American Space Preeminence: Fwd: Soyuz lands in Kazakhstan returning ISS crewmembers

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From: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Date: September 11, 2014 11:07:59 PM CDT
To: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Subject: FW: Soyuz lands in Kazakhstan returning ISS crewmembers

Новости Роскосмоса
ТПК «Союз ТМА-12М» в автономном полете
11.09.2014 03:03
11 сентября в 03:01 по московскому времени транспортный пилотируемый корабль (ТПК) «Союз ТМА-12М» с космонавтами Роскосмоса Александром Скворцовым, Олегом Артемьевым и астронавтом NASA Стивеном Свонсоном штатно отстыковался от малого исследовательского модуля «Поиск» (МИМ2) российского сегмента Международной космической станции.
Приземление спускаемого аппарата ТПК «Союз ТМА-12М» запланировано на 06:25 мск 11 сентября в 148 км юго-восточнее г. Жезказган (Республика Казахстан).
Пресс-служба Роскосмоса

TPK "Soyuz TMA-12M" in free flight
09/11/2014 3:03
September 11 at 03:01 Moscow time manned transport spacecraft (WPK) "Soyuz TMA-12M" Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev and NASA astronaut Steven Swanson nominally undocked from the Mini Research Module "Search" (MRM2) of the Russian segment of the International Space station.
Landing lander TPK "Soyuz TMA-12M" is scheduled for 6:25 MSK September 11, 148 km south-east of Zhezkazgan (Republic of Kazakhstan).
Roscosmos press service

Новости Роскосмоса
Экипаж ТПК «Союз ТМА-12М» вернулся на Землю
11.09.2014 06:29
11 сентября в 06 часов 23 минут московского времени юго-восточнее города Жезказган (Республика Казахстан) совершил посадку спускаемый аппарат транспортного пилотируемого корабля (ТПК) «Союз ТМА-12М». Посадка прошла в штатном режиме.
На Землю вернулся экипаж МКС-39/40 в составе командира ТПК, космонавта Александра Скворцова (Роскосмос), космонавта Олега Артемьева (Роскосмос) и астронавта Стивена Свонсона (NASA). Завершившийся полет стал для Александра Скворцова вторым в карьере, а для Олега Артемьева дебютным. Астронавт, командир МКС-40 Стивен Свонсон совершил свой третий полет.
На орбите продолжает работу экипаж МКС-40/41 в составе: командир Максим Сураев (Роскосмос), бортинженеры Рид Вайсман (NASA) и Александр Герст (ESA).
Космический корабль «Союз ТМА-12М» был выведен на орбиту 26 марта 2014 года с помощью ракеты-носителя «Союз-ФГ», запущенной с космодрома Байконур. Стыковка космического корабля с исследовательским модулем «Поиск» (МИМ2) состоялась 28 марта. В общей сложности продолжительность космического полета экипажа МКС-39/40 составил 169 суток.

Пресс-служба Роскосмоса

TPK crew "Soyuz TMA-12M" returned to Earth
09/11/2014 6:29
September 11 at 6:00 Moscow time on 23 minutes south-east of the city Zheskazgan (Kazakhstan) landed lander transport manned vehicle (WPK) "Soyuz TMA-12M." Planting took place in the normal mode.
Returned to Earth ISS-39/40 as part of the commander of the WPK, cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov (Roscosmos), cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev (Roscosmos) and astronaut Steven Swanson (NASA). Complete the project was for Alexander Skvortsov second in his career, and for Oleg Artemyev debut. Astronaut, commander of the ISS-40 Steven Swanson made his third flight.
In orbit continues ISS-40/41 of commander Maxim Suraev (Roscosmos), flight engineers Reid Wiseman (NASA) and Alexander Gerst (ESA).
The spacecraft "Soyuz TMA-12M" was launched on 26 March 2014 with the help of the carrier rocket "Soyuz-FG", launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Spacecraft docking with the research unit "Search" (MRM2) was held on March 28. In total duration space flight ISS-39/40 was 169 days.

Roscosmos press service

Новости Роскосмоса
Завершилась космическая экспедиция Александра Скворцова и Олега Артемьева
11.09.2014 12:12
Сегодня после полугодовой космической командировки экипаж МКС-39/40 вернулся на Землю. Два российских космонавта Александр Скворцов и Олег Артемьев, входящие в состав экипажа, вскоре прибудут на подмосковный аэродром «Чкаловский», там их встретят руководство Роскосмоса и Центра подготовки космонавтов, представители СМИ, коллеги, друзья и родственники. Оба космонавта чувствуют себя хорошо и пребывают в отличном настроении.
Завершившийся полет стал вторым в карьере Александра Скворцова. Первая работа Александра Александровича на орбите в качестве командира ТПК «Союз ТМА-18» и бортинженера МКС-23/24 длилась 176 суток с 2 апреля по 25 сентября 2010 года. После полета 12 апреля 2011 года Александр Скворцов был удостоен звания Героя Российской Федерации. Теперь суммарная продолжительность пребывания Александра Скворцова на орбите составляет 345 суток.
Для Олега Артемьева полет в качестве бортинженера МКС-39/40 стал дебютным. Путь к осуществлению мечты занял у Олега Германовича около 11 лет - в 2003 году он был зачислен в отряд космонавтов РКК «Энергия».
В ходе экспедиций МКС-39/40 Александр Скворцов и Олег Артемьев провели около 648 сеансов работ по 50 научным экспериментам, а также осуществили два выхода в открытый космос общей продолжительностью 12 часов 24 минуты. Несмотря на загруженный рабочий график, российские космонавты находили время для публикации фотографий и видео о жизни на орбите в социальных сетях и на сайте Роскосмоса, благодаря чему тысячи людей по всему миру стали немного ближе к космосу. Запомнятся и многочисленные видеопоздравления экипажа с праздниками. Первоклашки 2014 года вряд ли забудут, как на первой в их жизни линейке космонавты с орбиты желали им отличных оценок в учебном году. А космические загадки Олега Артемьева многих заставили снова открыть атлас мира и помогли больше узнать о нашей прекрасной планете.
Через 169 дней космического полета Утёсы (позывной экипажа МКС-39/40) вернулись домой. Спускаемый аппарат транспортного пилотируемого корабля «Союз ТМА-12М» совершил посадку в 148 км. юго-восточнее города Жезказган (Республика Казахстан).

Пресс-служба Роскосмоса

Finished space expedition Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev
09/11/2014 12:12
Today, after a semi-space mission ISS-39/40 returned to Earth. Two Russian cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev, members of the crew, will soon arrive at the airfield outside Moscow, "Chkalov", where they will meet management Roscosmos and Cosmonauts Training Center, representatives of the media, colleagues, friends and relatives. Both cosmonauts feel well and are in a good mood.
Ended the flight was the second of his career Alexander Skvortsov. The first work of Aleksandr Aleksandrovich in orbit as commander of the WPK "Soyuz TMA-18" and ISS-23/24 lasted 176 days from 2 April to 25 September 2010. After the flight, April 12, 2011 Alexander Skvortsov was awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation. Now the total number of days of Alexander Skvortsov orbit is 345 days.
For Oleg Artemyev flight as a flight engineer of the ISS-39/40 was the debut. The path to the realization of the dream took Oleg Germanovich about 11 years - in 2003, he was enrolled in the cosmonaut RSC "Energia".
During the ISS-39/40 Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev spent about 648 sessions of work on 50 scientific experiments and carried out two spacewalks total of 12 hours 24 minutes. Despite the heavy work schedule, Russian cosmonauts found time to publish photos and videos about life in orbit in social networks and online Roscosmos, allowing thousands of people around the world got a little closer to the cosmos. Remembered and numerous video greetings crew on holidays. First-graders in 2014 is unlikely to be forgotten, as the first in their life line astronauts orbit wished them excellent marks in the school year. A cosmic mysteries Oleg Artemyev many forced to re-open an atlas of the world and helped to learn more about our beautiful planet.
Through 169 days of spaceflight Cliffs (ISS-call 39/40) returned home. Lander transport manned spacecraft "Soyuz TMA-12M" landed at 148 km. south-east of the city Zheskazgan (Republic of Kazakhstan).

Roscosmos press service

The ISS 39/40 crew of A. Skvortsov, O. Artemiev and S. Swanson are back on the Earth!
September 11, 2014
At 06:23 Moscow Time, the descent vehicle of Soyuz TMA-12M manned transport spacecraft landed in its designated landing area 148 kilometers to the South-East of Jezkazgan in the Republic of Kazakstan. All operations relating to the descent, search and landing of the descent vehicle went normally.

September 11, 2014
The ISS 39/40 crew of A. Skvortsov, O. Artemiev and S. Swanson are back on the Earth!
At 06:23 Moscow Time, the descent vehicle of Soyuz TMA-12M manned transport spacecraft landed in its designated landing area 148 kilometers to the South-East of Jezkazgan in the Republic of Kazakstan. All operations relating to the descent, search and landing of the descent vehicle went normally.
Russian cosmonauts Аlexander Skvortsov, Оleg Аrtemiev and US astronaut Steven Swanson have completed their mission to the International Space Station (ISS) under the program of ISS 39/40 Expedition.
At the Mission Control Center near Moscow (MCC-M), the operations in support of the spacecraft de-orbiting maneuvers and re-entry, the search for the landed DV and evacuation of the crew from it were performed under the supervision of the State Commission for flight tests of manned space complexes and Technical Management for flight tests of manned space complexes.
During re-entry the flight was controlled by the Lead Operations Control Team (Flight Director is the First Deputy General Designer of RSC Energia V.A.Soloviev) working at MCC-M in cooperation with specialists of the Air and Space Search and Rescue, other Russian organizations and services, as well as the US Mission Control Center in Houston.
The final descent and landing operations of the spacecraft were witnessed by representatives of Roskosmos, NASA and other foreign space agencies, Russian companies and organizations involved in implementation of the ISS program who were present at MCC-M.
Currently continuing their work onboard the ISS is the ISS-41 crew consisting of Russian cosmonaut М. Suraev, US astronaut R. Wiseman and astronaut of the European Space Agency А. Gerst.

For information:
RSC Energia is the prime manned space flight organization in the Russian rocket and space industry, responsible for the development of the ISS Russian Segment, its integration into the Space Station and its operation, including development and operation of the principal modules of the Segment (Zvezda, Pirs, Poisk, Rassvet, Nauka, etc.), manufacturing, launch and operation of Soyuz TMA and Progress M spacecraft.
The duration of the space flight of А. Skvortsov, О. Аrtemiev and S. Swanson was more than 169 days 5 hours 6 min.

RSC Energia pictures

© 2000 - 2014 S.P. Korolev RSC "Energia"

September 10, 2014
RELEASE 14-243

Space Station Expedition 40 Crew Returns to Earth, Lands Safely in Kazakhstan
Three crew members from the International Space Station (ISS) returned to Earth Wednesday after 169 days of science and technology research in space, including a record 82 hours of research in a single week, which happened in July.
A trio of International Space Station crew members returned to Earth and landed in Kazakhstan at 10:23 p.m. EDT on Sept. 10, 2014 (8:23 a.m., Sept. 11, in local time) after spending 167 days aboard the orbital laboratory. Seen left to right, Oleg Artemyev and Alexander Skvortsov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and NASA's Steve Swanson were examined by medical personnel after being removed from their Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
Image Credit: NASA Television

