As we put on shoes and socks for the first time in weeks and lugged our bags into the dinghy to go ashore, some of the permanent crew were clearly unhappy at being close to land again.
Just as it was finalising arrangements for the launch of the first permanent crew for the "International" Space Station, it slipped out an announcement postponing indefinitely a project called Pluto Express.
The space station has a permanent crew of six, so the arrival of new faces is a cause for celebration.
The idea of one stable and permanent crew was dispelled, replaced by the idea of a constantly evolving crew.
His company, Pelagic Expeditions, runs two vessels, each with a permanent crew of two, and offers voyages to a range of southern destinations.
The three astronauts making up the permanent crew of the space station, who have been aboard for a month, did not see the solar deployment because they were in their sleep period.
The Octopus, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's $200+ million sea monster, has a permanent crew of 60, two helicopters, a 10-man submarine and seven boats.
A permanent crew of around hundred was hired.
The work paved the way for the arrival of the space station's first permanent crew, scheduled for Oct. 31.
By 2005, they travelled using two 16-metre (52 ft) trucks, three tour buses, a cast of 13 dancers (called "the Wiggly dancers"), and 10 permanent crew members.
Both vessels are accessible and its permanent crew is supplemented by 40 trainees, many of whom may have disabilities.
