Live in Orbit: Crews say goodbye, close hatches

Hatches between shuttle Discovery and International Space Station are closed as the shuttle's departure nears Tuesday afternoon.

Seven shuttle astronauts and six station residents exchanged hugs and handshakes in a brief farewell ceremony around 10:30 p.m. before the crews parted.

"All good things come to an end," shuttle commander Rick "C.J." Sturckow told his station counterpart, cosmonaut Gennady Padalka. "Thank you very much to you and your crew for your wonderful support during the 17A docked mission."

"Thank you very much for these warm words," Padalka replied. "We tried to do our best in our job. You did a great job, associated with further space station building, supplies and maintenance."

He offered a special thanks Tim Kopra, who ended a 53-day stay aboard the station. His tour as a station flight engineer was shortened by a month after his flight up on Endeavour was delayed from June to July.

"Unfortunately your flight wasn't so long as you wanted, but it's life," Padalka said, wishing him a return to the station as soon as possible.

"I want to say always, have a safe trip and have a safe flight you guys," Padalka said.

With that, the crews hugged and exchanged final best wishes. Flight engineer Mike Barratt rang a ship's bell in the station's Harmony node.

"U.S. space shuttle Discovery departing," he said. "ISS flight engineer Col. Timothy Kopra departing."

Nicole Stott, a former Kennedy Space Center engineer who flew up on Discovery, replaced Kopra as an Expedition 20 crew member.

Joining Kopra and Sturckow back into Discovery were pilot Kevin Ford and mission specialists Pat Forrester, Christer Fuglesang, Jose Hernandez and Danny Olivas.

Staying behind with Stott, Barratt and Padalka were cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, European astronaut Frank De Winne and Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk.

The hatches between the shuttle and its docking port vestibule were confirmed closed at 11:11 p.m. They had been open a total of eight full days and 36 minutes. Blogger update, 11:45 p.m.: With the closure of the Harmony' node's hatch at 11:41 p.m., the hatches were opened a total of eight days, one hour and eight mintues.

Before going to sleep around 3 a.m., Discovery's crew will continue preparations for a 3:36 p.m. Tuesday undocking from the station, including installing a camera that helps the orbiter stay on line as it approaches or backs away from the station.

The crew will wake up for its final morning moored at the station around 11 a.m.

Discovery is due to return home to Kennedy Space Center on Thursday evening.