Wed, Jun 08, 2011
Docking With ISS Scheduled For Thursday Afternoon
NASA astronaut Mike Fossum, Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov and
Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa launched to the International
Space Station at 1612 EDT Tuesday (0212 local time, Wednesday) from
the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Soyuz TMA-02M Roscosmos Photo
Fossum, Furukawa and Volkov - the Soyuz commander- are scheduled
to dock their spacecraft with their new home at 1622 Thursday, June
9. They will join Expedition 28 commander Andrey Borisenko and
flight engineer Alexander Samokutyaev of the Russian space agency
and Ron Garan of NASA. The trio has been aboard the station since
April 6.
The six-person crew will continue the uninterrupted presence of
humans on the station since Nov. 2, 2000, conducting expanded
scientific research and station maintenance activities. The station
residents also will welcome the crew of the last space shuttle
flight, Atlantis' STS-135 mission, targeted to launch July 8. The
shuttle will deliver critical supplies in the Italian-built
Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module and support spacewalks by
Fossum and Garan to retrieve a failed cooling system pump module,
which Atlantis will return to Earth for analysis.
Endeavour Docked At Station NASA Image
Garan, Borisenko and Samokutyaev, who launched to the station
April 4, will return to Earth in September. Before departing,
Borisenko will hand over command of the station to Fossum for
Expedition 29, which begins when the Soyuz TMA-21 undocks.
NASA astronaut Dan Burbank and Russian cosmonauts Anton
Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin will join Fossum, Volkov and
Furukawa to complete the Expedition 29 crew in September.
More News
Inversion to Launch Reentry Vehicle Demonstrator Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 This fall, the aerospace startup Inversion is set to launch its Ray reentry demonstrator capsule aboard Spac>[...]
"We are excited to accelerate the adoption of electric aviation technology and further our journey towards a sustainable future. The agreement with magniX underscores our commitmen>[...]
"The journey to this achievement started nearly a decade ago when a freshly commissioned Gentry, driven by a fascination with new technologies and a desire to contribute significan>[...]
Aero Linx: OX5 Aviation Pioneers Each year a national reunion of OX5 Aviation Pioneers is hosted by one of the Wings in the organization. The reunions attract much attention as man>[...]
"Our driven and innovative team of military and civilian Airmen delivers combat power daily, ensuring our nation is ready today and tomorrow." Source: General Duke Richardson, AFMC>[...]