Crew-12 Farewell: Jessica Meir Hands ISS Command to Dubrov

Jessica Meir, commander of SpaceX Crew-12, handed command of the International Space Station to Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov in a ceremony that also served as the crew's farewell. Crew-12 also includes NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.

A bittersweet farewell

Meir described the moment as bittersweet. The crew's stay had run a little longer than first planned, and they were looking forward to going home to friends, families and teams on the ground. She spoke of the station's views of Earth and of experiences that cannot be replicated on the ground.

She recalled the previous change of command at the end of Expedition 74, when she looked at the outgoing commander, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and hoped to live up to his leadership. What she saw in him, she said, was camaraderie among all crew members and the expedition mentality the crew had worked to emphasize, since they are one team on one mission.

Crew-13 and the Soyuz crew

The crew said goodbye to the Soyuz crew that had been aboard for a few months and to the newly arrived Crew-13. Crew-12 overlapped with Crew-13 for only a few days, which Meir called a few bonus days. She said Crew-13 faces a busy mission with science, spacewalks, station upgrades and maintenance in the continuation of Expedition 75. The crew then shared what they called a space station huggle, a combination of a hug and a huddle.

Meir on command

Meir said that being commander of Crew-12 and of the station for a few months was not something she had felt she needed, but she came to appreciate it. She said arriving in space is like being a newborn child: you do not know how to feed yourself, get water or use the bathroom, and being a mentor through those first moments was rewarding.

She said success meant completing the objectives of science, spacewalks and maintenance safely. Her personal goal, stated since before launch, was that the crew return not only as colleagues but as better friends. She was 100% confident that had happened. Her favorite part of the expedition was the laughter the crew carried.

Handing over the key

Meir called Dubrov an incredibly experienced cosmonaut whom the crew already went to for questions and advice. She then handed him the key to the space station.

Dubrov called it a great honor and a great responsibility. He noted that 69 years earlier on that day the first Sputnik was launched, and called the station the greatest symbol of international cooperation. He said he expected more memorable moments with Crew-13 and that commanding the crew was a new experience he would learn from. Mission control congratulated him and told Crew-12 it looked forward to seeing them back home soon.