Station Crew's Soyuz to Move

09.25.07

Even though they'll be moving at 17,500 mph – almost 5 miles a second -- their spacecraft will take almost 30 minutes for a move covering less than 100 feet.

International Space Station Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineers Oleg Kotov and Clay Anderson will move their Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft from the Earth-facing port of the station's Zarya module to the aft port of the Zvezda module Thursday afternoon.

The move is being made to clear the Zarya port for the arrival of Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson, Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko and Malaysian spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Oct. 10.

Expedition 15's Yurchikhin and Kotov, with Shukor aboard, are scheduled to undock their Soyuz for their return to Earth Oct. 21. Their departure will clear the Zvezda aft port for subsequent arrival of a Progress unpiloted cargo carrier.

For the relocation the Soyuz is scheduled to undock from Zarya a little after 3:15 p.m. EDT Thursday. It will move away from the station, then parallel to it and finally back to the station and its new docking port.

The station crew members, wearing their Russian Sokol launch and entry suits, are scheduled to reach Zvezda's aft docking port about 30 minutes after undocking. The Soyuz will wind up about 80 feet from where it started, despite having traveled about a third of the way around the world.

Preparations for the move include station crew members putting systems in unmanned configuration. That is done to prepare for the unlikely eventuality that the Soyuz could not redock at the station. If that were to occur, the crew would have to return to Earth.

Live NASA Television coverage of the move is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. It will continue until shortly after the Soyuz docks.

Source: NASA - Space Station - Expeditions

September 24, 2007, S.P.Korolev RSC Energia branch office, Baikonur launch site.



At Baikonur launch site the preparations continue for the launch of manned spacecraft Soyuz TMA-11 under the International Space Station program.
At present the specialists of the S.P.Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia together with representatives of subcontractors and other organizations in the industry perform preliminary operations that precede the filling of the spacecraft systems with propellant components and compressed gases. As of September 21, the spacecraft thermal control system has been filled and checked out.
The launch of Soyuz TMA-11 is scheduled for October 10, 20077.

Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia

The contract release is reproduced below:

JKatherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-3749
katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov

Lynnette Madison
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
lynnette.b.madison@nasa.gov

CONTRACT RELEASE: C07-48

NASA Extends Space Station Engineering Services Contract

HOUSTON - NASA has awarded a contract modification to the European Space Agency's Space Technology Center for additional engineering services for the International Space Station Node 2 and 3 modules. The modification is valued at $27.5 million.

The contract modification extends the current contract to reflect adjustments made to the station's assembly manifest and to meet increased contract requirements through June 30, 2011. The two-year extension increases the value of the $22 million fixed price contract to $49.5 million.

Node 2, also known as the Harmony module, is scheduled for delivery to the space station on the STS-120 mission, currently slated for Oct. 23. Node 3 is still in development. The modules are being built by Alcatel Alenia Space Italia in Torino, Italy, as part of an agreement between NASA and the European Space Agency.

Node 2 is a utility hub and will serve as a passageway between three station science experiment facilities: the U.S. Destiny Laboratory, the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module and the European Columbus Laboratory.

For more information about the space station, visit:


For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:


Source: NASA Contract Release C07-48

Training sessions were held at the S.P.Korolev RSC Energia under the program of crew training for Expedition 17 to the international Space Station (ISS).
Under the supervision of Corporation specialists, cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko (S.P.Korolev RSC Energia) and Sergei Volkov (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center) became acquainted with the ISS information and control system, on-board hardware for an additional computer-to-computer data exchange link between the ISS Russian Segment and Mission Control Center near Moscow, and procedure for replacing software in the on-board computer system.



Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia

Crew Set for Soyuz Move Thursday


Image above: Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Clay Anderson uses a
communication system in the Destiny laboratory of the International
Space Station.
Credit: NASA

The Expedition 15 crew members continue to work on science, station maintenance and preparations for Thursday's relocation of their Soyuz spacecraft.

Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin spent Wednesday morning working with PLASMA-ISS, a Russian experiment that measures the plasma environment on the exterior of the International Space Station.

Yurchikhin later joined with Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov to close the hatches between the Progress cargo craft and the Pirs docking compartment.

Also on Wednesday, Flight Engineer Clay Anderson talked by ham radio with students at Art and Pat Goforth Elementary School in League City, Texas.

The crew is set for Thursday's relocation of the Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft. With Kotov at the controls, the Soyuz will move to the aft port of the Zvezda service module, freeing up the Zarya nadir, or Earth-facing, port for the arrival of Expedition 16 on Oct. 12.

NASA TV coverage of the Soyuz move begins at 3 p.m. EDT. Undocking occurs about 3:18 p.m.

