Two U.S. crew members aboard the International Space Station have spoken with American troops in Iraq.

Station Commander Jeff Williams, a retired U.S. Army colonel, and Flight Engineer T.J. Creamer, an Army colonel, talked with U.S. forces Tuesday via a NASA satellite connection in a type of question-and-answer session.

Williams started by thanking the troops for their service and giving an update on the International Space Station's progress. 

The Expedition 22 crew focused on spacewalk preparations and handover activities Tuesday as the three newest crew members adjust to life aboard the International Space Station.

NASA has narrowed the choices for its next unmanned space mission down to three potential expeditions: one aimed at Venus and the others promising to return samples of an asteroid or the moon.

But only one of those contenders will get the green light for $650 million in funding (which excludes rocket costs) and a launch sometime before Dec. 30, 2018. The competition is part of NASA's New Frontiers program to develop medium-class missions to explore the solar system.

Three competing scientific programs will receive about $3 million each next year to develop a detailed mission concept study that NASA officials will review and use to decide where next to voyage.

The Surface and Atmosphere Geochemical Explorer (SAGE) would venture to Venus for America’s first-ever scientific probe of the planet’s surface. The challenge of this mission is building a lander that can withstand Venus’ harsh atmosphere long enough to collect samples, analyze them and transmit the information back to earth before succumbing to the intense heat and pressure. The former Soviet Union landed probes on Venus that managed to survive only two hours.
 

 

The astronauts aboard the orbiting shuttle-station complex are resting after their three successful spacewalks.

According to an AP report, the 12 space travelers will get a few hours off Tuesday morning. Then in the afternoon, the two crews will part company and close the hatches between them. Monday's spacewalk was the third and final one of Atlantis' space station visit.

The Atlantis astronauts used the shuttle's maneuvering thrusters to boost the International Space Station's altitude by nearly one mile early Tuesday, before a traditional joint crew news conference at 8 a.m. EST and few hours of off duty time.

Meanwhile the next space shuttle, Endeavor, STS-130 is aiming for a Feb 4, 2010 liftoff.  Endeavour will deliver a third connecting module to the station and a seven-windowed cupola to be used as a control room for robotics.
 

According to an AP report, astronaut Randolph Bresnik jubilantly welcomed his new daughter into the world Sunday as he floated 220 miles above it.

Abigail Mae Bresnik was born as her father circled Earth on his first space shuttle mission, just hours after his first spacewalk.

It was only the second time in history that a NASA astronaut was in orbit instead of the delivery room. Daddy Bresnik thanked the flight control team and flight surgeon for their support and reported wife and child are "doing well," the space agency said on its website. Baby Abigail Mae is the second child for Randolph and Rebecca Bresnik, who adopted a boy from the Ukraine a year ago.

Bresnik will see his daughter for the first time during a video conference planned later on Sunday, with photos and some video of the baby unlinked to Atlantis as well.