. 24/7 Space News .
Crew To Reshuffle Space Station Parking Spaces

A Soyuz spacecraft is docked to the International Space Station.
by Staff Writers
Houston TX (SPX) Mar 14, 2006
International Space Station Commander Bill McArthur and Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev will vacate the orbiting facility temporarily March 20 to move a Soyuz spacecraft.

"It's like shuffling parking spaces in your driveway," NASA spokesman Allard Beutel told SpaceDaily.com.

Beutel explained the maneuver is necessary to free the docking port in the Russian Zarya module for the March 31 arrival of another Soyuz carrying the next station crew, including Expedition 13 Commander Pavel Vinogradov and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams.

Early Monday morning Eastern Time, Tokarev will undock the Soyuz and along with McArthur will fly the Soyuz free of the station for about 35 minute flight, moving the craft from the Zarya port to the aft docking port of the Zvezda living quarters module.

Though the task is considered routine, it is not without complications. McArthur and Tokarev first must prepare the space station to operate temporarily without a crew, in case some unforeseen event requires them to return to Earth prematurely on the Soyuz. They also have to prepare the spacecraft for a possible re-entry flight before they detach it from the Zarya port.

The next station crew will launch March 29 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, along with Brazilian Space Agency astronaut Marcos Pontes, who will spend about a week on the station before returning with McArthur and Tokarev.

The arriving Soyuz will spend about six months docked at Zarya, Beutel said.

Related Links
Station at NASA



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


US Russian ISS Astronauts To Welcome European Colleague
Star City, Russia (AFP) Mar 15, 2006
The Russian and US astronauts leaving March 30 for the International Space Station said Tuesday they would welcome the arrival of the first European to undertake a long-term mission there.







  • Russia Signs Space Cooperation Deal With Europe
  • Space Tourism Companies Reaching For The Stars
  • Kinesix Selected By Bigelow For Launch of First Inflatable Space Module
  • SPACEHAB Joins List of NASA COTS Proposals

  • Building The First Martian Map Of The 21st Century
  • Years Of Observing Combined Into Best-Yet Look At Mars Canyon
  • Mars Rover Update: Opportunity Captures Panorama At Payson
  • Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Safely In Orbit

  • Prep Begins For Next Ariane 5 Launch
  • Weather Forces Postponement For ST5 Launch
  • Fourth Time Is The Charm For Ariane 5
  • NASA ST5 Mission On Target For Tuesday Launch

  • Goodrich Delivers True Color Images On Japanese EO Satellite
  • International Symposium On Radar Altimetry To Meet In Venice
  • Satellites Ensure Safe Passage Through Treacherous Waters In Ocean Race
  • ESA Satellite Program Monitors Dangerous Ocean Eddies

  • To Pluto And Beyond
  • New Horizons Update: 'Boulder' and 'Baltimore'
  • New Horizons Set For A Comfortable Cruise Out To Jupiter And Pluto Transfer
  • Questioning Pluto

  • Dark Matter Constituent May Have Lit First Stars
  • Record-Breaking Luminosity Boosts Potential Of Tevatron Collider
  • 'Tricorder' Could ID Alien Gems and Minerals
  • Arecibo Detector Is Discovering Thousands Of Galaxies

  • SMART-1 Tracks Crater Lichtenberg And Young Lunar Basalts
  • Quantum Technique Can Foil Hackers
  • Noah's Ark On The Moon
  • X PRIZE Foundation And The $2M Lunar Lander Challenge

  • Trimble Introduces Quadband GSM/GPRS Version of the TrimTrac Locator
  • Getting Lost May Soon Become A Thing Of The Past
  • GIOVE A Transmits Loud And Clear
  • Lockheed Martin Flight Tests Paveway II Dual Mode Laser Guided Bomb

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement