MICHELE NORRIS, Host: The astronauts aboard the space shuttle Atlantis received a special call today.</s>CHRISTOPHER FERGUSON: Hello, Mr. President. You're talking to the Increment 28 crew and the crew of the space shuttle Atlantis.</s>BARACK OBAMA: Oh, that's funny, see, because I was just dialing out for pizza.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, Host: Houston, we have in order. President Obama phoned the Atlantis crew, along with the crew of the International Space Station.</s>MICHELE NORRIS, Host: And all joking aside, Mr. Obama thanked the astronauts for their hard work. He said their mission marks a new era of pushing the limits of space exploration, ultimately working toward a trip to Mars.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, Host: And back to the jokes, the president offered his sympathies when one of the astronauts said they'd all become a big family in a short amount of time.</s>BARACK OBAMA: You need to be like a family 'cause I'm assuming you have to share pretty cramped quarters and a bathroom. So, you know, my wife and my daughters are always crowding me out.</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, Host: But shuttle Commander Chris Ferguson assured the president that as far as the rest of the universe is concerned, the accommodations really aren't so bad.</s>CHRISTOPHER FERGUSON: We actually have three bathrooms on board. And we have a gym. We have several bedrooms. It's probably one of the more spacious homes that there is outside of planet Earth.</s>MICHELE NORRIS, Host: And what have a view.
The astronauts aboard the space shuttle Atlantis received a special call from the White House Friday. Michele Norris and Robert Siegel tell us more.