Live In Orbit: Astronauts Prep For Station Departure

Discovery's astronauts aim to stow an Italian moving van in the shuttle's cargo bay today before their departure this week from the International Space Station and a return to Kennedy Space Center.

Operating the station's robot arm, Discovery astronauts Kevin Ford and Jose Hernandez will detach the can-shaped carrier from the Earth-facing port of the station's U.S. Harmony module.

Then they'll carefully move it into Discovery's payload bay, winding up a supply run considered critical to maintaining an expanded crew of six on the outpost.

"All in all, it's been a very successful mission," Discovery astronaut Danny Olivas said Sunday. "I think everybody here is in good spirits, and we are ready to finish up here and come home."


� The 13 people on the joined spacecraft will bid each other adieu late today. Discovery's seven astronauts are scheduled to depart the station on Tuesday. The shuttle is slated to land at KSC at 7:05 p.m. Thursday.

Discovery's crew delivered 18,548 pounds of cargo to the station, including new crew quarters, two refrigerator-sized science research racks, two lab freezers, and a treadmill named for Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert.

The astronauts hauled 5,223 pounds of trash, surplus equipment and experiment samples into the cylindrical carrier for the return to Earth.

Discovery launched Aug. 28 with a crew that included former KSC shuttle engineer Nicole Stott, who now is a station flight engineer. Stott replaced Tim Kopra, who flew to the station on Endeavour in July and will return on Discovery.

"In terms of emotions right now, I'm very much looking forward to seeing my family and getting back to life in general on the planet," Kopra said.

"But I'm going to miss this place. I'm going to miss the beautiful views -- the sunsets, the sunrises -- and being able to contribute to the mission here."

Station assembly began in 1998. Crew size expanded to six in May. The space station is expected to operate through at least 2015.