Expedition 30 and 31 Astronaut Don Pettit Available for Interviews

Trent J. Perrotto

Headquarters, Washington

202-358-0321

trent.j.perrotto@nasa.gov

 

Jay Bolden

Johnson Space Center, Houston

281-483-5111

jay.e.bolden@nasa.gov

HOUSTON -- Just back from his mission aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Don Pettit will be available for live satellite interviews from 6 to 7 a.m. CDT, Thursday, July 12.

Pettit and his crew mates, Expedition 31 Flight Engineer Andre Kuipers of the European Space Agency and Commander Oleg Kononenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency, returned to Earth in their Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft July 1. Pettit completed 193 days in space as a member of the Expedition 30 and 31 crews during his third space flight. Together with his previous space station expedition and space shuttle flights, Pettit is fourth among U.S. space fliers with 370 days in space. He also has two spacewalks to his credit.

Pettit and his space station crew members spent the majority of their time aboard the orbiting laboratory performing science experiments. Their efforts supported more than 200 scientific investigations involving more than 400 researchers around the world. The studies ranged from integrated investigations of the human cardiovascular and immune systems to fluid, flame and robotic research. They also welcomed the first commercial cargo vehicle to the station, the SpaceX Dragon, which Pettit caught and berthed to the complex using the station's robotic arm.

During Expedition 30 and 31, Pettit also used household objects aboard the station to perform a variety of unusual physics experiments for the video series "Science Off the Sphere." Through these demonstrations, Pettit showed more than a million Internet viewers how space affects scientific principles.

Pettit is a native of Silverton, Ore., and a 1978 graduate of Oregon State University. He earned a doctorate in 1983 from Arizona State University and worked as a scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory before being selected by NASA as an astronaut in 1996.

To arrange an interview, news media representatives must contact Karen Svetaka at 281-483-8684 or karen.a.svetaka@nasa.gov by 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 11.

The interviews will be preceded by a feed of video b-roll material of Pettit and his mission at 5:30 a.m. The interviews will be seen live on NASA TV's public and media channels.

For NASA Television streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

For Pettit's biography, visit http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/pettit.html.

To watch "Science Off the Sphere" videos, visit http://www.physicscentral.com/sots.

For more information about the International Space Station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.

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Trio From International Space Station Lands Safely in Kazakhstan

Joshua Buck

Headquarters, Washington

202-358-1100

jbuck@nasa.gov

 

Kelly Humphries

Johnson Space Center, Houston

281-483-5111

kelly.o.humphries@nasa.gov

HOUSTON -- Three members of the Expedition 31 crew undocked from the International Space Station and returned safely to Earth Sunday, July 1, wrapping up a mission that lasted six-and-a-half months.

Russian Commander Oleg Kononenko, NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Andre Kuipers landed their Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft in Kazakhstan at 3:14 a.m. CDT (2:14 p.m. local time) after undocking from the space station's Rassvet module at 11:47 p.m. June 30. The trio, which arrived at the station Dec. 23, 2011, spent a total of 193 days in space, 191 of which were aboard the station.

During their expedition, the crew supported more than 200 scientific investigations involving more than 400 researchers around the world. The studies ranged from integrated investigations of the human cardiovascular and immune systems to fluid, flame and robotic research.

Before leaving the station, Kononenko handed over command of Expedition 32 to the Russian Federal Space Agency's Gennady Padalka, who remains aboard the station with NASA astronaut Joe Acaba and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Revin. NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide will join them July 17. Williams, Malenchenko and Hoshide are scheduled to launch July 14 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

On June 25, Pettit celebrated achieving one cumulative year in space, combining his time in orbit on Expedition 6, Expedition 30/31 and the STS-126 space shuttle Endeavour flight to the station in November 2008. Pettit now has 370 days in space, placing him fourth among U.S. space fliers for the longest time in space.

During Expedition 31, Pettit also used household objects aboard the station to perform a variety of unusual physics experiments for the video series "Science Off the Sphere." Through these demonstrations, Pettit showed more than a million Internet viewers how space affects scientific principles.

To watch "Science Off the Sphere" videos, visit http://www.physicscentral.com/sots.

To follow Twitter updates from NASA's Expedition 31 and 32 astronauts, visit http://twitter.com/Astro_Suni , https://twitter.com/AstroAcaba , https://twitter.com/Aki_Hoshide.

For more information about Expedition 32 and the space station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.

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Picture Perfect Landing

The Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 31 Commander Oleg Kononenko of Russia and Flight Engineers Don Pettit of NASA and Andre Kuipers of the European Space Agency in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on Sunday, July 1, 2012.

