STS-116 crew completes European tour

PARIS, April 19 (UPI) -- The STS-116 space shuttle crew has completed a nine-day tour of five European nations as part of a post-flight European Space Agency mission.

"I never ever thought there would be such enormous interest as there has been," said ESA astronaut Christer Fuglesang.

The crew visited Stockholm and Gothenburg in Sweden, as well as the Danish and Norwegian cities of Copenhagen and Oslo, talking to audiences in museums, royal palaces and universities about their December mission to the International Space Station. The crew also visited ESA sites in Germany and the Netherlands.

U.S. astronaut Nicholas Patrick said he was impressed with the reception the crew received.

"It shows me how much interest there is in spaceflight," said Patrick. "That is something that we almost forget in America where it has become more routine."

STS-116 used space shuttle Discovery for its Dec. 9-22, 2006, mission that helped rewire the International Space Station's electrical power system.