STS-116 Crew and ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter during Crew Return Ceremony

JSC2006-E-54836 (23 Dec. 2006) --- In this scene at Ellington Field, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter (second left, foreground) shakes hands with JSC deputy director Robert D. Cabana. Reiter had just arrived from Florida, along with the STS-116 crew. He completed half a year aboard the International Space Station before departing the station with the STS-116 astronauts, who landed at the Kennedy Space Center on Dec. 22. Part of Reiter's time onboard the orbital outpost was spent with astronaut Jeffrey N. Williams, left, Expedition 13 flight engineer and NASA station science officer. ESA astronaut Gerhard Thiele is also pictured.