Shuttle crew prepares to depart station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The shuttle and space station crews enjoyed some time off Sunday, their last day together in orbit after a hectic, weeklong joint mission.

Endeavour is scheduled to depart the station on Monday. In addition to commander James Wetherbee, pilot Paul Lockhart and spacewalkers Michael Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington, the Expedition Five space station crew will be aboard the shuttle for a ride back to Earth after six months in orbit.

Valery Korzun turned over command of the outpost to veteran NASA astronaut Ken Bowersox, who along with his crewmates, Donald Pettit and Nikolai Budarin, are expected to remain aboard the station until next spring.

"The thing that has struck me so far is just how big this station is," Bowersox said. "It's amazing that we've put this thing together."

During the shuttle's stay at the outpost, two Endeavour crewmen donned spacesuits and made three trips outside the station to install and outfit a new 14-ton exterior truss segment. A stuck rail car forced the astronauts to revamp their work plans on Saturday.

"I was amazed at how massive the Earth is," said Herrington, during an in-flight interview. "I think in a spiritual sense, it makes me appreciate how grand the grand scheme is of Mother Earth."

The shuttle is scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday.