Commander Charles O. Hobaugh took the lead describing how well Atlantis performed from launch to landing, and the incredible amount of work that went into preparing both the shuttle and the crew for this ambitious mission.
Hobaugh proudly introduced his crew and the tasks each member was responsible for. He mentioned Mission Specialist Randy Bresnik was not present at the briefing because he flew home to be with his wife and new baby girl, born while he was still on orbit.
Nicole Stott is doing really well, said Hobaugh, after her 91 days in space, 80 of them as flight engineer. She’s enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with her family.
Mission Specialist Robert L. Satcher Jr. remarked that the training the crew members received helped them deal with the false alarms that went off a few times during their stay on the orbiting outpost.
After being asked if there were any memories that stood out, Pilot Barry E. Wilmore jokingly said, "I feel great (but) I had noticed that many of the buildings here are on a little bit of a teeter-totter that I didn’t know before." Wilmore was referring to coming back to Earth’s gravity after being weightless in space.
The crew members fly back to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Saturday. They’ll have the traditional Houston homecoming celebration on Monday.