Endeavor is saying goodbye to the space station today, at the dedication ceremony of Tranquility and Coppola

They also placed in the cupola a stone brought by Apollo 11 from the moon and a stone brought by a retired astronaut named Scott Przynski from the summit of Everest. According to the Endeavour's commander, they will serve as a reminder of man's achievements but also of the gravel he eats along the way, as humanity continues to explore

Yesterday (Friday) at noon Israel time, the hatches between the space shuttle Endeavor and the International Space Station were closed. During the 9 days and almost an hour of the joint activity, the station received a new large component and an observation deck that provides a fun and valuable experience. The shuttle is supposed to detach from the station about five minutes before three in the morning and land at the Kennedy Space Center on the night between Sunday and Monday.

Shortly before the doors were closed, a ceremony was held at the station with the participation of both teams. Endeavor Commander George Zemke, pilot Terry Wirths and astronauts Kathleen Hair, Steven Robinson Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken, as well as members of the space station crew Commander Jeff Williams and with him also Maxim Surayev, Oleg Kotov, Soichi Noguchi and T.J. . Kramer.

Zemke Williams cut the ribbon at the entrance to the observation deck and dedicated the ceremony to astronaut Charles Lacey Veitch who was one of the first to participate in the development of the cupola. He flew twice in space shuttles in 1991 and 1992 and died of cancer in 1995.

They also placed in the cupola a stone brought by Apollo 11 from the moon and a stone brought by a retired astronaut named Scott Przynski from the summit of Everest. According to Zemke, they will serve as a reminder of man's achievements but also of the gravel he eats along the way, as humanity continues to explore.