Showing posts with label Space shuttle Atlantis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Space shuttle Atlantis. Show all posts

New Crew Launches to Join Expedition 29

New Crew Launches

Expedition 29 crew members Anton Shkaplerov, Anatoly Ivanishin and Dan Burbank are on their way to the International Space Station. The Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft carrying the new trio launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at 11:14 p.m. EST Sunday (10:14 a.m. Baikonur time Monday).

The Soyuz TMA-22 will dock to the Poisk mini-research module at 12:33 a.m. Wednesday. Expedition 29 Commander Mike Fossum and Flight Engineers Satoshi Furukawa and Sergei Volkov will welcome their new crewmates a little while later when they open the hatches about 2:55 a.m. Shkaplerov, Ivanishin and Burbank are scheduled to live and work aboard the orbiting laboratory until March.

NASA astronaut and Flight Engineer Dan Burbank is making his third visit to the International Space Station. His previous two visits were both aboard space shuttle Atlantis. He helped prepare the station for its first crew during STS-106 and helped install the P3/P4 truss during STS-115.


Space Shuttle Crew Set To Return To Earth Wednesday

Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member crew are expected to return to Earth on May 26, after a 12-day mission. NASA managers will evaluate weather conditions at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida before permitting Atlantis to land.

Wednesday landing opportunities at Kennedy are at 8:48 a.m. and 10:22 a.m. EDT. If Atlantis is unable to land Wednesday, additional opportunities are available at Kennedy on Thursday at 9:13 a.m. and 10:48 a.m. There are opportunities Friday at Kennedy and backup landing site Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

After touchdown, the astronauts will undergo routine physical examinations and meet with their families. The crew will participate in a post-landing news conference approximately four and a half hours after landing. The news events will be broadcast live on NASA Television and streamed on the agency's website.