"Welcome aboard the Space Station your Holiness," said Dmitry Kondratyev, Russian commander of the 26th long-duration mission to the International Space Station.

The crews of the ISS and the linked US space shuttle Endeavour excitedly waved to the pope, who smiled and waved back.

Speaking from his armchair in the Vatican library, Benedict said he admired the astronauts' courage and commitment and described their mission as "an adventure to discover the origins of humanity."

"Humanity is experiencing a period of extremely rapid progress in the fields of scientific knowledge and technical applications. In a sense, you are our representatives," he said.

The pontiff said the teams were "spearheading humanity's exploration of new spaces and possibilities for our future, going beyond the limitations of our everyday existence."

He then asked five questions about life in space and the perception of the world from so far away, before personally addressing the two Italian astronauts on board, Roberto Vittori and Paolo Nespoli.

The pope also said his thoughts and prayers went to US shuttle commander Mark Kelly, whose wife -- Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords -- is recovering from a head wound suffered during a shooting at a political gathering in Arizona in January.

Benedict also sent his condolences to Nespoli, whose mother died at the beginning of the month while he was on this mission, telling him he had prayed for her and asking the bereaved Italian how he had coped.

"Do you feel isolated and alone? Or do you feel united in a community which follows you with attention and affection?" he asked Nespoli, who said the group was united and had helped him through his grief.

Asked by the pope for thoughts on world peace and the future of the planet, shuttle crewman Mike Finchke said the ISS showed what human beings could achieve by working together.

"Our message, I think... is to let the children of the planet know... that there is a whole universe for us to explore. And when we do it together, there is nothing that we cannot accomplish."

At the end of the 20-minute call, the astronauts waved cheerfully to the pope, one of them floating up above the others' heads in a gravity-defying prank which made the pope chuckle.

As the live broadcast from orbit came to an end, Vittori floated a silver medal the pope gave him across to Nespoli -- who ends his five-month mission on Monday and will carry the medallion back with him to return it to the pontiff.

"The medal I gave Robert as a sign of my own participation in your mission represents the Creation of Man - as painted by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Do you ever stop and reflect like this?" the pope asked.

Vittorio said that though life as a astronaut was intense, "we all have an opportunity, when the nights come, to look down on Earth. Our planet, the blue planet, is beautiful."

"The beauty of the planet is capturing my heart. And I do pray," he said.

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