Showing posts with label gennady padalka. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gennady padalka. Show all posts

Monday, September 17, 2012

Expedition 32 Landing



The Soyuz TMA-04M spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 32 Commander Gennady Padalka of Russia, NASA Flight Engineer Joe Acaba and Russian Flight Engineer Sergie Revin in a remote area near the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, on Monday, September 17, 2012. Padalka, Acaba and Revin returned from five months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 31 and 32 crews.

Photo Credit: NASA/Carla Cioffi

Monday, July 2, 2012

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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Friday, June 15, 2012

Coverage Set For Next Soyuz Space Station Crew Rotation


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 -- Over the next several weeks, NASA Television will provide coverage of the departure of three crew members from the International Space Station and prelaunch, launch and arrival activities of three new residents.

Coverage will begin Wednesday, June 20, with the first of a series of Video Files of Expedition 32/33 Flight Engineers Suni Williams of NASA, Aki Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Yuri Malenchenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) participating in training and ceremonial activities at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.

On June 29, NASA TV will broadcast a change of command ceremony aboard the orbiting laboratory in which Expedition 31 Commander Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos will hand over the reins of command to Gennady Padalka. Padalka, a cosmonaut for Roscosmos, will become the International Space Station's first three-time commander. When the Soyuz TMA-03M undocks on June 30, Expedition 31 will transition to Expedition 32 under Padalka's command.

Kononenko and Flight Engineers Don Pettit of NASA and Andre Kuipers of the European Space Agency will depart the station in their Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft June 30 for a July 1 landing in Kazakhstan to complete their six-and-a-half-month mission. Two weeks later, July 14 (July 15 in Kazakhstan), Williams, Hoshide and Malenchenko will launch to the station in the Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The three will arrive at the station July 16 to join Padalka and Flight Engineers Joe Acaba of NASA and Sergei Revin of Roscosmos, who have been aboard the station since mid-May.

NASA TV's scheduled coverage includes (all times Central):

Wednesday, June 20
11 a.m. -- Video File of the Expedition 32/33 (Suni Williams, Yuri Malenchenko, Aki Hoshide) qualification training simulation runs at Star City, Russia.

Saturday, June 30
8:15 p.m. -- Expedition 31 farewells and hatch closure coverage (hatch closure at 8:40 p.m.)
11:30 p.m. -- Expedition 31/Soyuz TMA-03M undocking coverage (undocking at 11:53 p.m.)

Sunday, July 1
2 a.m. -- Expedition 31/Soyuz TMA-03M deorbit burn and landing coverage (deorbit burn at 2:19 a.m., landing at 3:15 a.m.)

Saturday, July 14
8:30 p.m. -- Expedition 32/33 Soyuz TMA-05M launch coverage (includes video b-roll of the crew's prelaunch activities at 8:45 p.m.; launch scheduled at 9:40 p.m.)

Monday, July 16
11:15 p.m. -- Expedition 32/33 Soyuz TMA-05M docking coverage (docking at 11:50 p.m. followed by post-docking news conference from Mission Control in Korolev, Russia)

Tuesday, July 17
2:15 a.m. -- Expedition 32/33 Soyuz TMA-05M hatch opening and welcoming ceremony coverage (hatch opening and welcoming ceremony at 2:45 a.m.)

Additional Video File footage of the Expedition 32/33 crew's pre-launch activities in Star City, Russia; Moscow; and Baikonur, Kazakhstan will be broadcast on NASA TV on June 22 and July 2, 10, 11, 12 and 13. Post-launch and post-docking Video Files will air on NASA TV on July 14 and 17. Video Files involving the Expedition 31 crew activities following their Soyuz landing in Kazakhstan will air on July 1.

For NASA's complete list of Soyuz landing and launch coverage, visit http://go.nasa.gov/NTVsched.

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

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

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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Expedition 31 Trio Blasts Off for International Space Station


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 -- NASA Flight Engineer Joseph Acaba, Russian Soyuz Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Sergei Revin blasted off for the International Space Station at 10:01 p.m. CDT Monday, May 14 (9:01 a.m. Baikonur time on May 15), from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Acaba, Padalka and Revin are scheduled to dock their Soyuz TMA-04M spacecraft to the Poisk module of the station at 11:38 p.m. Wednesday, May 16. They will join Expedition 31 Commander Oleg Kononenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Flight Engineers Don Pettit of NASA and André Kuipers of the European Space Agency, who have been aboard the orbiting laboratory since Dec. 23, 2011. The six astronauts and cosmonauts will work together for about two months.

NASA Television will provide live docking coverage beginning at 11 p.m. on May 16. Hatch opening and welcoming ceremonies will occur about three hours later on May 17.

Upon arrival, Acaba, Padalka and Revin will become members of the Expedition 31 crew, restoring the station's crew complement to six and continuing scientific research aboard the station.

Pettit, Kononeko and Kuipers are scheduled to return to Earth on July 1. Acaba, Padalka and Revin will return home in mid-September.

Also on board with the crew was a small "Smokey Bear" plush toy serving as the traditional Soyuz "talisman." Smokey Bear is the U.S. national symbol for wildfire prevention. Prior to the flight, Acaba explained he proposed flying Smokey Bear in an effort to raise awareness of human-caused wildfires. Acaba, an avid outdoorsman, holds two degrees in geology and served as an environmental education awareness promoter while in the U.S. Peace Corps.

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

To follow Twitter updates from NASA's Expedition 31 astronauts, visit https://twitter.com/astro_Pettit , https://twitter.com/AstroAcaba.

For more information about Expedition 31 and the space station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.

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Tuesday, May 8, 2012

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.

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