After sharing Thanksgiving in space together, Endeavour Astronauts and ISS crew closed the airlock between the two craft and prepared for departure.

The seven crewmembers aboard the Endeavour are departing the station today at almost 9 a.m. CST, ending a 12-day repair & refit mission to enable the station to be expanded next year.

''Thank you very much for the extreme home makeover,'' said space station commander Mike Fincke as members of the two crews shook hands and embraced for the last time. "You totally fixed us up on the inside and the outside. I think everyone is ecstatic."

"I'd like to think we achieved our goals," said Endeavour commander Chris Ferguson.

The Endeavour crew equipped the ISS with a new toilet, a kitchen, two bedrooms, exercise equipment and a water purifier that distills water from urine and atmospheric moisture. Following the upgrade, the number of permanent ISS residents will go up from 3 to 6 in May.

The Endeavour astronauts will be landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday at 12:18 P.M. CST

Before they go though, they’re still using their remaining time to inspect the heat-shielding on Endeavour’s wings and nose using the shuttle’s arm-mounted camera. This is a follow-up to the Nov. 16 inspection that found the shuttle in ship-shape.

During the mission, however, they noticed a small scratch in one of the shuttle’s cockpit windows. A damage assessment by mission control concluded the window is viable for re-entry.

Hitching a ride back to earth is American astronaut Greg Chamitoff, who is returning after six months on the space station. Replacing him is Sandra Magnus, who came along with the Endeavour. She’ll be back on Terra in late February.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing my family. I just can't wait to get home," said Chamitoff. "All my thoughts are there now."