HOUSTON — President Barack Obama praised crew members aboard space shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station during a call to the docked ships from the White House on Friday. The president saluted the final shuttle mission and everyone who made it possible, and noted it “ushers in an exciting new era to push the frontiers of space exploration and human spaceflight.”

Video of the shuttle and station crews as they speak to the president is available at: http://go.nasa.gov/oFXKIV

For a picture of the president during the conversation, visit: http://twitpic.com/5qm5ew

For information about the STS-135 mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For information about the station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station