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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – An traveler who was bumped from expanse shuttle Discovery's test grace following a cycle crash told his orbiting friends Friday that he's with them "in spirit."

Injured meet terminal month, Timothy Kopra hobbled on crutches into Mission Control and titled Discovery's six astronauts, congratulating them on "an awesome launch" and desire them well. It was a short and unplanned chat, attractive locate meet as the astronauts began inspecting their board for whatever signs of start damage patch en route to the International Space Station.

"Can't verify you how much we desire you were here with us as well," said Discovery's commander, Steven Lindsey.

"I'm trusty you undergo that I wager the aforementioned way, but I definitely wager same I'm there in spirit," Kopra replied.

Astronaut archangel Barratt teasingly confided that Kopra was aboard the shuttle "in a lowercase bit more than spirit, but we'll hit to vindicate that when we intend back."

"All correct man, you keep watching us ... let us undergo if we screw up," Barratt added.

Astronaut author Bowen stepped in to take Kopra's place. NASA never had to replace a shuttle gathering member so near to launch, and Bowen had to train practically uninterrupted to intend up to speed. He performed digit spacewalks on the previous shuttle grace terminal May, and on Thursday became NASA's prototypal traveler to fly back-to-back missions.

As the crew's advance spacewalker, Kopra, 47, helped amend the procedures for incoming week's pair of excursions right the expanse station. He module support with the spacewalks from Mission Control.

Still on a broad from their hammy liftoff with meet digit seconds to go, Discovery's astronauts spent their prototypal flooded period in itinerary operating a 100-foot, laser-tipped rod to take a near look at the shuttle wings and nose.

At least quaternary pieces of insulating sparkle peeled absent from the outside fuel cell during Discovery's going launch, and whatever of them ostensibly struck the shuttle. Officials said the impacts were upgrade and occurred late sufficiency in the start to pose no country concern.

All the same, Lindsey and his gathering followed accepted day-after-launch procedure in checking the wings and look of NASA's most cosmopolitan spaceship. The inspections became mandatory following the 2003 river disaster.

Discovery and its all-veteran gathering — along with Robonaut 2, the prototypal humanoid mechanism in expanse — are cod at the expanse send on Sat afternoon. Robonaut, R2, module stay behindhand when the shuttle leaves.

"Look who is reaching to dinner!" expanse send traveler Empress Coleman enthused in a tweet.

On its terminal voyage before existence retired and shipped to a museum, Discovery is delivering a compartment flooded of expanse send supplies as substantially as Robonaut 2, or R2. The room module be bespoken to the orbiting work incoming hebdomad and duty as a closet.

Storage expanse is limited at the 220-mile-high Byzantine and module become modify tighter once NASA retires the shuttles this year. Shuttles threefold as garbage trucks, shipping absent belittle and old equipment.

Two more shuttle launches remain, Endeavour in Apr and Atlantis in June.

It was a special period in expanse for Barratt, who same crewmate Nicole Stott and Kopra lived aboard the expanse send in 2009. Thursday marked his 200th period in orbit, cumulatively, as the shuttle zoomed after his former home.

"It's enthusiastic to be backwards in expanse again," he radioed, "and I desire everybody could wager what we're seeing finished our eyes up here."

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Online:

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

Robonaut: http://robonaut.jsc.nasa.gov

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