ISS Expedition 74 Change of Command Ceremony | NASA

[00:00:55]Heat. Heat.

[00:01:01]Heat. Heat.

[00:02:54]station. This is Houston. Are you ready for the event?

[00:03:04]Houston. This is the International Space Station, Expedition 74.

[00:03:09]And uh we're here for uh a change of command ceremony and we welcome all of our guests and friends uh from all over the planet. Uh today's an important day.

[00:03:20]Uh we are getting ready uh one part of us are getting ready to to to leave uh this beautiful space station and another part is uh getting ready to to take over full command and get ready to uh be ready for another Dragon crew to come.

[00:03:37]These are interesting times. This is the International Space Station. We've had continuous human habitation for 25 years. It's a wonder of engineering, a wonder of science, and a wonder of of diplomacy. We're from all over the planet and we're working together. It's a it's a great symbol of what human beings can do. So, I'd like to just make a few quick opening remarks. As the outgoing commander, I just want to say thank you uh for the first part of Expedition 74, but also the last part of Expedition 73. Uh it's been really amazing. My friend Scott Kelly says that uh that spaceflight is the the biggest team sport, and it's true. And we got a great team. Everybody really rose to the occasion uh for our expeditions and it's been really uh really a pleasure to be here. Um I thank you all very much for your hard work, for your assistance and for all the fantastic science and exploration that uh that we worked on together. It was really fun. Some of the jokes weren't so good, but I'll keep trying. In the meantime, this is also a farewell and uh so uh just like to say it's been really great working with you all. Um, I I hope that we can stay our our family and f, you know, be our family and friends again back on planet Earth when we meet each other. But in uh along the way, Sergey, it's been great to know you and to serve with you and to steal your spot at dinner time and uh to make some good jokes with you. Chris, uh, you're going to be the USOS lead in just a few minutes. Um, you are the perfect guy for this. You're going to rock it and roll it. It's going to be amazing. And it was great to have all the handover time with you and uh to to really uh become a true friend.

[00:05:27]Thank you so much. You you are my my buddy when breakfast in the morning and uh getting out the food bobs and anytime I needed assistance. You are the best helper. Sorry, Oleg. You used to be the best helper, but you can still be the most handsome. And I look forward to uh I I was with you when you first arrived in space. And uh when we leave space, I'll be with you uh sitting right next to you.

[00:05:55]>> Zena, you are a rockstar, superstar, awesome star. It's been pleasure serving with you, watching you see Earth for the first time, riding on the rocket, and now it's coming to an end where we get to go home.

[00:06:08]It's bittersweet.

[00:06:11]And with that, Sergey, I'm not giving the command yet. We got to wait for a little bit. Everyone's got to say their peace, but don't worry. All this will be yours. But it was great to know you back on planet Earth. And really great to to to spend time with you. I wish it were longer, but we have what we have. And it was it was really it was a lot of fun.

[00:06:29]So, I'm looking forward to continue working together here uh in space maybe and then for certainly back on planet Earth. Sergey Posta.

[00:06:40]Thank you. Um, thank you all uh crew uh for working well together and I can um only say I wish uh new commander a safety flight.

[00:06:59]>> Yeah, I think uh you guys both said it well. I mean this crew has really worked well together and been just an absolute pleasure to be on board with. you know, your crew is your crew are your co-workers, but also your family up here. And, you know, I think it's it's pretty rare that you have families that get along so well and just enjoy being each other's company so well, so much.

[00:07:20]Um, and, you know, so I think we're we're very lucky to have that. And it's going to be, you know, we're we're really sad to to to to to say say goodbye, but we're also really grateful for the time that we had up here together. It was been it's been an absolute pleasure and we look forward to carrying, you know, all of the the lessons that you guys have taught us on forward uh in through the rest of expedition 74. So, thank you and we look forward to seeing you guys home safe on Earth.

[00:07:45]>> Yeah. First of all, uh Maxon, thank you very much for your great leadership.

[00:07:49]Yeah, you motivated us leading us and also made laugh at Yeah. a lot very good. I mean, uh jokes. Yeah, I really wanted to be a uh Michael Pink serial number 002.

[00:08:03]Yeah. And Yeah. And I know uh Sergean will be the best one of the best commander. Yeah. For the ISS history. I already know you have very good leadership and I feel very lucky to have all of you. Yeah. I feel like very I mean just like family members and I don't want to actually leave from here but I just need to leave but I'm very happy to have uh same experience actually uh experience uh with you.

[00:08:33]Thank you very much for everything and thank you for your great uh great support from ground.