Source: NASA - Space Station

On September 25, 2007 at 23 hours:48 minutes:00 seconds Moscow Time, Russian Progress M-60 cargo transport space vehicle completed its 137-day space flight.
While in autonomous flight from September 19 through 25, 2007, the space vehicle had provided the 6 Plasma-Progress experimental sessions during short-term firings of the onboard engines: approach-correcting engines (3 sessions) and docking and orientation engines (3 sessions). The experimental results are being analyzed.
Prior to the Progress M-60 space vehicle undocking from the International Space Station (ISS), the 15th Prime Crew members Fyodor Yurchikhin (ISS-15 Commander, RSC Energia after S.P. Korolev), Oleg Kotov (ISS Flight Engineer, RGNII CTC after Yu.A. Gagarin) and Clayton Anderson (ISS Flight Engineer, NASA) had accommodated over one ton of consumables and hardware in the space vehicle compartments.
Getting ready to meet the ISS-16 Prime Crew members, the above crew has conducted test checks of Kurs approach equipment, mounting operations to provide redocking of the Soyuz TMA-10 at the Zvezda Module docking port vacated by the Progress M-60 with the aim to prepare Zarya Functional-Cargo Block docking unit for the Soyuz TMA-11 manned space vehicle.
On September 24 the ISS orbit reboosting operations were performed using two correcting engines of Zvezda Module to support its docking with the next manned space vehicle on ground command. ISS orbital parameters as the result of the calculated impulse production: minimum altitude of 342.5 km; maximum altitude of 362.6 km; orbital period of 91.35 min.; inclination of 51.65°.
The Soyuz TMA-10 space vehicle redocking is scheduled for the night from September 27 to 28, 2007.

For reference:
On May 12, 2007 the Progress M-60 space vehicle was launched under the ISS Program. As part of the ISS the space vehicle had operated from May 15 till September 19, 2007. On September 19 at 4 hours:37 minutes:00 seconds Moscow Time the space vehicle was undocked from the ISS Russian Segment Zvezda Service Module and changed over to an autonomous flight mode on the ground command from Moscow Mission Control Center.

Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia - Press Release

Crew Set for Soyuz Move Today


Image above: The Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft docked to the International
Space Station can be seen in the foreground. A Progress cargo craft is
visible behind the Soyuz.
Credit: NASA TV

The Expedition 15 crew members have boarded the Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft and closed the hatch in preparation for today's Soyuz move.

After the Soyuz undocks a little after 3:15 p.m. today, Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov will pilot the spacecraft to the aft port of the Zvezda service module, freeing up the Zarya nadir, or Earth-facing, port for the arrival of Expedition 16 on Oct. 12.

The station crew members, wearing their Russian Sokol launch and entry suits, are scheduled to reach Zvezda's aft docking port about 30 minutes after undocking. The Soyuz will wind up about 80 feet from where it started, despite having traveled about a third of the way around the world.

NASA TV coverage of the Soyuz move begins at 3 p.m. EDT.

Source: NASA - Space Station

Crew Moving Soyuz


Image above: The Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft moves away from the
International Space Station shortly after undocking.
Credit: NASA TV

The Expedition 15 crew members have boarded the Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft and undocked from the International Space Station to conduct today's Soyuz relocation.

The Soyuz undocked at 2:20 p.m. EDT. Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov will pilot the spacecraft to the aft port of the Zvezda service module, freeing up the Zarya nadir, or Earth-facing, port for the arrival of Expedition 16 on Oct. 12.

The station crew members, wearing their Russian Sokol launch and entry suits, are scheduled to reach Zvezda's aft docking port about 30 minutes after undocking. The Soyuz will wind up about 80 feet from where it started, despite having traveled about a third of the way around the world.

NASA TV coverage of the Soyuz move began at 3 p.m.

Source: NASA - Space Station

Station Crew Moves Soyuz Spacecraft


Image above: The Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft moves away from the
International Space Station shortly after undocking.
Credit: NASA TV

International Space Station crew members docked their Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft to the aft port of the Zvezda service module at 3:47 p.m. EDT Thursday, completing a move of 80 feet.

After the Soyuz undocked at 2:20 p.m. EDT, Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov piloted the spacecraft to the aft port of the Zvezda service module, freeing up the Zarya nadir, or Earth-facing, port for the arrival of Expedition 16 on Oct. 12.

The Soyuz wound up about 80 feet from where it started, despite having traveled about a third of the way around the world.

Source: NASA - Space Station

Soyuz Move Caps Busy Week Aboard Space Station


Image above: The Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft moves away from the
International Space Station shortly after undocking.
Credit: NASA TV

The Expedition 15 crew members enjoyed a light-duty day Friday aboard the International Space Station after a busy week culminating in the relocation of their Soyuz spacecraft on Thursday.

The Zarya module's starboard solar array wing was retracted Friday morning, with the retraction of the port solar array planned for Saturday. The Zarya arrays must be completely retracted to avoid contact with the station's radiators. The starboard radiators will be deployed during STS-120 space shuttle mission in October, followed by the port radiators after the shuttle departs.

The crew moved the Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft on Thursday to free up the Zarya nadir, or Earth-facing, port for the arrival of Expedition 16 on Oct. 12. After the Soyuz undocked at 3:20 p.m. EDT, Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov piloted the spacecraft 80 feet for a 27-minute trip to the aft docking port of the Zvezda service module.

