News From Space - Expedition 7 Mission Journal Part 2

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For current info, see Part 3 of our Mission Journal.

09 May 2003 - Friday - Expedition Seven is settled into their new digs, while the returning trio are still in Russia, recovering from a long stay in zero-G. NASA reports:

Crew Completes First Workweek on Space Station
Expedition Seven Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu completed their first workweek alone aboard the International Space Station. Throughout the workweek, they continued to familiarize themselves with their new home and perform routine maintenance on the orbital outpost, including work on the station's toilet system and an inspection of the emergency lighting system. Also, both crewmembers participated in their first medical tests on the orbital outpost. The tests looked at heart activity, red blood cell count and body mass.

The station's previous crew, Expedition Six, is still in Star City, Russia, rehabilitating from its 5½-month stay in orbit. Commander Ken Bowersox and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit are slated to return to Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, later this month.

The cause of Expedition Six's off-target landing is still under investigation, but a software bug in the new spacecraft seems likely.

04 May 2003 - 2PM EDT - It appears from the post-landing video we've seen, that Ken Bowersox and Nikolai Budarin are in good health and spirits. Don Pettit was hardly seen (reports are that he was queasy from the return, and this was his first flight). It is not unusual for astronauts returning from long durations in zero-G to have some trouble adjusting to normal gravity, and we hope Don will be up and about soon. Sean O'Keefe will be on NASA TV at 5PM EDT, greeting the crew at Star City, Russia.
04 May - 1PM EDT - What caused the Soyuz capsule to stray so far from its intended landing zone? Was it human error? High winds? Bad software? The Russians have promised an investigation. Check the links at top right for play-by-play, and look for landing footage on NASA TV at1:30PM EDT! ISS pics here. Landing sequence demonstrated here.
04 May - Morning Update - After a tense night looking for the returning crew of the International Space Station, the trio are on their way to the city of Astana, Kazakhstan - as originally planned. After that, they will head to Russia. NASA reports:

Expedition Six Crew Lands in Kazakhstan
Expedition Six Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit landed at 9:07 p.m. CDT Saturday (0207 GMT Sunday) after spending more than five months at the International Space Station. The landing was also the first time U.S. astronauts have returned to Earth on a Soyuz.

Their Soyuz TMA-1 capsule touched down about about 460 kilometers (285 miles) short of its targeted area. They were located by a search aircraft about 11:30 p.m. CDT Saturday (0430 GMT Sunday). Reports indicate that all three crewmembers are in good health.

Their post-retrieval schedule includes going to Star City, Russia, where they will undergo physical rehabilitation and be debriefed at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. Bowersox and Pettit are slated to return to Houston, Texas, in mid-May.

Any post-landing video of the Expedition Six crew will be shown on NASA TV as soon as possible.

The Soyuz capsule was found on its side, about 440km (275 mi) from its target. The 2 astronauts and one cosmonaut were retrieved safe and sound, after a nail-biting search of almost 3 hours for the spacecraft.
04 May - 2:10AM EDT - Expedition Six is home safe, and we're signing off for tonight. Check the links at top right for play-by-play, and follow the landing on NASA TV!
04 May - 1:25AM EDT - NASA's Rob Navias checked in again. Expedition Six Lead Flight Surgeon Mike Duncan, and Expedition Seven Backup Commander Mike Foale are en route to the landing site. Everyone will meet at the Baikonur Cosmodrome (instead of the Kazakh capital, Astana) in a few hours. NASA reports:

Recovery Aircraft Locates Expedition Six Landing Site
A search aircraft located the landing site of the Soyuz TMA-1 spacecraft that was returning the Expedition Six crew from the International Space Station. The Soyuz touched down about [10:07PM EDT Saturday/0207 GMT Sunday]. The Soyuz landed about 460 kilometers (250 nautical miles) short of its targeted area. The recovery aircraft has been in contact with crewmembers and they appear to be in good health.

Helicopters carrying recovery technicians, medical personnel and U.S. and Russian officials are en route to the landing site. The crew will receive medical checkups once the helicopters arrive.

Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit just completed a 5 1/2-month stay at the station.

Earlier in the day, Bowersox handed over control of the International Space Station to Expedition Seven Commander Yuri Malenchenko during a change of command ceremony. Then Expedition Six said goodbye to Malenchenko and his crewmate, NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu, before entering the Soyuz. They undocked from the station at [6:43PM EDT/2243 GMT].

