The U.S. space shuttle Discovery’s crew has almost finished its tasks on the International Space Station and the astronauts are expected to leave the station on Wednesday.

Among the crew’s final jobs were a series of tests of the new 33-foot long robotic arm installed with the space station’s new Japanese science laboratory and also several adjustments to the recently opened storage area.

The robotic arm, part of the $1 billion Japanese lab, will be used for many outdoor science experiments starting next year. The outdoor studies are on hold, demanding the installation of the laboratory’s final section, which will offer an outdoor platform with a set of tools and telescopes.

The shuttle is expected to seal off the hatches between the shuttle and the outpost later today, in order to have everything ready for tomorrow’s departure.

One of the shuttle’s tasks was to bring to the space station astronaut Gregory Chamitoff, who relieved of duty his colleague Garrett Reisman, after a three-month stay.  Chamitoff will oversee the operations on the space station for a period of six months.

Reisman was quoted by the Associated Press talking about his experience and the thing that he will definitely miss the most: "It's definitely floating," he said. "We call it floating but really it's more like flying because as soon as you push off you're moving through the air like some kind of superhero. To be able to do that every day as you're commuting to work is unreal."

The mission was considered a complete success and once the shuttle will return to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, all efforts will be focused on the bureau’s other scheduled missions.