On Monday afternoon, the Zvezda service module's engines were fired for about two minutes to raise the space station's altitude an average of about 5.3 nautical miles. This brings the station into the correct position for the upcoming Soyuz TMA-11 and space shuttle Discovery dockings in October.

Source: NASA - Space Station

The primary and backup crews of the ISS Expedition 16 and Taxi Mission 13 have entered into their final training phase in the processing facility. Peggy Annette Whitson (NASA, USA), Yuri Ivanovich Malenchenko (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Russia) and Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Al Masrie (Malaysia) have inspected the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft, tried on Sokol-KV spacesuits and customized contoured couches, went through the on-board documentation and the launch manifest, checked their radio communications equipment, as well as conducted a training session for scientific experiments.



Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia

Soyuz TMA-11 transport manned vehicle fuelled with propellant components and compressed gases was delivered to the Spacecraft Assembly and Testing Facility for final processing operations.



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Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia

Expedition 16 Crew to Launch from Baikonur

10.01.07

Commander Peggy Whitson and Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko of the 16th International Space Station crew are scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at about 10:21 a.m. EDT on Oct. 10 to begin a six-month stay in space.


Image above: Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson (right),
Soyuz Commander and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko and
Malaysian spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor take
a break from training in Star City, Russia to pose for a portrait.
Image credit: Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center

With them will be spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor. He is a Malaysian flying under contract with the Russian Federal Space Agency.

He will return to Earth with Expedition 15 crew members, Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov, Oct. 21. Expedition 15 launched to the station last April 7.

Expedition 16's Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft is scheduled to dock at the station a little after 11:47 a.m. Friday, Oct. 12.

Expedition 16 crew members will be welcomed by the Expedition 15 crew, including astronaut Clay Anderson, the third Expedition 15 crew member. He launched to the station aboard the STS-118 mission of Endeavour Aug. 8. He joined Expedition 15 in progress and will provide Expedition 16 with an experienced flight engineer for the first few days of its increment.


Image above: Expedition 16 Commander
Peggy Whitson (background) and Flight
Engineer Yuri Malenchenko participate in a
training session at the Gagarin Cosmonaut
Training Center, Star City, Russia.
Image credit: Gagarin Cosmonaut Training
Center

Whitson, 47, is on her second mission to the station. She served as a flight engineer on the Expedition 5 crew, launching June 5, 2002, and returning to Earth Dec. 7, after almost 185 days in space. She holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Rice University in Houston. She began working for NASA as a research biochemist in 1989 and was selected as an astronaut in 1996.

Malenchenko, 45, a Russian Air Force colonel, is making his third long-duration spaceflight. He spent 126 days aboard the Russian space station Mir beginning July 1, 1994, and commanded the two-person station crew on Expedition 7, spending 185 days in space beginning April 26, 2006. He also was a member of the STS-106 crew of Atlantis on an almost-12-day mission to the station beginning Sept. 8, 2000. He is a graduate of the Kharkov Military Aviation School and the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy.

Anderson, 48, holds a master's degree in aerospace engineering from Iowa State University. He was selected as an astronaut in 1998. This is his first spaceflight.


Image above: Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Dan Tani uses the
virtual reality lab at the Johnson Space Center to train for his duties
aboard the International Space Station.
Image credit: NASA

Astronaut Daniel Tani is scheduled to launch aboard the STS-120 flight of Discovery to replace Anderson as a flight engineer during Expedition 16. Tani, 46, holds a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was selected as an astronaut in 1996 and flew on Endeavour's STS-108 mission in December 2001. He will be making his second spaceflight.

Two Expedition 17 crew members are expected to arrive next spring to replace Whitson and Malenchenko.

+ Read more about Expedition 16

Source: NASA - Station - Expeditions

Soyuz TMA-11 transport manned vehicle was docked with the transfer compartment in the Spacecraft Assembly and Testing Facility.



Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia

Crew Preps for Departures and Arrivals


Image above: A section of Dinosaur National Monument along the
Yampa River in Colorado, which straddles the Colorado/Utah border, is
featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 15 crew member
on the International Space Station.
Credit: NASA

The Expedition 15 crew members are busy with science, station maintenance, preparations for their return to Earth and the arrival of the next crew to the International Space Station.

Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov worked Monday with a medical experiment that tests the cardiovascular system by applying negative pressure on the lower body to simulate the effects of gravity.

Flight Engineer Clay Anderson collected samples of the station's potable water. These samples are for a periodic check of the water for microbial or chemical contamination.

The Expedition 15 crew continues with preparations for departure and for the arrival of the next crew. The Expedition 16 crew, Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko, will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Oct. 10 and arrive at the station on Oct. 12.

Accompanying Expedition 16 is Malaysian spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, who will return to Earth on Oct. 21 with Yurchikhin and Kotov. Anderson will remain on the station with Expedition 16 until his replacement, Flight Engineer Dan Tani, arrives on space shuttle Discovery later in October.

The Zarya module's solar array wings were successfully retracted on Friday and Saturday, marking the first time they had been retracted since the module was put in orbit in November 1998. The arrays needed to be retracted to avoid contact with the station's radiators. The starboard radiators will be deployed during Discovery's STS-120 mission, followed by the port radiators after the shuttle departs.

Source: NASA - Space Station

ANITA in orbit.

Credits: ESA

1 October 2007
The Analysing Interferometer for Ambient Air (ANITA) flight experiment, an ESA developed technology demonstrator for monitoring the quality of the air inside manned space vehicles, is now in operation on the ISS.

The Space Shuttle Endeavour carried ANITA to the ISS in the SpaceHab Module during flight STS 118 (ISS mission 13A.1) which was launched on 9 August 2007. ANITA has been installed in EXPRESS rack #4, located in the US Destiny laboratory.


ANITA flight HW consisting of two standard Middeck drawers: Total mass= 53 kg,
power: ~80 W average with a peak power 170 W (20 msec)

Credits: Kayser-Thred

The equipment is scheduled to remain on orbit for at least six months, with an initial commissioning and science phase of ten days. After this, it will be considered to be an ISS system element within an extended operational phase.

ANITA was started up for the first time on Thursday 20 September. Several re-starts of the control software and laptop computer on which it runs were required before ANITA successfully entered its nominal operating mode on Monday 24 September. Investigations into the problem at start-up are continuing on the ground model.

ANITA operations


Anderson working.

Credits: ESA

The air quality of any manned spacecraft needs to be continuously monitored in order to safeguard the health of the crew. In space the astronauts have to respond rapidly to any accidental release of harmful gaseous contaminants or degradation of the environmental control and life support system. Air quality monitoring grows in importance as mission duration increases.

ANITA is designed to monitor the cabin air for contaminants at concentrations down to the low parts per million (ppm) or high parts per billion (ppb), with high precision. Its fast measurement cycle allows the trend in air quality to be analysed in near real-time.

In normal operational mode, ANITA automatically monitors the local air by filling its gas cell, measuring the sample and storing the analysis data. The gas cell is then flushed back into the cabin and refilled for the next measurement cycle, each of which takes six minutes. This process is possible since the air sample is physically and chemically unchanged by the measurement.

If so desired, the crew can also collect air samples at remote locations using a hand pump and sample bags. The sample bags are then manually connected to ANITA’s gas inlet port for analysis.

Industrial team


ANITA laptop.

Credits: ESA

ANITA is an ESA-NASA cooperative programme. The flight experiment has been developed under ESA contract by Kayser-Threde GmbH (Germany), the instrument Prime Contractor and hardware developer, and SINTEF (Norway), responsible for the gas analysis software and instrument calibration.

For further information concerning scientific and technical matters, contact:

Gijsbert Tan
Life Support and Environmental Control Section
ESA-ESTEC
Email: gijsbert.tan @ esa.int

For programmatic matters, contact:

Martin Zell
Research Operations Department
Directorate of Human Spaceflight
Microgravity and Exploration
ESA-ESTEC
Email: martin.zell @ esa.int

Source: ESA - Human Spaceflight And Exploration

Crew Tests New Oxygen Generator


Image above: Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Clay Anderson smiles for a
photo while using a communication system in the Zvezda Service Module
of the International Space Station.
Credit: NASA

The Expedition 15 crew members Tuesday began a test of a new oxygen-generating system and continued with preparations for their return to Earth and the arrival of the next crew to the International Space Station.

Flight Engineer Clay Anderson activated the Oxygen Generation System (OGS) in the Destiny lab. He then took readings with a sound level meter to measure its noise levels.

While the OGS operates at 50 percent capacity, flight controllers will evaluate its performance. The OGS is designed to supply oxygen for a full station complement of six crew members.

Anderson, Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov continue with preparations for their departure and for the arrival of the next crew. The Expedition 16 crew, Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko, will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Oct. 10 and arrive at the station on Oct. 12.

Accompanying Expedition 16 is Malaysian spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, who will return to Earth on Oct. 21 with Yurchikhin and Kotov. Anderson will remain on the station with Expedition 16 until his replacement, Flight Engineer Dan Tani, arrives on space shuttle Discovery later in October.

Source: NASA - Space Station

Crew Prepares for Return Home, Shuttle Visit


Image above: Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin performs
in-flight maintenance in the Unity node of the International Space Station.
Credit: NASA

Preparations continued Wednesday as the clock counts down to a crew change aboard the International Space Station and a visit by space shuttle Discovery.

The Mobile Transporter and Mobile Base System, a movable platform that allows the station’s robotic arm to move back and forth along the truss, was commanded from the ground to move to the port side of the station in preparation for the STS-120 shuttle mission. The railcar traversed the 74-foot distance at a rate of about one inch per second.

Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov opened the hatches to the Progress cargo craft. The hatches were closed last week for the relocation of the Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft as a contingency measure in case the crew was unable to return to the station.

Flight Engineer Clay Anderson collected air samples and surface swabs throughout the station. The samples will be incubated and analyzed for bacterial and fungal contamination.

The Expedition 15 crew members continue with preparations for their departure and the arrival of the next crew. The Expedition 16 crew, Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko, will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Oct. 10 and arrive at the station on Oct. 12.

Accompanying Expedition 16 is Malaysian spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, who will return to Earth on Oct. 21 with Yurchikhin and Kotov. Anderson will remain on the station with Expedition 16 until his replacement, Flight Engineer Dan Tani, arrives on space shuttle Discovery later in October.

Source: NASA - Space Station

Designers inspection of the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft was completed.



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Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia

Station Flies High on 50th Anniversary of Spaceflight


Image above: Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Clay Anderson uses a
communication system while checking a procedures checklist in the
Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.
Credit: NASA

On the 50th anniversary of the launch of the Russian satellite Sputnik and the dawn of the space age, Russian and American space explorers are working together aboard the International Space Station to expand the frontiers of knowledge.

Sputnik 1, which launched on Oct. 4, 1957, was just 22 inches in diameter and weighed 184 pounds. In contrast, the International Space Station is 356 feet in diameter, with a mass of 520,640 pounds.

Aboard the station Thursday, Flight Engineer Clay Anderson worked with the Oxygen Uptake Measurement hardware. With the assistance of Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov, Anderson used the system to collect data on himself as he exercised on a cycle ergometer.

This week's test of the Oxygen Generation System (OGS) continues to provide excellent data to flight controllers evaluating its performance while it operates at 50 percent capacity. The test will continue until its water supply is depleted this weekend. The OGS is designed to supply oxygen for a full station complement of six crew members.

Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin, Kotov and Anderson continue with preparations for their departure and the arrival of the next crew. The Expedition 16 crew, Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko, will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Oct. 10 and arrive at the station on Oct. 12.

Accompanying Expedition 16 is Malaysian spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, who will return to Earth on Oct. 21 with Yurchikhin and Kotov. Anderson will remain on the station with Expedition 16 until his replacement, Flight Engineer Dan Tani, arrives on space shuttle Discovery later in October.

Source: NASA - Space Station

Crew Prepares for New Arrivals


Image above: Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Clay Anderson smiles for a
photo while floating in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space
Station.
Credit: NASA

As the clock counts down to a crew change aboard the International Space Station and a visit by space shuttle Discovery, the Expedition 15 crew wrapped up a busy week of preparations.

Flight Engineer Clay Anderson installed the centerline camera in a hatch window in the Unity node Friday. The camera will serve as an alignment aid when astronauts use a robotic arm to guide the Harmony node into place. Harmony is being delivered to the station aboard space shuttle Discovery, set to launch Oct. 23.

Also on Friday, the crew members conducted medical evaluations, an activity performed regularly by long-duration crews to assess physical condition.

Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin, Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov and Anderson continue to pack items for return to Earth as they prepare for their departure and the arrival of the next crew. The Expedition 16 crew, Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko, will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Oct. 10 and arrive at the station on Oct. 12.

Accompanying Expedition 16 is Malaysian spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, who will return to Earth on Oct. 21 with Yurchikhin and Kotov. Anderson will remain on the station with Expedition 16 until his replacement, Flight Engineer Dan Tani, arrives on Discovery later in October.

Source: NASA - Space Station

In the assembly/test building primary (Yuri Ivanovich Malenchenko (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Russia), Peggy Anneette Whitson (NASA, USA), Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Al Masrie (Malaysia) and backup (Salidzhan Shakirovich Sharipov (S.P. Korolev RSC Energia, Russia), Edward Michael Fincke (NASA, USA), Faiz Bin Khaleed (Malaysia)) crews of the Soyuz TMA-11 transportation spacecraft made a check inspection of the spacecraft in the launch configuration and got acquainted with the delivered and returned equipment.
Upon the spacecraft inspection the crews reported to the First vice-president, first deputy designer general of RSC Energia Nikolai Ivanovich Zelenshchikov about the lack of comments on the Soyuz TMA-11 transportation spacecraft and their readiness for further work.



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Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia

Orbital module of the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle, containing the Soyuz TMA-11 manned spacecraft was transported from the spacecraft processing facility for the general integration with LV.



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Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia

In the LV Integration and Checkout Facility, the basic integration of the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle with the upper composite has been completed.



Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia

A meeting of the Technical management under the chairmanship of RSC Energia President and General Designer V.A. Lopota and State commission was held. A decision on rollout of the launch vehicle with the Soyuz TMA-11 transport manned spacecraft to the launch facility and its preparation for launch planned for the October 10 was adopted.



Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia

At 5 hr 00 min Moscow time a rollout of the Soyuz spacecraft from the assembly-test facility to the launch site was provided. The Soyuz-FG launch vehicle with the Soyuz TMA-11 transport spacecraft was erected on the launch pad. Operations under the launch minus two days program began.
The launch of the Soyuz-FG integrated launch vehicle with the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft to the ISS Orbital Complex is planned for 10.10.2007 at 17:22 Moscow time.