Expedition 40 Commander Steve Swanson of NASA and Flight Engineers Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) touched down southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan at 10:23 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept. 10 (8:23 a.m., Sept. 11, in Dzhezkazgan).
During their time aboard the space station, the crew members participated in a variety of research focusing on Earth remote sensing, human behavior and performance and studies of bone and muscle physiology.
One of several key research focus areas during Expedition 40 was human health management for long duration space travel as NASA and Roscosmos prepare for two crew members to spend one year aboard the orbiting laboratory in 2015.
During their time on the station, the crew members orbited Earth more than 2,700 times, traveled more than 71.7 million miles and welcomed five cargo spacecraft. Two Russian ISS Progress cargo spacecraft docked to the station bringing tons of supplies in April and July. The fifth and final European Space Agency (ESA) Automated Transfer Vehicle also launched to the station in July with the spacecraft bearing the name of Belgian physicist Georges Lemaitre, who is considered the father of the big-bang theory.
SpaceX launched a Dragon cargo spacecraft to the station in April, the company's third of at least 12 planned commercial resupply missions. In July, Orbital Sciences' Cygnus spacecraft completed its third of at least eight resupply missions scheduled through 2016 under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract.
During his time on the complex, Swanson ventured outside the confines of the space station for a spacewalk to replace a backup computer relay box that unexpectedly failed. Skvortsov and Artemyev conducted two spacewalks during Expedition 40, totaling 12 hours and 34 minutes.
The space station is more than a scientific research platform. It also serves as a test bed to demonstrate new technology. Even routine tasks, such as monitoring and operating the carbon dioxide removal system, provides valuable data for next-generation life support systems. Carbon dioxide removal from the pressurized compartments of the station proved to work differently in space than predicted by ground tests. The crew also saw the arrival of the Haptics-1 experiment, part of an effort to develop technology that would allow an astronaut in orbit to control a robot as it explores its target, such as an asteroid or Mars, during future human exploration missions.
Having completed his third space station mission, Swanson now has spent a total of 196 days in space. Skvortsov has accumulated 345 days in space on two flights, and Artemyev accrued 169 days in space on his first mission.
Expedition 41 now is operating aboard the station with Max Suraev of Roscosmos in command. Suraev and his crewmates, Flight Engineers Reid Wiseman of NASA and Alexander Gerst of ESA, will tend to the station as a three-person crew until the arrival in two weeks of three new crew members: Barry Wilmore of NASA and Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova of Roscosmos. Wilmore, Samokutyaev and Serova are scheduled to launch from Kazakhstan Thursday, Sept. 25.
For more information on the International Space Station and its crews, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
For b-roll and other media resources, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/stationnews
-end-
Joshua Buck
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
jbuck@nasa.gov
Dan Huot
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
daniel.g.huot@nasa.gov

Soyuz with Russian cosmonauts and US astronaut undocks from ISS

September 11, 4:04 UTC+4
The ship's landing module is to land in Kazakhstan at 06:25 a.m. Moscow time

© EPA/ESA
KOROLYOV /Moscow region/, September 11. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia's Soyuz TMA-12M manned spaceship with Russian cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov, Oleg Artyomyev and NASA astronaut Steven Swanson has undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) and in now heading for the Earth, a spokesman for the mission control centre told ITAR-TASS early on Thursday.
The ship's landing module is to land in Kazakhstan at 06:25 a.m. Moscow time.
"Soyuz TMA-12M undocked from the ISS at 03:00 a.m. Moscow time on Thursday. The flight proceeds as per normal, Alexander Skvortsov, Oleg Artyomyev and Steven Swanson feel well," the spokesman said.
The remaining crew onboard the International Space Station include Russian cosmonaut Maksim Surayev, who took over the command from Swanson, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman and European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst.
The Soyuz is planned to land in the Kazakh steppe, some 148 kilometres southeast of the city of Dzhezkazgan. At about 05:30 a.m. Moscow time, the ship's engines will begin to slowdown and the ship will de-orbit to enter the dense atmosphere at 06:01 a.m. Moscow time. The landing module's parachute will be released at an altitude of 11 kilometres.

Soyuz TMA landing module with three ISS crew members land in Kazakhstan
September 11, 6:48 UTC+4
Russian cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov, Oleg Artyomyev and NASA astronaut Steven Swanson have worked aboard the ISS for about 170 days
© EPA/DMITRY LOVETSKY
KOROLYOV /Moscow region/, September 11. /ITAR-TASS/. The landing module of Russia's Soyuz TMA-12M manned spaceship with three members of the International Space Station (ISS) crew has landed in Kazakhstan early on Thursday, a spokesman for the mission control centre told ITAR-TASS.
"The module landed in the designated area in the steppe some 148 kilometres southeast of Kazakhstan's city of Dzhezkazgan at 06:23 a.m. Moscow time," the spokesman said, adding that rescuers were heading for the landing site.
The three ISS crew members, Russian cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov, Oleg Artyomyev and NASA astronaut Steven Swanson have worked aboard the ISS for about 170 days.
The remaining crew onboard the International Space Station include Russian cosmonaut Maksim Surayev, who took over the command from Swanson, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman and European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst.
The upcoming space expedition will take off on September 26 from the Baikonur space centre onboard a Soyuz TMS-14M spaceship. The crew will include Russian cosmonauts Yelena Serova, Aleksandr Samokutyayev and NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore.

Rescuers reach Soyuz TMA landing module, evacuate consmoanuts
September 11, 8:11 UTC+4
"The cosmonauts are feeling well," the spokesman says

© EPA/NASA / BILL INGALLS
Soyuz TMA landing module with three ISS crew members land in Kazakhstan

KOROLYOV /Moscow region/, September 11. /ITAR-TASS/. Rescuers have reached the landing module of Russia's Soyuz TMA-12M manned spaceship and are now evacuating three members of the International Space Station (ISS) crew who have returned from has landed in Kazakhstan early on Thursday, a spokesman for the mission control centre told ITAR-TASS.
"The cosmonauts are feeling well," the spokesman said.
The module landed in the designated area in the steppe some 148 kilometres southeast of Kazakhstan's city of Dzhezkazgan at 06:23 a.m. Moscow time. The three ISS crew members, Russian cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov, Oleg Artyomyev and NASA astronaut Steven Swanson have worked aboard the ISS for about 170 days.
The remaining crew onboard the International Space Station include Russian cosmonaut Maksim Surayev, who took over the command from Swanson, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman and European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst.
The upcoming space expedition will take off on September 26 from the Baikonur space centre onboard a Soyuz TMS-14M spaceship. The crew will include Russian cosmonauts Yelena Serova, Aleksandr Samokutyayev and NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore.

© Copyright 2014 ITAR-TASS. All rights reserved.

