NASA Space Station Status Report 29 November 2004
The Expedition 10 crewmembers are back inside the
International Space Station after taking a short ride this
morning. They flew their Soyuz spacecraft from one docking
port to another to clear the way for two spacewalks next
year.
Having configured Station systems for autonomous operation,
Expedition 10 Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Salizhan
Sharipov and Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao undocked the
Soyuz from the Station’s Pirs Docking Compartment at 4:32
a.m. EST, as they flew 225 miles over the southern Atlantic
Ocean.
Sharipov, seated in the center seat of the Soyuz descent
module compartment, and Chiao seated to his left, backed the
capsule away from the Station approximately 98 feet. They
flew the Soyuz laterally along the Station approximately 45
feet before rotating the craft 135 degrees to align it with
the Earth-facing docking port on the adjacent Zarya module.
The vehicle was held in position for eight minutes of
station-keeping, ensuring correct alignment of docking
mechanisms, before the crew began the final approach toward
the Station.
Docking was at 4:53 a.m. EST, as the Soyuz and the Station
passed over western Asia. Within minutes, hooks and latches
engaged between the Soyuz and Zarya firmly linking the return
vehicle and the Station. After a series of leak checks, the
crew reentered the Station at 6:54 a.m. EST, and they began
reconfiguring Station systems for normal operations.
Repositioning of the Soyuz cleared Pirs, which also serves as
an airlock, for a pair of spacewalks by Chiao and Sharipov
planned for early next year.
Information about crew activities on the Space Station,
future launch dates and Station sighting opportunities from
Earth, is available on the Internet at:
Details about Station science operations are available on the
Internet from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center,
Huntsville, Ala., Payload Operations Center at:
For information about NASA and other agency missions, visit:
