Mission Control, meanwhile, is monitoring a piece of space junk - an old rocket segment - that is threatening to come too close to the space station on Wednesday.

The robot, named R2 for Robonaut 2, is the first humanoid in space. Then the shuttle astronauts will pull out an inspection boom and survey their ship for any signs of micrometeorite damage.Īboard the space station, meanwhile, the crew hopes in the next week or two to unpack the humanoid robot that was left behind. Immediately after undocking, Discovery will fly a victory lap of sorts around the orbiting lab, essentially for picture-taking. 'I hate to ring the recess bell on you,' Mission Control radioed, reminding the shuttle crew of one last job remaining before the hatches needed to be shut.

The astronauts were having so much fun that Mission Control was sorry to interrupt. Taking turns a few at a time, they performed somersaults in the centre of the chamber, bounced off the walls, and floated through with outstretched arms like underwater swimmers. In their last hour together, the 12 astronauts amused themselves in the new 21-foot(6.4-meter)-long, 15-foot(4.5-meter)-wide storage compartment. The bonus days stretched the entire mission to 13 days on top of the 352 days already logged during Discovery's previous 38 missions. They took advantage of the bonus time to empty the storage unit of all the gear that went up inside it. Mission Control gave Discovery's astronauts two extra days at the orbiting outpost. He said he was 'really proud to take Discovery home at the very top of her game,' and he credited the astronauts in large part. Lead flight director Royce Renfrew radioed up congratulations to the two crews, before the hatches slammed shut. Lindsey noted that all the mission objectives had been accomplished: The new storage unit carried up by Discovery was installed and unloaded, leaving behind an empty, pristine compartment ready to serve its purpose. Shuttle skipper Steven Lindsey nodded in agreement, then shook hands with Kelly. We wish her fair winds and following seas.' 'Discovery has been a great ship and has really supported the International Space Station more so, I think, than any other space shuttle. 'But most of all we're going to miss Discovery. 'We're going to miss you,' the space station's commander, Scott Kelly, told the six shuttle astronauts. The hatches between Discovery and the International Space Station were sealed Sunday afternoon, setting the stage for the shuttle's departure first thing Monday. On its final voyage after nearly three decades, Discovery, the most travelled rocketship ever, will be retired following this week's return to Earth. The space shuttle and space station crews hugged goodbye Sunday after more than a week together, but saved their most heartfelt farewell for Discovery.

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