Soyuz spacecraft carrying three new crew members docks to ISS
Photo: AFP
The Russian Soyuz TMA-09M rocket successfully lifted from its Baikonur launch pad, and has docked at the ISS with three international crew members aboard. (VIDEO)
On
Wednesday a team of international astronauts blasted off on a Russian
Soyuz rocket heading for the International Space Station (ISS) with a
busy schedule full of space walks and a docking with a pioneering US
cargo craft.
The six-month mission of Russian commander
Fyodor Yurchikhin and his two flight engineers, Karen Nyberg of NASA and
Italy's Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency, will begin as soon
as their Soyuz capsule docks to the ISS.
Maria Kulakovskaya
Baikonur
is on stand-by for new launch. A new expedition, No. 36/37, is due to
take off to the ISS from the launch pad, referred to as Gagarin’s launch
pad, after midnight. Crew commander Roscosmos cosmonaut Fyodor
Yurchikhin, NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg and astronaut of the European
Space Agency Luca Parmitano will spend six months in orbit.
Photo: RIA Novosti
Cosmonaut
Fyodor Yurchikhin will start for his fourth orbital mission in the
small hours of the 29th of May with a first-timer, a woman astronaut and
a toy puppy. His Soyuz TMA-09M spaceship will start from the Baikonur
space-launch complex at 00:32. The cuddly toy will accompany the Russian
pilot for the third time into space. Fyodor Yurchikhin also completely
relies on his new partners. He already calls Italian Luca Parmitano and
American Karen Nyberg his family folks.
“My crew
members are first of all highly skilled experts, professionals and at
the same time they are human beings with their own temperaments. They
are very nice and friendly. When I look at them I say that the main
thing for everyone, myself too, is the family. Take Karen Nyberg.
Looking at her one could never guess that she is an astronaut with some
space experience behind her. Her husband is also an astronaut with space
experience. As for Parmitano, when he was asked who his role model was,
he earnestly answered: “My father.” His father is a member of the crew
escort team.”
It will take the crew only 6 hours to
reach the ISS instead of the customary two days. The short cut was first
successfully practised by Pavel Vinogradov’s mission. However, the
second attempt could become instrumental in making this route regular.
Fyodor Yurchikhin admits that it took him some time to persuade the
Mission Control Centre to allow a short cut for the 36/37th expedition.
The high motivation of the entire crew became the key argument for the
Mission Control Centre.
“The short cut will require
straining every sinew. It will also be very hard work for the Mission
Control Centre because we are to carry out four large-scale manoeuvres
in the first 24 hours. The main advantage of the short cut is that we’ll
stay aboard the ISS for two additional days which will provide much
greater benefit.”
Fyodor Yurchikhin says that the
mission plan is full, challenging and interesting, as usual, involving
experiments, monitoring and space walks. The new US private Cygnus space
truck will carry out its maiden docking and this will not be the only
memorable thing. It will be a real marathon of spaceships, Fyodor
Yurchikhin says.
“We expect the ATV European resupply
spacecraft, and US and Japanese spacecrafts. We may have to carry out a
re-docking. We’ll meet with our backers-up, Mikhail Tiurin’s crew in
orbit, which will alsobe very interesting. The number of compulsory
experiments in which I participate is 34. The total number of
experiments carried out aboard the ISS is about 100. The Russian
cosmonauts are to do three space walks and Parmitano will do one. Karen
Nyberg is being trained to handle a remote manipulator arm.”
In spite of the busy schedule, Fyodor Yurchikhin who is expert in space photography hopes to expand his photo archive.
Source:Voice of Russia, AFP, RT
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