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.

- end -

NASA Astronaut Available for Interviews Before Station Flight

Joshua Buck

Headquarters, Washington                                

202-358-1100

jbuck@nasa.gov

 

Jay Bolden

Johnson Space Center, Houston

281-483-5111

jay.e.bolden@nasa.gov

HOUSTON -- NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, making final preparations for a July launch to the International Space Station, will be available for live satellite interviews from 6 to 7 a.m. CDT Tuesday, June 26. The interviews will originate from Moscow and will be preceded at 5:30 a.m. by a feed of video documenting Williams' mission training.

Williams, a record-setting astronaut who lived and worked aboard the space station for six months in 2006, will be a flight engineer on the station's Expedition 32 crew. She will become commander of Expedition 33. Williams is scheduled to launch at 9:40 p.m. CDT July 14 (8:40 a.m. July 15 Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with Flight Engineers Yuri Malenchenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Williams is a native of Needham, Mass., and a 1987 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. After earning her commission, Williams served in various roles as a Navy officer before being selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in 1998. She received a master's degree from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1995.

Williams and her colleagues will be aboard the station during an exceptionally busy period that includes two spacewalks, the arrival of Japanese, U.S. commercial and Russian resupply vehicles, and an increasingly faster pace of scientific research.

To arrange an interview, news media representatives must contact Karen Svetaka at 281-483-8684 or karen.a.svetaka@nasa.gov by 2 p.m. Monday, June 25.

The NASA Live Interview Media Service (LIMS) satellite will be used for the interviews. LIMS satellite parameters will be provided by NASA to confirmed clients closer to the event.

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

 

For Williams' complete biography, visit http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/williams-s.html.

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

- end -

Next Soyuz Space Station Crew Prepares For Launch

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 -- The next residents of the International Space Station are making final preparations for a May 14 launch and NASA Television will provide live coverage of launch and docking.

This week, NASA Flight Engineer Joseph Acaba and his two Russian crewmates, Soyuz Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Sergei Revin, are completing their training, undergoing Soyuz spacecraft fit checks and taking part in traditional ceremonies. Video file documentation of the final preparations will be broadcast starting May 10.

Live NASA TV coverage of the Soyuz TMA-04M spacecraft launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan begins at 9 p.m. CDT on May 14 (May 15, Baikonur time), with launch scheduled for 10:01 p.m.

The trio will arrive at the station May 16, joining Expedition 31 Commander Oleg Kononenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Flight Engineer Don Pettit of NASA and Flight Engineer Andre Kuipers of the European Space Agency, who have been aboard since December 2011. Padalka, Acaba and Revin will transition to the Expedition 32 crew in July and return to Earth in mid-September.

NASA TV's scheduled coverage is as follows (all times Central):

Thursday, May 10

11:30 a.m. -- Video file of the Soyuz TMA-04M crew activities in Baikonur.

Friday, May 11

11 a.m. -- Video file of Soyuz TMA-04M crew activities in Baikonur.

Sunday, May 13

11 a.m. -- Video file of Soyuz TMA-04M rocket mating and rollout to the Baikonur launch pad.

Monday, May 14

11 a.m. -- Video file of the Soyuz TMA-04M final pre-launch crew news conference and Russian State Commission meeting in Baikonur.

9 p.m. -- Soyuz TMA-04M launch coverage (launch scheduled at 10:01 p.m.), including video of the crew's pre-launch activities and launch replays.

Tuesday, May 15

12 a.m. -- Video file of Soyuz TMA-04M pre-launch, launch video and post-launch interviews.

Wednesday, May 16

11 p.m. -- Soyuz TMA-04M docking coverage (docking scheduled at 11:38 p.m.) followed by a post-docking news conference from Mission Control in Korolev, Russia.

Thursday, May 17

2 a.m. -- Soyuz TMA-04M hatch opening and welcoming ceremony (hatch opening scheduled at 2:20 a.m.).

4 a.m. -- Video file of Soyuz TMA-04M docking, hatch opening and welcoming ceremony.

For NASA TV downlink, schedule updates and streaming video information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

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

- end -

NASA Television to Air Movements of Space Station Cargo Ships

Michael Curie

Headquarters, Washington     

202-358-1100

michael.curie@nasa.gov

 

Kelly Humphries

Johnson Space Center, Houston

281-483-5111

kelly.o.humphries@nasa.gov

HOUSTON -- NASA Television will broadcast the departure of one Russian Progress cargo ship from the International Space Station (ISS) and the arrival of another beginning on Thursday, April 19.

ISS Progress 46, which arrived at the station in January and has been filled with trash for disposal, will undock from the Pirs docking compartment at 6:03 a.m. CDT April 19. Russian flight controllers will command the resupply ship to leave the station for several days of tests, then send it to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. NASA TV coverage of undocking will begin at 5:45 a.m.

At 7:50 a.m. on April 20, the ISS Progress 47 cargo craft will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, loaded with 2.5 tons of food, fuel and supplies for the six crew members aboard the orbiting laboratory. NASA TV coverage of launch will begin at 7:30 a.m.

Expedition 30 Commander Dan Burbank of NASA and his five crewmates will monitor events as the Progress 47 automatically docks to the Pirs docking compartment at 9:40 a.m. Sunday, April 22. NASA TV coverage of the Progress's arrival at the station will begin at 9 a.m.

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

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

- end -

International Space Station Heads of Agencies Joint Statement

Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington     

WASHINGTON -- The heads of the International Space Station (ISS) agencies from Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia and the United States met in Quebec City, Canada, on March 1, 2012, to review the scientific, technological, and social benefits being produced through their collaboration, and to discuss plans for further broadening these benefits by continuing to advance the human exploration of space.

In reviewing the history of ISS development and the recent transition to a productive research and applications phase, three major areas of success were discussed: the historic engineering achievements, the unprecedented international partnership, and the ongoing progress being made through science. The heads noted that human exploration of space continues to yield valuable benefits to society and is strengthening partnerships among space-faring nations.

The heads also recognized the new opportunities for discovery made possible by maximizing the research capabilities of the ISS, as well as the growth in commercial endeavors and positive educational impact brought about by this permanent human presence in space. Biology, biotechnology, and human physiology research are producing new insights into human health on Earth with the development of promising applications supporting future medical therapies. Also a wide range of fluids and materials research yields a promising way for better and smarter materials and production processes on Earth. Observations captured from the ISS in the fields of x-ray astronomy, high-energy particle physics, and Earth remote sensing hint at discoveries to come as the ISS is increasingly used as a platform for the installation and operation of a wide variety of instruments supporting Earth and Space Sciences. Technology demonstrations in environmental control, robotic servicing, and advanced telecommunications and teleoperations are making it possible to eventually further extend human presence in space and continue to broaden improvements to the quality of life on Earth.

Recognizing the inspirational nature of the ISS as a human-tended outpost in space, the agency leaders applauded its strong role in motivating young people around the world to learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics. More than 40 million students have participated in human spaceflight to date through communications downlinks and interactive experiments with station crew members.

Highlighting the continued growth in the international user community, the first biannual “International Space Station Utilization Statistics” was released. The partnership also published “International Space Station Benefits for Humanity,” illustrating specific successful humanitarian accomplishments in education, human health, Earth observation and disaster response that will improve the lives of many throughout the world.

The ISS partnership began considering long-range opportunities to further advance human space exploration, so benefits from the ISS program will continue to grow through future exploration missions. In the near term, the heads of agencies committed to increase use of the ISS as a test bed in space for the demonstration of critical technologies and the mitigation of human health risks for exploration as a joint effort. For the long-term, they discussed opportunities to use the ISS as a foundation for the development of future exploration capabilities. The ISS partnership has created a global research facility in space that is unprecedented in capability and unique in human history. The heads of agency re-confirmed the importance of using the facility to benefit society today and provide a technological basis for continued human exploration of space in the future.

To read the “International Space Station Benefits for Humanity,” visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/benefits/index.html.

For more information about the ISS, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.

- end -