Expedition 15 To ISS Approved Soyuz TMA-10 To Launch April 7

STATION NEWS

Today the Interdepartmental Committee assessed the results of qualification test for ISS-15 Expedition and VC-12 visiting crew members. The crew has completed flight training with the mark "excellent". During two days Russian cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin (S.P. Korolev RSC Energia) and Oleg Kotov (RGNII CTC after Yu.A. Gagarin) together with backup cosmonauts Roman Romanenko (RGNII CTC after Yu.A. Gagarin) and Mikhail Kornienko (S.P. Korolev RSC Energia) demonstrated the skills acquired in the course of training at the Cosmonauts Training Center after Yu.A. Gagarin using the ISS Russian Segment and Soyuz TMA manned space vehicle mockups. US citizen Charles Simonyi as a space flight participant of the ISS Visiting Crew participated in the test together with the Expedition crew. He is to go on a space journey to the ISS together with a visiting crew for 11 days and return to Earth as a member of ISS-14 Expedition.

by Staff Writers
Moscow (RIA Novosti) Mar 26, 2007
The crew of the 15th expedition to the International Space Station (ISS) has been approved and the fifth space tourist has been cleared to fly.

The launch of the Russian Soyuz-TMA 10 spacecraft, carrying the 15th expedition and tourist Charles Simoni, an American of Hungarian origin, to the ISS from the Baikonur space center has been scheduled for April 7, 2007.

Valery Korzun, deputy head of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, said the crew would make two spacewalks, receive and unload several Soyuz cargo spaceships, and may also receive the Jules Verne, Europe's first Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV).

Korzun added that the European spaceship could arrive later than scheduled, and that the next crew could receive it.

Korzun also praised the performance of Charles Simoni, a co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, who will be the world's fifth tourist to fly into space.

"A routine course for non-professional cosmonauts takes four to eight months," Korzun said.

"Simoni trained longer, and he has mastered the skills of handling Soyuz systems. He has a good education and speaks fluent Russian," the Russian official said.

Source: RIA Novosti

Email This Article

STATION NEWS

MDA To Implement Space Station Berthing Information Solution For Japan

Richmond BC (SPX) Mar 22, 2007
MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates have announced that they have signed a contract with IHI Aerospace of Japan for the implementation phase of the information solution it has developed to provide guidance for cargo transfer operations on orbit.

SUPERPOWERS Dial M For Moscow Chinese Military Buildup Poses No Threat Germany Fears US Anti-Missile Shield Could Fuel 'New Arms Race' India Developing News Alliances	NUKEWARS Iran Navy Launches Gulf War Games Study Details Catastrophic Impact Of Nuclear Attack On US Cities Bank Of China Has Concerns About North Korea Money Transfer US Blames Technical Issue For Blocking North Korea Nuclear Talks
MISSILE NEWS System Monitors Health Of New Composite Military Missiles Pakistan Test Fires Nuclear-Capable Cruise Missile Boeing JDAM Scores Direct Hit In Extended Range Tests Raytheon To Enhance Patriot Global Capabilities Under Pure Fleet Contract	MISSILE DEFENSE Boeing, Missile Defense Agency Complete Successful Test Of Sea-Based Radar No Anti-Missile Radars In Russian Embassies Says Space Forces Command US Deflects Attacks On Missile Shield Proposal MDA Announces Successful Missile Tracking Test
AEROSPACE Germans Urged To Give Foreign Travel A Rest To Curb Global Warming Raytheon Team Proposes Single International Standard In ADS-B Pursuit NASA Signs Defense Department Agreement Lockheed Martin And FAA Reach Significant Milestone In Transformation Of Flight Services	UAV NEWS Northrop Grumman Gets 287 Million Dollar Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Systems Contract Boeing Prepares First US Military ScanEagle Crews Israeli Air Force Unveils Long-Range Drone New Technology Expands Air Force Combat Capability
IRAQ WARS US Wounded Rates Rise In Iraq Hot Air On Iraq Iran Training Iraqi Death Squads Birds And Buffalo Back But Iraqi Marshes Still Under Threat	MILTECH Intelligence Summit Takes Flak Boeing Awarded USD 17 Million SDB I Focused Lethality Munition Contract New Sensor Detects Gaseous Chemical Weapon Surrogates In 45 Seconds New Doubts About Navy LCS

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