Aug. 21, 2001

 Second station crew ends 4-month mission

 By Steven Siceloff
 FLORIDA TODAY

 CAPE CANAVERAL - After living there for five months, the former crew of
 space station Alpha had a hard time closing the hatch for the last time
 Monday.

 "I still have the nagging feeling it wasn't long enough," astronaut Susan
 Helms said a few hours after shuttle Discovery separated from the
 outpost. "I had to turn my back on what had become a very comfortable
 home."

 For Helms, Russian commander Yury Usachev and astronaut Jim Voss, more
 than a week of medical evaluations awaits when they return to Earth on
 Wednesday.

 Helms also has to find a place to live. She moved all her things into
 storage and severed all her earthly ties when her mission began.

 "Everything's on my to-do list right now," she said.

 While the former crew begins coping with life on Earth again, Expedition
 Three is on its own for four months. The third team of astronaut and
 cosmonauts is to remain aboard Alpha until December.

 Astronaut Frank Culbertson and Russian cosmonaut Vladimir Dezhurov and
 Mikhail Tyurin are to operate 18 experiments, oversee the addition of a
 new Russian module next month and make three spacewalks during their tour
 of duty.

 "I know it's hard to say goodbye," new station commander Culbertson told
 his predecessors before the ships closed their hatches for the last time.
 "It is an emotional day for Yury, Jim and Susan. It is a challenging day
 for (us)."

 Culbertson unveiled two plaques from the shuttle and Russian Mir space
 station crews that worked together from 1995-98. The plaques serve as a
 bridge from the now-defunct Mir and the growing Alpha.

 Miles away from Alpha by Monday afternoon, Discovery's crew released a
 small cylinder called Simplesat from the cargo bay. The craft, a 12-inch
 telescope guided by Global Positioning System satellites, is testing the
 effectiveness of cheaper satellites.