Russian Soyuz Spaceship Undocks From ISS, Heading for Earth
Russian piloted spaceship Soyuz TMA-12M has undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) and is now heading for Earth.
© NASA
04:01 11/09/2014

KOROLYOV, September 11 (RIA Novosti) - Russian piloted spaceship Soyuz TMA-12M, which is bringing back Russian cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artyomyev and NASA astronaut Steven Swanson, has undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) and is now heading for Earth, the representative of the Mission Control Center told RIA Novosti on Thursday.
"Soyuz TMA-12M" is due to land about 147 kilometers southeast of the city of Zheskazgan in Kazakhstan. At about 05:30 Moscow time [01:30 GMT], on the altitude of about 350 kilometers [above the Earth's surface], the spaceship's engine is due to begin the braking. As a result, it will de-orbit and at 6:01 Moscow time [02:01 GMT] it will enter the dense layers of the atmosphere and begin a controllable descent," the Mission Control Center representative said.
Russian cosmonaut Maksim Surayev, US astronaut Reid Wiseman and the European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst will continue their work at ISS.

Russian Soyuz Spacecraft With International Crew Lands in Kazakhstan as Scheduled
The descent capsule of Russia's Soyuz TMA-12M manned spacecraft with international crew on board has successfully landed in Kazakhstan.
© RIA Novosti.
06:38 11/09/2014

Updated 07:12 (MSK)
KOROLYOV, September 11 (RIA Novosti) -The descent capsule of Russia's Soyuz TMA-12M manned spacecraft with international crew on board has successfully landed in the pre-planned area about 147 kilometers southeast of the city of Zheskazgan in Kazakhstan, the representative of the Mission Control Center told RIA Novosti on Thursday.
"Landing succeeded," reads the sign on the Mission Control Center's screens.
The returnees, Russian cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev and NASA astronaut Steven Swanson have spent 170 days in space.
Russian cosmonaut Maksim Surayev, US astronaut Reid Wiseman and the European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst continue their work at the International Space Station (ISS).
The safety of the Soyuz spacecraft landing was ensured by about 200 servicemen, 14 helicopters Mi-8, three planes AN-13 and AN-26 and six cross-country vehicles.
On September 26, next crew of the ISS expedition, consisting of Russian cosmonauts Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova and NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore, is due to launch from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the spacecraft Soyuz TMA-14M.

© 2014 RIA Novosti

Soyuz TMA-12M lands in Kazakhstan
09/10/2014 11:18 PM

Editor's note...
Posted at 12:45 PM ET, 09/10/14: Station trio set for return to Earth
Updated at 07:10 PM ET, 09/10/14: Soyuz TMA-12M undocks from station (3grafld-pickup3rdgraf: After moving X X X)
Updated at 11:05 PM ET, 09/10/14: Soyuz lands in Kazakhstan; crew in good shape (14grafld-pickup9thgraf: On Tuesday X X X)
By WILLIAM HARWOOD
CBS News

Two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut strapped into a Soyuz ferry craft, undocked from the International Space Station and plunged back to Earth Wednesday, settling to a jarring rocket-assisted landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan to close out a 169-day mission.

With commander Alexander Skvortsov at the controls, flanked on the left by flight engineer Oleg Artemyev and on the right by outgoing space station commander Steven Swanson, the Soyuz TMA-12M descent module landed on target near the town of Dzhezkazgan at 10:23 p.m. (8:23 a.m. Thursday local time).
The Soyuz TMA-12M descends to a pinpoint landing in Kazakhstan Wednesday, bringing three space station crewmen back to Earth after 169 days in orbit. (Credit: NASA)

The final minutes of the return to Earth were seen on live television provided by recovery crews near the landing zone, showing the capsule descending through a cloudless, slightly hazy sky under a big orange-and-white parachute. The descent module landed just out of view over the horizon, its solid-fuel "soft landing" rockets kicking up billowing clouds of dust as they ignited an instant before touchdown.

"Touchdown confirmed," said NASA mission control commentator Rob Navias at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "Touchdown right on the button ... on the steppe of Kazakhstan. The Expedition 40 crew -- Steve Swanson of NASA and Russian cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev -- are home, back on Earth after 169 days in space."

As usual, Russian technicians, flight surgeons and a contingent of NASA support personnel were standing by near the landing site to help the returning station fliers out of the cramped Soyuz capsule after five-and-a-half months in the weightlessness of low-Earth orbit.

Skvortsov was first out, carried to a recliner set up near the charred descent module. Swanson was next, followed by Artemyev. All three men appeared comfortable and in good spirits as technicians carried out initial medical checks, enjoying fresh apples as they chatted with support crews.

After brief satellite phone calls to friends and family, all three were carried to a medical tent for more detailed exams before boarding helicopters for a flight to nearby Karaganda where Kazakh officials planned a welcome home ceremony.

After that, the crew was expected to split up, with Skvortsov and Artemyev heading on to the cosmonaut training center at Star City near Moscow while Swanson boards a NASA jet for the long flight back to Houston and the Johnson Space Center.

The descent to Earth began in earnest at 7:01 p.m. when the Soyuz TMA-12M spacecraft disengaged the docking mechanism of the station's upper Poisk module as the lab complex sailed 260 miles above eastern Mongolia.

"Goodbye, station," Skvortsov said as the Soyuz departed.

After moving a safe distance away, Skvortsov and Artemyev monitored an automated four-minute 40-second firing of the Soyuz spacecraft's braking rockets starting at 9:31 p.m., slowing the ship by about 286 mph and setting up a steep plunge back into the atmosphere.

After a half-hour freefall, the Soyuz's upper habitation module and lower propulsion module separated and the central crew compartment plunged into the discernible atmosphere at an altitude of 62 miles. The capsule's main parachute deployed around 10:10 p.m., at an altitude of about six-and-a-half miles, and the spacecraft settled to a rocket-assisted landing about 13 minutes later.
Astronaut Steve Swanson relaxes near the Soyuz TMA-12M descent module after a dramatic rocket-assisted touchdown on the steppe of Kazakhstan. (Credit: NASA)

"It takes only three hours and 20 minutes from the time I undock from the International Space Station until the time I'm on the ground in Kazakhstan," Swanson told a reporter Monday. "I've heard it's quite an eventful trip. I haven't experienced it yet myself, but from what I've been told it's definitely the big ride at Disney World."

No word yet on whether the ride matched his expectations.

