Today is the crew’s last day on board. Tomorrow they land. We worked two shadow passes with “Piramig,” and the rest of the time packed return cargo into our ship, which is currently docked on the transfer compartment side. The crew will depart on it for home, leaving us their ship, on which we’ll perform a redocking from the instrument compartment side to the transfer compartment, freeing its docking port for receiving cargo ships, since only that port is equipped with station fuel refueling systems. This is interesting work, especially since Tolya and I will be doing it for the first time. Moreover, we’ll be testing new redocking control algorithms, and we’ll gladly do it.

In the evening, by tradition, we sat together over dinner. Sveta has grown on me — she’s a girl with character. Well then, we’re sending our last letters and photographs home with the crew. There won’t be any more couriers for us. The main feeling before their departure is that there’s not the slightest distress that they’re heading home to Earth while we stay behind. Once I set myself the goal of flying the full program, I can allow myself to think about and hope for landing only in 2 months. I gathered all the biology, all the results of other experiments, including the EVA, and handed them to Lyosha. We had a good private conversation in the orbital module before bed. Tomorrow, as soon as we close the hatch — straight to sleep. We’re tired.