The International Space Station’s next crew — Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA ISS Science Officer Michael Fincke — is scheduled to arrive at 12:04 a.m. CDT (0504 GMT) Wednesday. Joining them on the trip to the ISS is European Space Agency Astronaut André Kuipers.
Their ISS Soyuz 8 will link up with the Earth-facing docking port on the Station’s Zarya Control Module to end a two day journey to the orbital outpost. The crew launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 10:19 p.m. CDT Sunday (0319 GMT Monday).
Aboard the Station on Tuesday, Expedition 8 Commander Michael Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri had a short workday slated so they could adjust their sleep schedule for the arrival of the Expedition 9 crew and Kuipers.
After the new Soyuz arrives, the two crews will conduct joint operations and handover activities for nine days. Kuipers, who is flying under a commercial agreement between ESA and the Federal Space Agency of Russia, will conduct science experiments.
Foale, Kaleri and Kuipers are scheduled to leave the Station on April 29 and return to Earth. Expedition 9 will spend about six months aboard the ISS.
NASA TV ‘s coverage of Expedition 9’s arrival at the Station begins at 11 p.m. CDT Tuesday (0400 GMT Wednesday).
Check out NASA TV’s schedule for coverage of upcoming ISS activities.