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Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia

A meeting of the State commission was held. Director of Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center V.V. Tsibliev reported about the crew readiness for the planned spaceflight. RSC Energia President and General Designer V.A. Lopota reported about readiness of the Soyuz FG/Soyuz TMA-11 rocket-space complex for further prelaunch processing. The State commission approved the prime and backup crews for the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft and the ISS-16 and also a decision was adopted to continue preparation of the Soyuz-FG/Soyuz TMA-11 rocket-space complex for fueling and launch at the set time on October 10, 2007, namely at 17 hr. 22 min Moscow time.

The Prime Crew: spacecraft commander, ISS-16 flight engineer – pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, cosmonaut of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center Yuri Ivanovich Malenchenko; spacecraft flight engineer, ISS-16 commander – NASA astronaut Peggy Annette Whitson; spaceflight participant of the ISS visiting crew, Malaysia citizen, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Al Masrie.

The Backup Crew: spacecraft commander, ISS-16 flight engineer – pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, instructor-test cosmonaut of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Colonel of RF Air Force Salizhan Shakirovich Sharipov; spacecraft flight engineer, ISS-16 commander – NASA astronaut, Colonel of USA Air Force Edward Michael Fincke; spaceflight participant of the ISS visiting crew, Malaysia citizen, Faiz Bin Khaleed.



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Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia

Expedition 16 Ready for Launch

The Soyuz rocket that will launch Expedition 16 to the International Space Station was placed at its launch pad over the weekend. Commander Peggy Whitson, Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko and spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Wednesday at 9:22 a.m. EDT. Two days later the Soyuz TMA-11 vehicle carrying the new crew will dock to the Earth-facing port of the station’s Zarya module.


Image above: The Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft is placed at its launch pad in
Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Credit: NASA

The Expedition 15 crew continues readying the station for its new residents. Flight Engineeer Clay Anderson has been resizing U.S. spacesuits for Whitson and Malenchenko. Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov set up a work space in the Zvezda service module that will allow the visiting Shukor to perform several experiments over nine days. The current station crew has also been holding space-to-ground teleconferences with Expedition 16 to assist with handover activities.

Yurchikhin and Kotov are scheduled to leave the station on Oct. 21 officially ending the Expedition 15 increment. Shukor will go home with the two cosmonauts. Anderson will remain onboard with Expedition 16 and return to Earth next month aboard Discovery on its STS-120 mssion.

Source: NASA - Space Station

Expedition 16 in Orbit, Heads to Station

Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson, Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko and spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor are in orbit and on their way to the International Space Station. Their Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Wednesday at 9:22 a.m. EDT and entered orbit less than 10 minutes later. They will dock to the Earth-facing port of the station’s Zarya module on Friday about 10:52 a.m.


Image above: The Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft launches on time from
Baikonur Cosmodrome. Image at bottom: Peggy Whitson (upper right)
and Yuri Malenchenko are pictured inside the Soyuz during the climb to
orbit.
Credit: NASA TV

The Expedition 15 crew has been busy readying the station as they prepare to greet their replacements and Malaysian guest. Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov set up a work space in the Zvezda service module that will allow the visiting Shukor to perform several experiments over nine days. Flight Engineer Clay Anderson also resized U.S. spacesuits for Whitson and Malenchenko for an upcoming spacewalk. The current station crew also held space-to-ground teleconferences with their Expedition 16 counterparts to assist with handover activities.

Yurchikhin and Kotov are scheduled to leave the station on Oct. 21 officially ending the Expedition 15 increment. Shukor will go home with the two cosmonauts. Anderson will remain onboard with Expedition 16 and return to Earth next month aboard Discovery on its STS-120 mission.

Source: NASA - Space Station

October 10, 2007, Baikonur launch site, branch office of S.P.Korolev RSC Energia.
A launch vehicle Soyuz-FG with Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur launch site to the International Space Station.
The Increment 16 (ISS-16) crew and visiting crew 13 (VC-13) are on board the Russian transport manned vehicle. Soyuz TMA-11 is carrying a crew consisting of Yuri Ivanovich Malenchenko (pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, cosmonaut of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center), spacecraft commander, ISS-16 flight engineer, Peggy Annette Whitson (NASA astronaut), spacecraft flight engineer, ISS-16 commander as well as a spaceflight participant of the ISS visiting crew, Malaysia citizen, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Al Masrie.
The objective of the launch is the scheduled replacement of two ISS-15 crewmembers and of the Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft that has been serving within the space station as its crew rescue vehicle since April 9, 2007.

Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia

Expedition 16 commander Peggy Whitson, Soyuz commander Yuri Malenchenko and spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at sunset Oct. 10, 2007, in their Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft bound for a docking to the International Space Station on Oct. 12. Whitson and Malenchenko will spend six months on the station, while Shukor will return to Earth Oct. 21 with two of the Expedition 15 crewmembers.

Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

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Source: NASA - Multimedia - Image of the Day Gallery

Expedition 16 Crew Launches from Baikonur
Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko of the 16th International Space Station crew launched in their Soyuz TMA-11 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 9:22 a.m. EDT Wednesday to begin a six-month stay in space.