[00:08:40]Uh, first of all, Michael, thank you very much for your leadership. And I know you don't like it, but I know not a lot a lot of ISS commanders and you one of my favorite. It's exactly and uh thank you for everything what you did for us and thank you my crew. Uh we made a a lot of great job and uh for my uh friends Chris and double Series, I wish you good luck and uh also I want to say thank you very much ground for your uh support and for everything and also This has been such an incredible experience. This is a place that I longed to see for myself. I could never have dreamed up a better crew to share this experience with. Michael, thank you so much for being a wonderful commander and building this culture that we have.

[00:10:04]Our timing of this departure is unexpected, but what was not surprising to me was how well this crew came together as a family to help each other and just take care of each other. And this includes very much our teams on the ground. You have been incredible support through this whole expedition, this whole journey. I'm so proud to have taken part in this. Human space flight is complex, but it's not something that anyone can do alone as an individual, and it just has been the honor of a lifetime to share this with you. Thank you so much.

[00:10:44]Uh it's really hard to add something but uh it was it's been a pleasure to work with you all and it's been a pleasure to work uh with you Mike as a commander uh not only because of your professionalism but also because of your uh ability to build a team spirit. Uh and the the crew uh became the a real family here and uh uh it was a a big pleasure not only work with you uh but spend weekends and uh time after working hours chatting, communicating, sharing stories uh you know it's really important in space when we are concealed in this uh inside the space station. So uh thank you Mike Kim.

[00:11:37]Thank you so much for your uh experience in uh and video photo uh and of course thank you for sharing uh uh wonderful Japanese kitchen desserts are you know impos impossibly good.

[00:12:00]Yes. Uh Zena thank you so much. uh uh uh it's really it's really a pleasure to work with you and uh I I saw uh a lot of uh uh professionalism in your work. you always uh were open and share your uh experience and uh thank you for this uh like a uh say uh thank you for this uh the feeling of beauty among this uh tough tough guys. Yes, it's it really it's really it's really important. Uh, Oleak, you are you are a great team member and I'm I'm really proud to work with you and uh uh that that's it. I uh think uh that I I hope we will work uh with you many more days on Earth and uh then in space. You promised a second flight and uh not only second, maybe third. Let we'll see. So sir and Chris uh it's uh yeah we have a uh time we have u at least in one month ahead working all all three on board the space station and I I see we are build a bone team and uh we I have no I have no doubts we're going to work uh we're going to continue working as a as a family as a team. So uh that's it and uh the most mo most of all I uh really want to uh say that I appreciate your uh your your your team, your family and uh uh we'll see on Earth and I I we will we will uh looking forward your return until the the very splashed down.

[00:14:10]Thank you so much. And uh by the way today uh this not only a return home ceremony, it's also a com command changing ceremony.

[00:14:22]>> Oh yeah. Yeah. We should probably do that.

[00:14:25]>> Yeah. So I pass Mike to you Mike.

[00:14:28]>> Okay.

[00:14:31]So, uh, Sergey, um, I have a small personal request before we, uh, get to the official, uh, handover part, is, uh, my I think my first, uh, first, uh, uh, command as commander, not that I give too many commands, was to give a group, ask everybody for group hug. So maybe it's up to you to decide whether that's your first command or not, but uh, not yet.

[00:14:56]>> Not yet.

[00:14:56]>> Not yet. Up to you. So that's something to think about. But in the meantime, this is a really precious space station.

[00:15:03]It's uh right now in the middle of transition. We have all these cargo vehicles and and cargo everywhere. Uh we're leaving you with all a lot of work. Uh but also with uh a lot of knowledge knowing that you guys are really going to uh do super well. Uh Sergey, it's a honor and a pleasure to be a commander and I cannot imagine being happier than to uh hand over command to you. So we need to we need a special instrument.

[00:15:35]Oops. My flight suit doesn't want to release it, but it must. This has been passed on for a long time. It's uh the key to the ISS. So Sergey, do you accept command of the International Space Station?

[00:15:53]>> Yes, I accept command of International Space Station.

[00:16:10]Thank you so much. Thank you so much. uh despite all the changes and all the difficulties we are going to we're going to do our job on board ISS performing all the scientific uh tasks made m maintenance task here whatever happens and uh it's a it's a big honor uh to be a commander of space station thank you Mike and uh I want to command the first commander And let's let's make a group hug.

[00:16:54]>> Dads are awesome.

[00:16:56]>> Yeah.

[00:16:57]never forget about >> and uh of course no doubts we want to thank uh thank all MCC's around the world for uh continuous support of the international space station. We feel it.

[00:17:21]We know that you you were you are uh far from us but you are uh one of us. Thank you so much.

[00:17:30]Let's continue working together.

[00:17:36]>> And huge thanks to all of you up there from all of us down here station. We are now resuming operational audio communications.