Pettit, Kononenko and Kuipers returned from more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 30 and 31 crews.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

NASA Administrator Calls Station Following SpaceX Historic Feat

Allard Beutel

Headquarters, Washington

202-358-2191

allard.beutel@nasa.gov

WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden offered his congratulations to the International Space Station Expedition 31 crew and mission flight control teams at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., following Friday's successful first-time berthing of a commercial company spacecraft, SpaceX's Dragon, to the space station.

Bolden talked with NASA astronauts Don Pettit and Joe Acaba, and European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers during a call to the space station Friday afternoon live on NASA Television. Bolden told the crew, "You made history today and have firmly locked into place the future direction of America's space program."

To view the call between Bolden and the Expedition 31 astronauts, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3Smw7rz1FU.

At 9:56 a.m. EDT Friday, Pettit used the station's robotic arm to grapple Dragon. Kuipers then used the arm to attach the capsule to the station's Harmony node at 11:52 a.m. Acaba completed berthing operations by remotely bolting the Dragon to Harmony at 12:02 p.m. The crew members spent the rest of their day preparing to open the hatches between the two spacecraft on Saturday morning.

The SpaceX demonstration mission to the space station is the second under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, which provides investments intended to lead to regular resupply missions to the station and stimulate the commercial space industry in the United States.

For more information about the SpaceX mission to the space station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/spacex.

For information about the International Space Station and the Expedition 31 crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.

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Spacex Dragon Attached To Space Station In Spaceflight First

Trent J. Perrotto

Headquarters, Washington                                   

202-358-0321

trent.j.perrotto@nasa.gov

 

Josh Byerly

Johnson Space Center, Houston

281-483-5111

josh.byerly@nasa.gov

HOUSTON -- The International Space Station's Expedition 31 crew grappled and attached SpaceX's Dragon capsule to the space station Friday. This is the first time a commercial company has accomplished this type of space operation.

"Today marks another critical step in the future of American spaceflight," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "Now that a U.S. company has proven its ability to resupply the space station, it opens a new frontier for commercial opportunities in space -- and new job creation opportunities right here in the U.S. By handing off space station transportation to the private sector, NASA is freed up to carry out the really hard work of sending astronauts farther into the solar system than ever before. The Obama Administration has set us on an ambitious path forward and the NASA and SpaceX teams are proving they are up to the task."

Following a series of system tests and a successful fly-under of the space station Thursday, the Dragon capsule was cleared by NASA to approach the station Friday. Dragon then performed a series of intricate test maneuvers as it approached the orbiting laboratory. These maneuvers were required to demonstrate the maneuvering and abort capability of Dragon prior to approaching and moving into a 65-foot (20-meter) "berthing box" where it was grappled by NASA astronaut Don Pettit using the station's robotic arm at 9:56 a.m. EDT.

European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers installed the capsule on the bottom of the station's Harmony node at 11:52 a.m. NASA astronaut Joe Acaba completed berthing operations by bolting the Dragon to Harmony at 12:02 p.m.

"Congratulations to the SpaceX and NASA teams," said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "There is no limit to what can be accomplished with hard work and preparation. This activity will help the space station reach its full research potential and open up space-based research to a larger group of researchers. There is still critical work left in this test flight. Dragon-attached operations and cargo return are challenging and yet to be accomplished."

The Dragon capsule lifted off Tuesday from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The demonstration mission is the second under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, which provides investments intended to lead to regular resupply missions to the space station and stimulate the commercial space industry in America.

"The investments made by the United States to stimulate the commercial space industry are paying off," said Philip McAlister, director for Commercial Spaceflight Development at NASA Headquarters. "SpaceX achieved what until now was only possible by a few governments, and the company did it with relatively modest funding from the government.

The Dragon capsule is delivering 1,014 pounds of supplies to the station, which includes non-critical experiments, food, clothing and technology. Crew members will open the hatch to the capsule Saturday and unload the cargo during a four-day period. Dragon then will be loaded with 1,367 pounds of hardware and cargo no longer needed aboard the station in preparation for the spacecraft's return to Earth. Dragon and station hatches will be closed on May 30.

On May 31, the Expedition 31 crew members will detach Dragon from Harmony, maneuver it to a 33-foot release point and un-grapple the capsule. Dragon will deorbit approximately four hours after leaving the station, taking about 30 minutes to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and landing in the Pacific Ocean about 250 miles west of southern California.

For up-to-date SpaceX mission information and a schedule of NASA Television coverage, visit http://www.nasa.gov/spacex.

For more information about the International Space Station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.

For more information about NASA's commercial space programs, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial.

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