Soyuz TM-34 transport spacecraft docks with the International Space Station
Being launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome on 25 April 2002, the
Russian Soyuz TM-34 manned transport spacecraft docked to the
International Space Station (ISS).
At 11:55:51 Moscow summer time (7:55:51 UTC) the spacecraft docking
assembly came into contact with the port of the ISS Functional Cargo
Block Zarya, when the spacecraft and Orbital Complex were within the
Russian ground site coverage.
Following a two-day free flight in near-earth orbit and upon
completion of all the required rendezvous and berthing operations in
an automated mode with respect to the Orbital Complex, Soyuz TM-34
spacecraft approached the free port of the ISS Orbital Complex.
Upon completion of the mechanical capture, retraction and interface
leak check operations, at 13:24 Moscow time the transfer hatches
between the spacecraft and Pirs Module were open. The third Russian
visiting crew (VC-3) to the ISS consisting of Yuri Gidzenko, Russian
cosmonaut, Roberto Vittori, citizen of Italy and Mark Shuttleworth,
citizen of South African transferred to the Russian Segment of ISS.
The spacecraft fly-around, rendezvous and berthing operations were
observed by the Expedition Crew ISS-4 and Russian and U.S. Mission
Control Centers personnel, by using the trajectory measurements,
telemetry and television information, photo imageries from the onboard
TV cameras accommodated on the Russian Segment and Canadian
manipulator of the ISS U.S. On-orbit Segment.
The joint International crew consisting of the Expedition Crew ISS-4
and VC-3 crew stays aboard the ISS Orbital Complex. The joint crew
consists of Russian cosmonauts Yu. Onufrienko, (ISS-4 crew commander),
and Yu. Gidzenko (Soyuz TM 34 commander), U.S. astronauts K. Walz and
D. Bursch (ISS-4 flight engineers), ESA astronaut R. Vittori (VC-3
flight engineer) and M. Shuttleworth (participant of VC-3 space
flight).
The joint crew will have to perform 8-day joint activities onboard the
ISS. Within this timeframe the cosmonauts and astronauts will perform
scientific and technical investigations and experiments under the
Russian, Italian and South African programs prepared by their and
German scientists.
At present the ISS Complex of about 156.0 tons is operating in orbit
in the following configuration: Functional Cargo Block Zarya, Service
Module Zvezda, Docking Module/Compartment Pirs, manned spacecraft
Soyuz TM-33, Soyuz TM-34, cargo vehicle Progress M1-8, as well as
modules Unity, Destiny and airlock Quest.
The ISS Russian Segment flight is commanded from Moscow Mission
Control Center (Korolev, Moscow area) in close cooperation with the
American Mission Control Center (Houston, the USA). The Flight
Director is Pilot-Cosmonaut V.A. Soloviev.
The ISS Complex is flying in a near-earth orbit with the following
parameters: maximum altitude of 411.5 km, minimum altitude of 387.9
km, orbital period of 92.3 min.
The onboard systems of the transport spacecraft and the station
modules operate normally. The ISS joint crew is performing on-orbit
activities under the flight program.