Image above: Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson (right),
Soyuz Commander and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko and
Malaysian spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor take
a break from training in Star City, Russia to pose for a portrait.
Image credit: Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center

Less than 10 minutes after launch their spacecraft reached orbit, and its antennas and solar arrays were deployed shortly afterwards.

With Whitson and Malenchenko is spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor. He is a Malaysian flying under contract with the Russian Federal Space Agency. He will return to Earth with Expedition 15 crew members, Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov, Oct. 21. Expedition 15 launched to the station last April 7.

Expedition 16 crew members will be welcomed by the Expedition 15 crew, including astronaut Clay Anderson, after their docking to the orbiting laboratory, scheduled for Friday. Anderson launched to the station aboard the STS-117 mission of Atlantis June 8. He joined Expedition 15 in progress and will provide Expedition 16 with an experienced flight engineer for the first few days of its increment.

Whitson, 47, is on her second mission to the station. She served as a flight engineer on the Expedition 5 crew, launching June 5, 2002, and returning to Earth Dec. 7, after almost 185 days in space. She holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Rice University in Houston. She began working for NASA as a research biochemist in 1989 and was selected as an astronaut in 1996.


Image above: Expedition 16 Commander
Peggy Whitson (background) and Flight
Engineer Yuri Malenchenko participate in a
training session at the Gagarin Cosmonaut
Training Center, Star City, Russia.
Image credit: Gagarin Cosmonaut Training
Center

Malenchenko, 45, a Russian Air Force colonel, is making his third long-duration spaceflight. He spent 126 days aboard the Russian space station Mir beginning July 1, 1994, and commanded Expedition 7, spending 185 days in space beginning April 26, 2003. He also was a member of the STS-106 crew of Atlantis on an almost-12-day mission to the station beginning Sept. 8, 2000. He is a graduate of the Kharkov Military Aviation School and the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy.

Anderson, 48, holds a master's degree in aerospace engineering from Iowa State University. He was selected as an astronaut in 1998. This is his first spaceflight.


Image above: Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Dan Tani uses the
virtual reality lab at the Johnson Space Center to train for his duties
aboard the International Space Station.
Image credit: NASA

Astronaut Daniel Tani is scheduled to launch aboard the STS-120 flight of Discovery to replace Anderson as a flight engineer during Expedition 16. Tani, 46, holds a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was selected as an astronaut in 1996 and flew on Endeavour's STS-108 mission in December 2001. He will be making his second spaceflight.

Two Expedition 17 crew members are expected to arrive next spring to replace Whitson and Malenchenko.

+ Read more about Expedition 16

Source: NASA - Station - Expeditions

10 October 2007

ESA astronauts Leopold Eyharts (left) and Hans Schlegel (right) with the European Columbus laboratory at NASA's Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) at Kennedy Space Centre, Florida. Columbus is under preparation in the SSPF for launch into orbit with Space Shuttle Atlantis on flight STS-122. Schlegel is a member of the STS-122 crew, whilst Eyharts will fly to the International Space Station onboard Atlantis where he will become a member of the Expedition 16 crew.

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

The European Columbus laboratory is in the final stages of preparation for launch to the International Space Station at the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

Columbus is scheduled for launch on board Space Shuttle Atlantis on flight STS-122 in December. Members of the STS-122 crew, including ESA astronauts Hans Schlegel and Leopold Eyharts, recently visited the SSPF to inspect the European Columbus laboratory.

These new images have been released on the occasion of the Columbus Media Day at Kennedy Space Center - click on an image to access the long caption and hi-res version.

More views of the Columbus laboratory are linked from the right menu under 'More Columbus images' - other views are available in the ESA Multimedia Gallery: http://www.esa.int/mmg

Exterior view of the European Columbus laboratory during preparation for flight to the International Space Station at the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja


Interior view of the European Columbus laboratory during preparation for flight to the International Space Station at the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

From left to right: European Drawer Rack, European Physiology Modules Facility, Biolab and Fluid Science Lab in the launch configuration. The racks will later be relocated inside Columbus once it is in orbit.

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja


Interior view of the European Columbus laboratory during preparation for flight to the International Space Station at the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja


ESA astronaut Hans Schlegel (centre) inspects a payload rack inside the European Columbus laboratory. Columbus is under preparation at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for launch into orbit with Space Shuttle Atlantis on flight STS-122. Schlegel is a member of the STS-122 crew.

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja


ESA astronaut Leopold Eyharts inspects the interior of the European Columbus laboratory. Columbus is under preparation at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for launch into orbit with Space Shuttle Atlantis on flight STS-122. Eyharts will fly to the International Space Station onboard Atlantis where he will join the Expedition 16 crew.

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja


ESA astronaut Leopold Eyharts inspects the European Columbus laboratory at NASA's Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) at Kennedy Space Centre, Florida. Columbus is under preparation in the SSPF for launch into orbit with Space Shuttle Atlantis on flight STS-122. Eyharts will fly to the International Space Station onboard Atlantis where he will join the Expedition 16 crew.