On Tuesday, Swanson turned over command of the space station to veteran Russian cosmonaut Maxim Suraev. Floating in the Japanese Kibo module, Swanson said "We've accomplished a lot, we've had a lot of fun. Hopefully everybody else had a lot of fun, too."

"We did lots of cargo, we did lots of science," Swanson said. "We actually set the record for the number of hours of science in a week. We did a lot of maintenance, which is good and bad -- I love doing maintenance, but it means things broke. We had a good time, we really appreciate everybody's help up here."

Suraev then took over as commander of Expedition 41, promising that he and his crewmates -- Reid Wiseman and European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst -- would "do our best to continue this great work."

Suraev, Gerst and Wiseman will have the space station to themselves until Sept. 25 when three fresh crew members are scheduled to arrive: Soyuz TMA-14M commander Alexander Samokutyaev, NASA astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Russian flight engineer Elena Serova, the first female cosmonaut to make a long-duration stay aboard the station.

"We're super excited," Wiseman told a reporter earlier this week. "Getting three new faces up here will be a lot of fun."

Skvortsov, Artemyev and Swanson were launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on March 25. The crew was unable to execute a four-orbit rendezvous with the station as planned because of a slight orientation error. But after analyzing telemetry, Russian flight controllers cleared the crew for a two-day rendezvous and the spacecraft reached the station on March 27 without any additional problems.

During the course of their stay in space, Swanson and Expedition 39 astronaut Rick Mastracchio ventured outside the station to replace a balky computer while Skvortsov and Artemyev staged a pair of Russian excursions. The crew also received and unloaded a variety of Russian, European and American cargo ships and carried out a full slate of scientific research with more than 170 experiments.

Swanson and his crewmates took off as superpower tensions were building in the wake of Russia's annexation of Crimea and the escalating conflict in Ukraine. Before launch Swanson said he was confident the International Space Station would remain a cooperative U.S.-Russian project, saying space engineers and managers on both sides of the project continued to work well together with no hints of friction.

"We are learning many things but I think one of the important things we are learning is how to work with international partners," he said in a NASA interview. "That is a huge key and is not always that easy, but we are doing a very good job of it. It starts with the program levels and goes all the way, working down to the lowest engineers. They all have to work together to make this thing work.
Soyuz TMA-12M commander Alexander Skvortsov, left, outgoing space station commander Steve Swanson, center, and flight engineer Oleg Artemyev, right, wave farewell before closing the hatch to their ferry craft and undocking from the lab complex, on track for a landing in Kazakhstan to close out a 169-day mission. (Credit: NASA)

"And then, how to build something this large in space, with multiple trips going up, and putting it all together, that is not easy either. It is an engineering marvel just that the thing works, and so I think that we have learned so much in that aspect."

Living and working aboard the space station also will pay off down the road, Swanson said, with knowledge directly applicable to eventual long-duration flights to Mars.

"How to live there, how to replace and repair everything, how to keep things running, how to keep things clean, all these aspects about just living in space and keeping a good environment going over a long, long period of time," he said.

"We have been aboard over ten years now and have kept it running. What we have really learned, I think, is how to operate in space and make that a nominal, easy way of doing things."

At landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan, Skvortsov, Swanson and first-time flier Artemyev will have logged 169 days five hours and six minutes off the planet, completing 2,704 orbits covering 71.7 million miles.

Including a 176-day station flight in 2010, Skvortsov's total time in space will stand at 345.3 days. Swanson's total, including 27 days aloft during shuttle missions in 2007 and 2009, will move up to 195.9 days.

© 2014 William Harwood/CBS News

Astronaut, cosmonauts back on Earth after six months in space
By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL Fla (Reuters) - Two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut returned to Earth on Wednesday, capping a nearly six-month stay aboard the International Space Station.
Riding inside a Russian Soyuz capsule, former station commander Steve Swanson and cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev landed southeast of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan at 8:23 a.m. Thursday (10:23 p.m. EDT Wednesday/0223 GMT).
"A pinpoint touchdown," said NASA mission commentator Rob Navias.
The men rode home in the same Soyuz capsule that carried them to the station in March. They departed at 7:01 p.m. EDT (2301 GMT) as the station soared 260 miles (418 km) over eastern Mongolia.
"We accomplished a lot. We've had a lot of fun," Swanson said during a change-of-command ceremony on Tuesday that was broadcast on NASA Television.
In addition to a pair of Russian space walks, the returning crew tackled a record number of science experiments, upgraded the station's prototype humanoid robot and repaired broken equipment.
"We did a lot of maintenance, which is good and bad," Swanson said. "I love doing maintenance, but it means things broke."
New station commander Max Suraev remains aboard the orbital outpost along with NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman and the European Space Agency's Alexander Gerst.
Three new crew members, including the first Russian woman to serve on the station, are due to launch on Sept. 25.
"Getting three new faces up here will be lots of fun," Wiseman said in an inflight interview.
The newcomers are NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore and cosmonauts Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova. Serova will become only the fourth Russian woman to fly in space and the first to serve on the International Space Station, a $100 billion research complex owned by 15 nations.
The last Russian woman to fly in space was Yelena Kondakova, who was part of a NASA space shuttle crew in May 1997.
(Editing by Ken Wills)

