eric Boe and mission specialists Steve Bowen, Shane Kimbrough, Sandra Magnus, Don Pettit and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper. After the welcome ceremony, the crews will conduct a safety briefing together.
Soon after, Magnus and Chamitoff will swap places, making Magnus a member of Expedition 18 and Chamitoff part of Endeavour's crew.
Chamitoff has spent 170 days in space since arriving on STS-124 in May. Magnus is beginning a tour expected to last four months, until Discovery's arrival next February.
IMAGE NOTE: Click on the images to enlarge them. International Space Station residents Michael Fincke, Greg Chamitoff and Yury Lonchakov are shown preparing for Endeavour's crew to enter the station after docking. Photo credit: NASA TV.
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