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja


STS-122 astronauts (kneeling) and support team with the European Columbus laboratory inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Columbus is under preparation in the SSPF for launch into orbit with Space Shuttle Atlantis on flight STS-122.

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

Source: ESA - News

The Soyuz-FG integrated launch vehicle with the Soyuz TMA-11 transport manned spacecraft was launched to the International Space Station from the Baikonur cosmodrome at 17:22 Moscow time.
The crews of the ISS 16th prime expedition (ISS-16) and 13th visiting expedition (VC-13) are aboard the Russian space vehicle. The vehicle crew includes Yuri Malenchenko (Russian cosmonaut-researcher from Yu.A. Gagarin CTC, commander, flight engineer-1 of ISS-16), Peggy Whitson (NASA astronaut, vehicle flight engineer, ISS-16 commander), as well as citizen of Malaysia, participant of space flight Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor.
The launch tasks are: scheduled rotation of two crewmembers of the 15th prime crew (ISS-15) – Fedor Yurchikhin (RSC Energia cosmonaut-researcher, ISS-15 commander) and Oleg Kotov (Yu.A. Gagarin CTC cosmonaut-researcher, ISS-15 flight engineer), as well as Soyuz TMA-10 vehicle, which was launched on April 7, 2007, and had been operating as part of the station configuration as ACRV since April 9, 2007. NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson who was delivered to the station by Atlantis on June 10, 2007, will stay aboard the station as a member of ISS-16. Reentry for landing of Fedor Yurchikhin, Oleg Kotov and Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor is to be performed by the Soyuz TMA-10 vehicle on October 21, 2007.
According to the telemetry information and crew reports, the Soyuz TMA-11 onboard systems are functioning within the design modes.
The vehicle processing and launch at the cosmodrome were performed under the direction of the State commission. The chairman of the State commission is A.N. Perminov, Director of the Federal Space Agency. The Commission took decisions on implementation of the processing and launch phases on the basis of conclusions of the Technical Management. V.A. Lopota, President and General Designer of RSC Energia, is the technical manager of flight tests of manned space complexes.
During final operations of processing and launch officials and specialists of the Corporation, representatives of Roscosmos, cooperating enterprises and organizations of Russia rocket & space industry, specialists of NASA, ESA and Malaysia worked at Baikonur.
The vehicle docking with the station is planned for October 12, 2007, at 18:52 Moscow time, to the Zarya FGB port of the ISS Russian segment. The station is ready to receive the new manned vehicle.

For reference:
The Soyuz TMA vehicles are being developed and manufactured by S.P. Korolev RSC Energia in cooperation with enterprises and organizations of the rocket & space industry of Russia. The first vehicle of this modification was launched under the ISS program on October 30, 2002, and landed on May 4, 2003.

Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia - Press Release

The Soyuz-FG integrated launch vehicle with the Soyuz TMA-11 transport manned spacecraft was launched to the International Space Station from the Baikonur cosmodrome at 17:22 Moscow time.
The crews of the ISS 16th prime expedition (ISS-16) and 13th visiting expedition (VC-13) are aboard the Russian space vehicle. The vehicle crew includes Yuri Malenchenko (Russian cosmonaut-researcher from Yu.A. Gagarin CTC, commander, flight engineer-1 of ISS-16), Peggy Whitson (NASA astronaut, vehicle flight engineer, ISS-16 commander), as well as citizen of Malaysia, participant of space flight Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor.



post continued below...

...continued from above.

Some hours before the launch...



Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia

Expedition 16 to Dock With Station Friday

Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko, along with spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, are scheduled to dock to the Earth-facing port of the International Space Station’s Zarya module on Friday about 10:52 a.m. EDT. Their Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Wednesday at 9:22 a.m.

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Image above: The Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft launches on time from
Baikonur Cosmodrome. Image at bottom: Peggy Whitson (upper right)
and Yuri Malenchenko are pictured inside the Soyuz during the climb to
orbit.
Credit: NASA TV

Meanwhile, the Expedition 15 crew has been busy readying the station as they prepare to greet their replacements and Malaysian guest.

Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov are scheduled to leave the station on Oct. 21, officially ending the Expedition 15 increment. Shukor will go home with the two cosmonauts. Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Clay Anderson will remain onboard with Expedition 16 and return to Earth next month aboard Discovery on its STS-120 mission.

Source: NASA - Space Station

October 12, 2007, S.P.Korolev RSC Energia, Korolev, Moscow region.
Russian manned spacecraft Soyuz TMA-11 has docked with the International Space Station.
The spacecraft made its approach to ISS after two days of free flight in low Earth orbit. The docking was performed in automatic mode.
The initial contact between the docking port on the space station Functional and Cargo Module Zarya and the docking unit of the spacecraft occurred at 18:50 Moscow Time. At that time the ISS was within coverage of the Russian ground tracking stations.

Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia

Expedition 16 Arrives at Station

Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson, Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko and spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor have arrived at the International Space Station. Their Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft docked to the Earth-facing port of the station’s Zarya module at 10:50 a.m. EDT Friday. The station’s new residents and their Malaysian guest launched at 9:22 a.m. EDT Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

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