Copyright © 2014 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

Touchdown! US-Russian Space Station Crew Returns to Earth
By Mike Wall, Senior Writer | September 10, 2014 10:30pm ET
A Soyuz capsule carrying NASA astronaut Steve Swanson and cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev touches down safely on the steppes of Kazakhstan on Sept. 10, 2014.
Credit: NASA TV View full size image
A NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts landed back on Earth late Wednesday (Sept. 10), ending their 5 1/2-month mission to the International Space Station.
A Russian Soyuz capsule carrying American Steve Swanson, commander of the orbiting lab's Expedition 40, and cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev touched down safely on the steppes of Kazakhstan at 10:23 p.m. EDT Wednesday (0223 GMT Thursday; 0823 Thursday local Kazakhstan time).
The Soyuz had departed the space station at 7:01 p.m. EDT, meaning the trio's ride down to Earth lasted less than 3 1/2 hours — roughly the same amount of time it takes to fly from San Francisco to Houston. [Quiz: Do You Know the International Space Station?]
Swanson, Skvortsov and Artemyev arrived at the orbiting lab on March 27, joining three other spaceflyers as crewmembers of Expedition 39. Expedition 39 gave way to Expedition 40 in mid-May, at which point Swanson took command of the station.
Swanson served as commander for an eventful four months. For example, several unmanned cargo spaceships came and went on his watch, including Orbital Sciences' Cygnus spacecraft, Russia's Progress vessel and the European Space Agency's fifth and final Automated Transfer Vehicle. Swanson was also in charge when SpaceX's robotic Dragon cargo capsule left the station in May, ending its latest resupply mission.
The Expedition 40 crew also set a space station record for the most hours spent conducting scientific experiments in a single week, Swanson said shortly before departing the $100 billion orbiting lab.
The NASA spaceflyer handed the reins over to cosmonaut Maksim Suraev during a change-of-command ceremony Tuesday (Sept. 9) that marked the end of Expedition 40 and the beginning of Expedition 41.
"We had a good time, and I really appreciate everybody's help up here," Swanson said during the ceremony, which was broadcast on NASA TV. "Now it's come to an end, and so I'd like to hand over the command of the International Space Station to Maksim Suraev."
Suraev leads a skeleton crew at the moment; he, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman and Europe's Alexander Gerst are the only people living aboard the station. But Expedition 41 will get up to full strength soon, as three new crewmembers are scheduled to launch toward the orbiting lab on Sept. 25.
The space station will get a robotic visitor before those three new crewmates arrive, however. SpaceX plans to launch Dragon on another robotic cargo mission Sept. 19. The California-based company holds a $1.6 billion deal to fly 12 such missions for NASA and has already completed three of them.
Copyright © 2014 TechMediaNetwork.com All rights reserved.

Astronaut Snaps Amazing Picture Of His Crewmates Returning To Earth
by Elizabeth Howell on September 11, 2014
The Expedition 40 crew returns to Earth, as seen from the International Space Station Sept. 10, 2014. Credit: Reid Wiseman / Twitter
Wow! See that bright streak in the photo above? That's a shot of the Expedition 40 crew making a flawless return from the International Space Station yesterday (Sept. 10) … a shot taken from space itself.
"Our view of the picture perfect reentry of TMA-12M," wrote Expedition 41 astronaut Reid Wiseman, who just hours before bid farewell to Steve Swanson (NASA), Alexander Skvortsov (Roscosmos) and Oleg Artemyev (Roscosmos). The re-entry was in fact so perfect that TV cameras caught the parachute immediately after deployment, which doesn't always happen.
As you can see in the video replay below, the Soyuz made a bulls-eye landing near Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan at 10:23 p.m. EDT (2:23 a.m. UTC). There are now only three people tending to the space station until the rest of the Expedition 41 crew launches, which is expected to happen Sept. 25.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bkePmysM-AI

AmericaSpace
For a nation that explores
September 11th, 2014
Soyuz TMA-12M Lands Safely, Concluding 169-Day Mission
By Ben Evans

