International Space Station Expedition 8 Crew Status
The Expedition 8 crew, the next to inhabit the International Space Station, is slated to arrive at the orbital outpost in late October. Commander and NASA Station Science Officer Michael Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri will relieve the Expedition 7 crew, Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA Station Science Officer Ed Lu. Foale and Kaleri are scheduled to spend about six months aboard the orbital outpost maintaining ISS operations and continuing science investigation.
The Expedition 8 crewmembers will travel to the Station aboard the Soyuz TMA-3 spacecraft. They will be joined by European Space Agency Astronaut Pedro Duque, who will fly as part of a contract between the European Space Agency and Rosaviakosmos, the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. He will return to Earth with the Expedition 7 crew on the Soyuz TMA-2.
Expedition 8 is slated to launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, on Oct. 18 and dock with the Station on Oct. 20. The crews will perform a week of joint operations and handover activities before Duque and the Expedition 7 depart Station and return to Earth on Oct. 27.
For more information about space flight and the International Space Station, visit:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/
To read more about the Expedition 8 crew and their mission, visit:
