NASA and Its Partners Announce a New Space Station Crew

John Yembrick

Headquarters, Washington

Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters
Johnson Space Center, Houston

HOUSTON -- NASA and its international partners have assigned three new International Space Station crew members. They are targeted to launch to the station in November 2012 aboard the Russian Soyuz 33 spacecraft.

NASA astronaut and Statesville, N.C., native Tom Marshburn, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko will serve as flight engineers for the Expedition 34 mission.

NASA astronaut Kevin Ford and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin were previously announced as the other crew members for Expedition 34, which begins when Soyuz 31 undocks from the station in October 2012.

Expedition 35 will begin with the undocking of Soyuz 32 in March 2013. At that time, Hadfield will serve as station commander, with Marshburn and Romanenko continuing as flight engineers.

Three additional crew members for Expedition 35 have yet to be assigned. They will travel to the station aboard Soyuz 34 in March 2013.