Sunita Williams bids emotional goodbye to space station home

“Exploration isn’t necessary or always logical. It’s something that comes from inside each and every one of us,” astronaut Sunita Williams said in an emotional farewell to the International Space Station, where she has spent the past 191 days.

Carpenter Newton reporting for Digital Journal –– Astronaut Sunita Williams, now the world’s most experienced female space traveler, said goodbye to the International Space Station in a routine daily planning conference this morning. Williams has spent the last 191 days living and working in the ISS, and has broken multiple records during her lengthy time in orbit. ISS crews must participate in a routine morning planning conference each day, which includes participants from Johnson Space Center in Houston, Russians in Moscow and Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “Houston, Moscow, Huntsville, we’re going to start the DPC [daily planning conference] a little bit early because I’m going to start it. Clay’s [Clayton Anderson, Williams’ replacement] going to finish it without me,” Williams said at the start of the meeting. “Exploration isn’t necessary or always logical. It’s something that comes from inside each and every one of us. I believe we’re all born with this curiosity called exploration. Human spaceflight is just one aspect of exploration, but it’s the one that I’ve been intimately familiar with over the past six months.” “So I feel I can talk about how it affects thousands of people around the world who have worked on and still work on this amazing engineering and science project we call the International Space Station. These folks, along with their families, have dedicated their lives to ensure the success of the astronauts and cosmonauts [audio cut-out] curiosity called exploration for the next generation.” “I am saddened to say goodbye but that means progress is being made and it’s time for the International Space Station to grow a little more. You and the ISS will always be a part of me as you are part of so many who will pave the way for our future,” Williams said, holding back emotion. Sunita then played a recording of James Blunt’s ‘Goodbye My Lover,” followed by the Bee Gees’ ‘Stayin’ Alive,’ dedicated to Clay Anderson. Fyodor Yurchikhin, Expedition 15 commander, radioed, “We had a real great time with Suni here. She did a real great job in space. We would like to say Suni, have a good trip and a safe trip, not only Suni, all the Atlantis crew. Good luck.” Anderson, who will join the Expedition 15 crew and will remain on the space station until October, said, “I would like to say thanks to Suni. She’s been very helpful to me and I know this is going to be a tough day for her, but I’m very proud of her, she’s a sister to me and I hope I can carry on and do half as well as she did while she was on orbit.” Critical Russian Computers Pass Test Russian computers that control navigation and oxygen systems on the ISS were extensively tested this morning and received an all clear after suffering multiple failures last week. The computer problems could have led to a further extension of Atlantis’ mission or in a worst case scenario, unmanning the space station. Farewell Ceremony and Final Hatch Closure Both the Expedition 15 and STS-117 crews held a farewell ceremony this evening, where they said final goodbyes and transfered the final inventory items from station to shuttle. Hatch closure happened at 6:51 p.m. EDT, while both craft were orbiting 210 miles above the western United States. Atlantis will undock from the ISS tomorrow at 10:40 a.m., and will then fly around the station for a final heat shield inspection. The shuttle is scheduled to land Thursday at Kennedy Space Center.