BEIJING, Sept.7 (Xinhuanet) -- The shuttle Discovery astronauts have almost completed packing up a moving van for return to Earth on Thursday, according to media reports Monday.
The giant van will come back aboard Discovery filled with a ton of trash, surplus gear and completed science experiments after it finished the mission of transferring seven tons of space station supplies and equipment.
The astronauts took a half day off to relax and enjoyed the view on Sunday after a week of virtually nonstop work together.
Astronaut Danny Olivas, who went out on all three spacewalks, said he wanted to gaze out the window and snap some pictures.
"All in all, it's been a very successful mission," Olivas said in a TV interview. "Everybody here is in good spirits, and we are ready to finish up here and come home."
One of the returning spacemen, Timothy Kopra, has been on board the space station since mid-July. He said he'll miss the place, the people, the views, and the 16-daily sunrises and sunsets. But he's looking forward to seeing his wife and two children, "and getting back to life in general on the planet."
Two U.S. astronauts conducted a third and final space walk for shuttle Discovery's STS-128 mission on Saturday and finished outfitting and maintenance of International Space Station modules.
Discovery lifts off midnight on Aug. 28 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida after two delays. Its 13-day flight is scheduled to end with a landing back in Florida.
(Agencies)
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