Malenchenko and Lu arrived at the station April 28 aboard the Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft and will spend six months aboard the ISS. They are slated to leave station in early November when the Expedition eight crewmembers replace them.
04 May - 1AM EDT - NASA's Rob Navias checked in with the good news on the visual contact with the Expedition Six crew from the Antonov-24 search plane. It can only circle the crew, it cannot land to pick them up, so we will have to wait for the helicopters to arrive. The crew has plenty of provisions and warm clothing. The search and recovery team is currently refueling the helicopters, and flight surgeons will be heading to meet the space trio. The Soyuz descent module landed softly at coordinates 49.37 deg North latitude, 61.2 deg East longitude, (460 km southwest of its intended target), placing it 200km north of the Aral Sea.
04 May - 12:47AM EDT - CONTACT! - More good news from that recon plane - the hatch is open, and the crew were waving to them, indicating that they are fine. There has been radio contact as well. The latest numbers are that the capsule landed 460km short of its target, which explains the initial delay in locating them. Note from Tony: OK, my nerves are shot. Thank God they made it home!
04 May - 12:37AM EDT - SPOTTED! - The lead aircraft (not a helicopter) has made visual contact with the Soyuz capsule. It is 240 nautical miles from its intended landing site, and reports are that it appears to be in good shape. The helicopter fleet will have to refuel in order to reach the Expedition Six crew. Estimates are that it will take 2 more hours to reach them.
04 May 2003 - 12:20AM EDT - Still no word from recovery forces. Weather conditions (cloud cover, light rain) may be delaying the four-helicopter fleet in their search for the Soyuz descent module. NASA had reported voice contact with the crew, but was that before or after touchdown?

03 May 2003 - 11:37PM EDT - As top NASA brass await word from recovery forces, we are standing by. Russian Mission Control reports radio contact with the Soyuz, and that helicopters are still searching for the capsule.
03 May 2003 - 11:07PM EDT - NASA Space Station Program Manager Bill Gerstenmaier, traveling with Russian recovery forces, estimates that it will be another 30 minutes before they reach the landing site, which is about 30km from the intended touchdown point.
03 May 2003 - 10:45PM EDT - NASA Public Affairs Officer Rob Navias, traveling with Russian recovery forces, reports that the capsule appears to have landed about 30km off-target. Still awaiting visual contact.
03 May 2003 - 10:25PM EDT - Still waiting for any video from the landing site. At ISS Mission Control in Korolov, the video display is showing a picture of a descent module on the ground, with a chopper in the air, but that is a generic picture (with "They Have Landed!" in Russian), not an actual visual from TMA-2. Four helicopters from the recovery crew are en route to the landing site. The Expedition 7 crew, now alone on the ISS, has heard of the safe return of their colleagues.
03 May 2003 - 10:10PM EDT - TOUCHDOWN! - We have confirmation that the Soyuz capsule with its crew of three, are safe on the ground (whew!). We are waiting to hear from ground forces as to when the hatch will be opened. The crew are adjusting to Earth gravity after 162 days in space.
03 May 2003 - 10:05PM EDT - WAITING FOR LANDING - The main parachute has deployed, and we are standing by to hear of the actual landing.
03 May 2003 - 9:57PM EDT - PARACHUTE DEPLOY - The Soyuz decent module is parachuting down to its landing site in Central Asia. We are waiting for confirmation for main chute deploy (we only have confirmation on the pilot chute so far).
03 May 2003 - 9:45PM EDT - The Soyuz decent module has separated from the instrument and orbital modules and is heading for a parachute landing in Kazakhstan at 10:07PM EDT.
03 May 2003 - Saturday - The Expedition Six crew has left the ISS and they are heading home. NASA reports:

Expedition Six Leaves Station, Heads Home
Expedition Six Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit bid farewell to the International Space Station and its new residents this afternoon and are on their way home. Their stay at the orbital outpost, which began Nov. 25, came to an end when their Soyuz TMA-1 spacecraft undocked from the orbital outpost at [6:43PM EDT/2243 GMT]. Landing is slated to occur about [10:07 EDT] tonight (0207 GMT Sunday) in Kazakhstan.

Prior to closing the hatches between the two vehicles, Bowersox handed over station command to Expedition Seven Commander Yuri Malenchenko about [2:15PM EDT/1815 GMT]. Expedition Seven, which also includes NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu, arrived at the ISS Monday aboard the Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft to begin a six-month tour of duty.

Undocking occurred as the two spacecraft flew over northeastern Asia. The landing forecast calls for rain and a temperature of about 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) at landing time, which is acceptable for landing.

Budarin is the Soyuz commander, while his former boss Bowersox is in the copilot's seat - the second American (after Ed Lu) to do so. Bowersox and Pettit will be the first NASA astronauts to make a landing in a Russian spacecraft (Dennis Tito, an American, was a private citizen on his flight to the ISS).

Check the links at top right for play-by-play, and follow the landing on NASA TV!

02 May 2003 - Friday - Expedition Six's stint on the ISS is drawing to a close. NASA reports:

Expedition Six to Return to Earth Saturday
Expedition Six Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit will bid farewell to the International Space Station and its new residents Saturday before returning to Earth. Their stay at the orbital outpost, which began Nov. 25, 2002, will come to an end when their Soyuz TMA-1 spacecraft undocks from the orbital outpost at [6:40PM EDT/2240 GMT].

Prior to closing the hatches between the two vehicles, Bowersox will hand over station command to Expedition Seven Commander Yuri Malenchenko. Expedition Seven, which also includes NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu, arrived at the ISS Monday aboard the Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft to begin a six-month tour of duty.

The two crews spent their workweek together conducting handover activities and joint operations. On Friday, Malenchenko and Lu familiarized themselves with the station's robot arm, Canadarm2, and both crews stowed equipment in the ISS and loaded equipment onto the TMA-1 spacecraft.

Expedition Six will return to Earth almost 3.5 hours after undocking. The TMA-1 is slated to touch down at [10:07PM EDT Saturday/0207 GMT Sunday] at 51 degrees 2 minutes north longitude and 67 degrees 1 minute east latitude. The weather forecast calls for rain and a temperature of about 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) at landing time, which is acceptable for landing.

Bowersox and Pettit will be the first NASA astronauts to land in a Soyuz spacecraft. Only one other American, Dennis Tito in 2001, has landed in a Soyuz.

Watch NASA TV to see Expedition Six landing coverage, beginning at [2PM EDT/1800 GMT] Saturday.

Check the links at top right for play-by-play.

01 May 2003 - Happy Space Day! - ISS press conference today at 11:13AM EDT (Russian first, then English). NASA reports:

Station Crews Continue Handover Activities
The International Space Station's out-going crew, Expedition Six, continued handover activities with the Expedition Seven crewmembers, who arrived Monday. In addition to briefings on station systems and operations, Expedition Six Commander Ken Bowersox and Expedition Seven NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu prepared U.S. spacesuits for use by the new crew. Expedition Seven Commander Yuri Malenchenko and Expedition Six Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin received cargo statements from the ground.

In other activities, Bowersox, Malenchenko, Lu and Expedition Six Science Officer Don Pettit reviewed software in preparation for Friday's robotic arm work. In the Destiny Laboratory Module, Pettit switched lenses on the Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle-School Students, or EarthKAM, experiment camera. Also, all five crewmembers participated in an interview with Russian media Thursday.

After a change of command ceremony Saturday, Expedition Six will enter the Soyuz TMA-1 spacecraft and return to Earth. Undocking is slated to take place at [6:40PM EDT/2240 GMT] Saturday, and landing is scheduled for [10:03PM EDT Saturday/0203 GMT Sunday]. The landing coordinates are 67 degrees east latitude and 51 degrees north longitude, which is near the town of Arkylyk, Kazakhstan. The weather forecast calls for rain with temperatures in the mid-50s at landing time.

Read Expedition Six NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit's latest Space Chronicle, "Homeward Bound," from aboard the International Space Station.

Follow the flight on NASA TV!

30 April 2003 - Wednesday - ISS press conference tomorrow at 11:13AM EDT (Russian first, then English). NASA reports:

Expedition Six Crew Trains for Return to Earth
With its time aboard the International Space Station coming to a close this weekend, the Expedition Six crew prepared for its departure and continued handover activities with the Expedition Seven crew Wednesday. Expedition Six crewmembers participated in descent training inside the Soyuz TMA-1 spacecraft -- the vehicle in which they will return to Earth.

Both crews continued the process of transferring control of the station to Expedition Seven, which arrived at the station Monday to begin a six-month stay. Also, the astronauts and cosmonauts participated in interviews with ABC's "Good Morning America" and NBC's "Today" show.

Expedition Six will leave the station aboard the Soyuz TMA-1 at [6:40PM EDT/2240 GMT] Saturday. They are scheduled to land in Kazakhstan at [10:03PM EDT Saturday/0203 GMT Sunday].

Learn more about how a Soyuz lands and check out the new Soyuz interactive. Check out the full schedule for upcoming Expedition Six and Seven coverage on NASA TV.

Follow the flight on NASA TV!

29 April 2003 - Tuesday - Docked operations continue aboard Space Station Alpha, as the joint crews held a press conference today. NASA reports:

ISS Crews Continue Handover, Brief Reporters
Handover activities continued Tuesday aboard the International Space Station during the first full day of joint operations between the Expedition Six and Seven crews. The Expedition Six crew, which has been on the ISS since late November 2002, spent time briefing its replacements -- Expedition Seven Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu -- about station systems and procedures.

Both crews also participated in a news conference that began at [11:30AM EDT/1530 GMT] Tuesday. They fielded questions from media in the United States and Russia.

The crews will continue joint operations throughout the week. Expedition Six Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit will have a training session inside the Soyuz TMA-1 spacecraft to prepare for their return to Earth. They will leave the station aboard the Soyuz TMA-1 at [6:40PM EDT/2240 GMT] Saturday. They are scheduled to land in Kazakhstan at [10:03PM EDT Saturday/0203 GMT Sunday].

Read Expedition Six NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit's latest Space Chronicle, "Homeward Bound", from aboard the International Space Station.

Check out the full schedule for upcoming Expedition Six and Seven coverage on NASA TV.

Follow the flight on NASA TV!

28 April 2003 - Hatches Open - Expedition 7 has arrived at the ISS in their Soyuz spacecraft, docking early this morning. NASA reports:

Expedition Seven Arrives at Station
Today aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition Six crew welcomed its first visitors in more than four months. After a successful docking, the hatches between the station and the Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft hatches were opened and the Expedition Seven Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu entered the ISS at [3:27AM EDT/0727 GMT]. They were welcomed by Expedition Six Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit, who have been aboard the orbital outpost since Nov. 25, 2002. Docking occurred at [1:56AM EDT/0556 GMT] as the two spacecraft sailed over Kazakhstan in central Asia.

Watch NASA TV to see the three astronauts and two cosmonauts aboard the ISS participate in a news conference, which begins Tuesday at [11:30AM EDT/1530 GMT].

Check out the full schedule for upcoming Expedition Six and Seven coverage on NASA TV.
Expedition Seven Mission Overview (136 Kb PDF)
Ask the ISS Crew Answers are available.
Read Flight Engineer Don Pettit's Space Chronicles.

Pics from post-docking news conference here.
28 April 2003 - DOCKED - Soyuz TMA-2, the first post-Columbia spaceflight, has arrived at Space Station Alpha. NASA reports:

Expedition Seven Arrives at Station
Two new residents have arrived at the International Space Station. The Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft linked up to the station this morning as they flew over Kazakhstan in central Asia. The Russian Soyuz docked to the Earth-facing port of the station's Zarya Module at 12:56 a.m. CDT (0556 GMT). Expedition Six Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit will welcome the Expedition Seven crew -- Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu -- aboard the station when the hatches to the Soyuz TMA-2 are opened later today about [3:20AM EDT/0720 GMT].

The two crews will conduct joint operations this week. Among their handover activities, Expedition Six crewmembers will brief the new crew about ongoing science and station maintenance activities. On Saturday, Expedition Six will depart the station and return to Earth aboard the Soyuz TMA-1 spacecraft, ending a stay at the orbital outpost that began Nov. 25, 2002.

Malenchenko and Lu are the first people to visit Expedition Six since STS-113 left Dec. 2, 2002. They are the first humans to be launched into space since Space Shuttle Columbia and the STS-107 crew were lost during re-entry on Feb. 1. Expedition Seven is slated to spend six months aboard the station.

Watch NASA TV to see the three astronauts and two cosmonauts aboard the ISS participate in a news conference at [11:25AM EDT/1525 GMT].

Check out the full schedule for upcoming Expedition Six and Seven coverage on NASA TV.

Stay tuned...