Dec 14, 2010

Michael Curie Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100 michael curie@nasa gov

Kelly Humphries Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 kelly o humphries@nasa gov

RELEASE: 10-330

NEWEST SPACE STATION CREW MEMBERS LAUNCH FROM KAZAKHSTAN

WASHINGTON -- NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev, and European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli launched to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 2:09 p m EST Wednesday (1:09 a m local time, Dec 16)

Coleman, Kondratyev and Nespoli are scheduled to dock their Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft to the station's Rassvet docking port at 3:12 p m , Friday, Dec 17 They will join Expedition 26 Commander Scott Kelly and Flight Engineers Alexander Kaleri and Oleg Skripochka aboard the orbiting laboratory

On Friday, NASA Television will air docking coverage beginning at 2:30 p m Coverage of the hatches opening and a welcoming ceremony aboard the station will begin at 5:30 p m For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit:

http://www nasa gov/ntv

During Expedition 26, the six-person crew will continue scientific research, perform station maintenance and welcome several visiting vehicles

Kondratyev and Skripochka will conduct two spacewalks, which are scheduled for Jan 21 and late February They will install an antenna to complete an information transfer system that sends large computer files to and from the station The spacewalkers also will perform work on the outside of the Russian station modules

In addition to space shuttle Discovery's planned STS-133 visit in February, the Expedition 26 crew is expecting the arrival of three resupply vehicles in January and February

The second Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency H-II Transfer Vehicle, called Kounotori, or white stork, is scheduled to launch Jan 20 from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan It will be attached robotically to the Earth-facing docking port on the station's Harmony module on Jan 27

The second European Space Agency Automated Transfer Vehicle, named for famed mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler, is scheduled to launch from Kourou, French Guiana, on Feb 15 It will dock to the aft port of the Zvezda service module on Feb 26 The Russian Progress 41 resupply craft is scheduled to launch from Baikonur on Jan 28 and dock to the Pirs docking compartment on Jan 31

Kelly, Kaleri and Skripochka, who launched to the station on Oct 7, are scheduled to return to Earth in March Before departing, Kelly will hand over command of the station to Kondratyev for Expedition 27

NASA astronaut Ron Garan and Russian cosmonauts Andrei Borisenko and Alexander Samokutyaev will join Coleman, Kondratyev and Nespoli aboard the station on April 1 to complete the Expedition 27 crew Their launch is set for March 30

For updates about the space station and Expedition 26/27 crew members, visit:

http://www nasa gov/station

To view the new official International Space Station page on Facebook and follow crew member posts from space, visit:

http://www facebook com/ISS

To follow Twitter updates from Expedition 26/27 crew member Coleman, visit:

http://twitter com/Astro_Cady

-end-

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