The Expedition 40 crew patch, emblazoned with the surnames of the U.S.-Russian-German crew. Image Credit: NASA
After 169 days in space, more than 2,700 orbits of Earth and 71.7 million miles (115.4 million km) traveled, the Soyuz TMA-12M crew of U.S. astronaut Steve Swanson and Russian cosmonauts Aleksandr Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev have returned safely to Earth, touching down to the southeast of the remote Kazakh town of Dzhezkazgan. Initial examinations of the three men have confirmed that they are healthy in the aftermath of more than five months of weightlessness. Swanson will return via a Gulfstream III aircraft to Ellington Field, near Houston, Texas, whilst Skvortsov and Artemyev will fly back to the Star City cosmonauts' training center on the forested outskirts of Moscow.
Hatches between Soyuz TMA-12M and the rest of the International Space Station (ISS) were closed at 3:48 p.m. EDT Wednesday, ahead of a perfect undocking from the space-facing (or "zenith") Poisk module at 7:01 p.m. to begin the 3.5-hour return to Earth. During that period of free flight, Swanson, Skvortsov, and Artemyev executed the 4.5-minute deorbit "burn," jettisoned their spherical orbital module and cylindrical descent module, then embarked on the perilous and fiery descent back through the "sensible" atmosphere.
The beehive-shaped descent module hit the desolate Kazakh steppe—with solid-fueled rockets firing at the last second to cushion the touchdown—at 10:23 p.m. EDT Wednesday (8:23 a.m. local time Thursday). Thus concluded a mission of 169 days, five hours, and six minutes. Their triumphant return draws down the curtain on a highly successful Expedition 39/40, one of whose primary focal points was human health management in anticipation of the forthcoming one-year mission by U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko.
Soyuz TMA-12M roars into orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 25/26 March 2014. Photo Credit: NASA
Launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 3:17 a.m. local time on 26 March (5:17 p.m. EDT on 25 March), Soyuz TMA-12M was originally intended to execute a six-hour, four-orbit "fast rendezvous" profile to reach the ISS and boost its incumbent Expedition 39 crew up to a full, six-man strength. Riding a descendent of Chief Designer Sergei Korolev's R-7 rocket into orbit, Swanson, Skvortsov, and Artemyev were notified of the transition from terrestrial gravity to microgravity when a green and yellow toy duck—nicknamed "Quack" and provided by Skvortsov's young daughter, which they had hung from their instrument panel—began to float for the first time.
However, the opening hours of the mission did not go according to plan. Four critical maneuvering system firings were scheduled to bring Soyuz TMA-12M into position for an on-time docking at the ISS. Two of these burns were successfully performed, but software problems arose before the planned execution of the third burn. Since there existed very little time margin within the compressed schedule for a correction maneuver, Russian flight controllers were left with no option but to cancel the fast rendezvous profile and revert to a "default" rendezvous regime, lasting two days and 34 orbits. Under this new profile, Soyuz TMA-12M docked successfully at the space station's Poisk module at 7:53 p.m. EDT on 27 March, a little over 50 hours since departing Baikonur.
The three new arrivals were welcomed aboard the ISS by Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata—the station's first Japanese skipper—and crewmates Rick Mastracchio of NASA and Russia's Mikhail Tyurin. Although Swanson posed for an early photograph in the multi-windowed cupola, there was little time to acclimatize to their new surroundings, for a packed schedule of visiting vehicles lay ahead. SpaceX's third dedicated Dragon cargo mission (SpX-3), having already been postponed from mid-March, eventually rose from Earth on 18 April and was robotically captured and berthed at the Earth-facing (or "nadir") port of the station's Harmony node on Easter Sunday, 20 April. It spent almost a month in space, before being unberthed and returned to Earth on 18 May.
However, the SpX-3 launch delay pushed Orbital Sciences' ORB-2 Cygnus cargo mission—named in honor of former Orbital engineer and five-time shuttle astronaut, the late Janice Voss—from 6 May until mid-June at the earliest, and eventually into the first half of July. An AJ-26 engine, similar to those earmarked to power ORB-2's Antares booster into orbit, exploded on the test stand during an acceptance firing at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Miss., in May, and Orbital Sciences elected to postpone their mission until such time as the problem had been rectified. At length, ORB-2 roared into space on 13 July and was successfully berthed at the Harmony nadir interface on 16 July. Like the SpX-3 Dragon, ORB-2 remained attached to the ISS for about a month, before being robotically unberthed on 15 August. However, unlike Dragon, Cygnus was not designed to survive re-entry and instead burned up in the atmosphere on 17 August.
Orbital Sciences' ORB-2 Cygnus roars into orbit on 13 July 2014, bound for the International Space Station (ISS). Photo Credit: John Studwell/AmericaSpace
Dovetailed into the Dragon and Cygnus manifest, Russia also launched a pair of Progress resupply craft toward the ISS. At the time of the arrival of Swanson, Skvortsov, and Artemyev, two Progresses were already in residence: Progress M-21M, launched in November 2013, which was docked at the aft longitudinal port of the Zvezda service module, and Progress M-22M, launched in February 2014, which was docked at the nadir port of the Pirs module. Although delivered into orbit later than its mate, Progress M-22M was undocked on 7 April for several days of free-flying tests of the new Kurs-NA ("Course") navigation system, prior to being deorbited and destroyed in the upper atmosphere on 18 April. Its berth at the Pirs nadir interface was taken on 9 April by the incoming Progress M-23M cargo ship.
Shortly afterwards, on 23 April, Progress M-21M undocked from the Zvezda aft port, after more than 144 days in residence, but its own mission was not yet completed. It spent the next two days in independent flight, executing a series of scientific and technical experiments, before redocking on 25 April and remaining in place until it finally undocked on 9 June and was deorbited. Seven weeks later, on 21 July, Progress M-23M was itself undocked and deorbited to make room for Progress M-24M—the current and incumbent Russian cargo ship—launched into orbit on 23 July. Not only did this mission accomplish a successful fast-rendezvous profile, but it also reached the space station just five hours and 47 minutes after leaving Baikonur, which established it in third place on the list of quickest ISS-bound Progresses. Progress M-24M is presently docked at the Pirs nadir interface and will remain there until late October.
Also delivered recently to the ISS has been the European Space Agency's (ESA) fifth and final Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-5), named in honor of the Belgian priest and astronomer Georges Lemaître. It was launched atop an Ariane 5 booster from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, on 29 July, and after a two-week rendezvous campaign, docked automatically at the Zvezda aft longitudinal port on 12 August. It will remain in place until the end of January 2015.
In addition to the flow of visiting vehicles, Swanson and Mastracchio were called upon to perform a contingency EVA, following the 11 April failure of a backup Multiplexer-Demultiplexer (MDM) on the station's Mobile Base System (MBS). The failed unit represented one of more than a dozen aboard the Integrated Truss Structure (ITS) and carried responsibility for routing commands to various systems, including the cooling system, radiators, and the MBS itself. Its failure occurred during a routine health check of the EXT-2 box, which provided backup support for a prime component on the central S-0 truss. Attempts to reboot the MDM were unsuccessful and Mission Control deemed the component as lost. Its prime sibling remained fully functional, but the potentially detrimental impact upon ISS operations in terms of "fault-tolerant redundancy" necessitated an EVA. It was recognized that a redundant control path of ISS robotics was a prerequisite for the safe grappling of visiting vehicles, including Dragon and Cygnus.
During preparations for his EVA with Rick Mastracchio, Steve Swanson is pictured working inside the Quest airlock. Photo Credit: NASA
