ISSCOM.050

The transport vehicle Soyuz TMA7 with on board the relief crew for the ISS and a guest cosmonaut was launched from Baykonur on the 1st of October 03.54.53UTC.

On board the commander of the S-TMA7, Valeriy Tokarev, the American McArthur and the guest cosmonaut  Olsen.

After the arrival at the ISS McArthur will become the commander of the ISS and Tokarev will be the on board engineer. Olsen, who paid for his flight, will return to earth with the relieved crew, Krikalyov and Phillips, on October 10th. Their return ship is the Soyuz-TMA6. Tokarev has chosen the call sign Rassvet. So he will be Rassvet-1, McArthur Rassvet 2 and Olsen will be number 3.

Communications:

Already 3 hours after launch the ship came in range of the Netherlands and this enabled me to monitor the radio communications. Telemetry  could be heard  in the 166 and 165 mc bands and for voice communications the 121.750 mc was in use.

Orbit 2: 0655-0659UTC.  Tokarev reports that all on board was well, the ship was air-tight and the crew feels well. Tokarev reports some data about the accelerometer and pressure values.

Orbit 3: 0826-0830UTC.  Tokarev reports the results of some correction impulses. Still all going well on board.  Then he reports some data of fuel, orientation, the activation of the solar batteries, etc.

Orbit  4:    1000-1006UTC. Tokarev with TsUP-Moscow about batteries and the test of the TV. He also confirms the time of an experiment of the cosmonaut-researcher Olsen. McArthur, Rassvet-2, continues with some schedules of communication sessions and the activation of the engines.

Docking at the ISS:  Docking is scheduled for October 3rd 2005 at 0532UTC.

The Hague,  1-10-2005,

Chris van den Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202