Described by ISS Program Manager Mike Suffredini as one of the simplest and least complex of the so-called "Big 12" EVA tasks—which all expedition crews train to perform in order to hedge against the loss of critical station components—the removal and replacement of the failed MDM was assigned to Mastracchio and Swanson, both of whom were seasoned spacewalkers. Mastracchio already had eight EVAs under his belt, including two during Expedition 38/39, whilst Swanson had performed four spacewalks during his two previous shuttle missions.
Although the EVA was baselined for 2.5 hours, the spacewalkers completed their tasks with crispness, spending just 96 minutes outside the ISS on 23 April, in one of the shortest EVAs ever undertaken by U.S. astronauts. They even paused at one stage to acquire the first-ever photographs of a berthed Dragon cargo craft (the newly-arrived SpX-3) from a spacewalker's perspective. Carrying their tools and the 50-pound (22 kg) replacement MDM in an Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) bag, Mastracchio and Swanson swiftly translated from the Quest airlock to the S-0 worksite and were in position just 15 minutes into the EVA. By the one-hour mark, they had replaced the MDM and the new device had been powered up and appeared to be running normally.
Despite the brevity of the EVA, it was just long enough for Mastracchio to pip Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin and become the world's fifth most experienced spacewalker. Yurchikhin, who now sits in sixth place, has a cumulative 51 hours and 53 minutes outside, whilst the 23 April EVA allowed Mastracchio to jump to a career total of 53 hours and four minutes. Only four other human beings—Anatoli Solovyov, Mike Lopez-Alegria, Jerry Ross, and John Grunsfeld—have spent more time outside a spacecraft in a pressurized suit. Not to be outdone, Swanson, completing his fifth career EVA, totaled 27 hours and 58 minutes by the time he re-entered the Quest airlock.
Following the standard "indirect rotation" ISS crewing protocol, the Expedition 39 "core" team of Wakata, Mastracchio, and Tyurin boarded their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft and returned to Earth on 14 May, concluding 188 days in space and leaving Swanson in command of the new Expedition 40 with Skvortsov and Artemyev. They worked as a three-man crew for the next two weeks, until Soyuz TMA-13M was launched on 28 May, carrying Russian cosmonaut Maksim Surayev, U.S. astronaut Reid Wiseman, and Germany's Alexander Gerst. As well as achieving a docking just six hours and four orbits after launch, the arrival of the newcomers boosted Expedition 40 to six-man strength through the summer.
The Expedition 40 crew. Clockwise from bottom center are Steve Swanson, Aleksandr Skvortsov, Alexander Gerst, Maksim Surayev, Reid Wiseman, and Oleg Artemyev. Photo Credit: NASA
In addition to the regular relay of visiting vehicles, two EVAs were performed by Skvortsov and Artemyev from the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS). The first, on 19 June, ran for seven hours and 23 minutes and involved the two cosmonauts installing an Automated Phased Antenna Array (AFAR) to form part of the Russian command and telemetry system. Skvortsov and Artemyev also relocated a component of the Obstanovka charged-particle and plasma experiment, collected samples from one of Zvezda's windows and completed several other tasks. Returning inside the ISS, the men concluded the 33rd longest EVA in history and the fourth-longest Russian EVA. Skvortsov and Artemyev are presently exceeded in duration by last December's eight-hour-seven-minute EVA by Expedition 38 cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergei Ryazansky, the seven-hour-41-minute spacewalk performed by Expedition 15 crewmen Fyodor Yurchikhin and Clay Anderson in July 2007, and a seven-hour-29-minute excursion by Yurchikhin and Aleksandr Misurkin in August 2013.
More recently, on 18 August, Skvortsov and Artemyev spent five hours and 11 minutes in open space, deploying a Peruvian nanosatellite, installing and retrieving experiment packages, and photographing the condition of multi-layered insulation on the ROS. This marked the 181st spacewalk dedicated to ISS construction and maintenance since the inaugural EVA by U.S. astronauts Jerry Ross and Jim Newman to install power cables and utilities from the Unity node to the Zarya control module, way back in December 1998.
Expedition 40 Commander Steve Swanson grins for well-wishers after the safe return to Earth of Soyuz TMA-12M. Photo Credit: NASA
With so much emphasis upon the excitement and drama of visiting vehicles and EVAs, attention should not be distracted from the enormous scientific yield of Expedition 39/40. Earth remote sensing, assessments of human behavior and performance and studies of animal biology and bone and muscle physiology have characterized much of the research performed over the summer of 2014. Additionally, technology demonstrations and investigations into the physical and space sciences, as well as numerous educational activities, filled the crew's time. In terms of public outreach, they have proven particularly enthusiastic on Twitter, with daily images of Earth and life in orbit tweeted back to their followers back home. They have also spoken to many individuals, from friends and family to students to scientists, and were recently serenaded from Mission Control with a chorus of "I Won't Give Up" by singer-songwriter Jason Mraz.
In order to physiologically prepare themselves for the transition from microgravity back to terrestrial gravity, Swanson, Skvortsov, and Artemyev intensified their Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP) training and exercise regimes in the days preceding their return to Earth. They also extensively tested the control systems aboard their Soyuz TMA-12M spacecraft. In traditional fashion, Swanson ceremonially handed command of the space station to Surayev, ending Expedition 40 and kicking off Expedition 41, during a televised address on the afternoon of Tuesday, 9 September. Their last day in space was spent packing equipment and personal items.
With yesterday's successful landing, Swanson has accrued a career total of 195 days, 20 hours, and 47 minutes, spread across his two shuttle flights—STS-117 in June 2007 and STS-119 in March 2009—and Expedition 39/40. His 96-minute EVA with Rick Mastracchio has also established him in 53rd place on the list of the world's most experienced spacewalkers, with five excursions and 27 hours and 58 minutes spent in the vacuum of space.
His crewmates, Aleksandr Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev, having made their first two career EVAs together on Expedition 40, have both now spent a total of 12 hours and 34 minutes of spacewalking time. With a 176-day mission from April-September 2010 to his credit, Skvortsov has increased his personal space time to 345 days, six hours, and 25 minutes at the close of Expedition 40, placing him in 36th place on the list of most experienced spacefarers of all time, just behind the 347-day total of Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata and slightly ahead of the 341-day tally of Kazakh cosmonaut Talgat Musabayev. Artemyev, wrapping up his first flight, now has 169 days of space time under his belt.
Soyuz TMA-14M crew members (from left) Barry "Butch" Wilmore, Aleksandr Samokutyayev and Yelena Serova are pictured during a visit to Moscow's Kremlin Wall. Photo Credit: NASA
With the departure of Swanson, Skvortsov, and Artemyev, the new Expedition 41 will operate at a reduced, three-man strength of Maksim Surayev, Reid Wiseman, and Alexander Gerst for about two weeks. At 4:24 p.m. EDT on 25 September (2:24 a.m. local time on 26 September), Soyuz TMA-14M is scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying cosmonauts Aleksandr Samokutyayev and Yelena Serova—the latter of whom will become only the fourth Russian female spacefarer and only the second to embark on a long-duration mission—together with NASA astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore.
They will dock at the ISS about six hours into their mission and bring Expedition 41 up to six-person capability, for a fall which is literally packed with activity: SpaceX's SpX-4 Dragon cargo mission, currently targeted for launch on 19 September, followed by Orbital Sciences' ORB-3 Cygnus in mid-October and Russia's Progress M-25M in late October. Two EVAs from the U.S. Orbital Segment (USOS) were originally slated for August 2014 to transfer a failed pump module to a long-term storage location on the ISS truss and replace a solar array electrical component. Both spacewalks—originally assigned to Swanson/Wiseman and Wiseman/Gerst—were deferred to Expedition 41, due to the need to replace long-life batteries in the U.S. Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs) and are now expected to be performed by Wiseman/Gerst and Wiseman/Wilmore in October. Samokutyayev and Surayev will also make a ROS-based spacewalk in October.

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