[sarex] Expedition 14 to Arrive at Space Station Early Wednesday

[Arthur Rowe]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

The Soyuz TMA 9 spacecraft carrying the Expedition 14 crew continues its 
chase of the International Space Station. The Soyuz is scheduled to dock 
with the station at 1:24 a.m. EDT Wednesday.

Earlier today, the Soyuz crew members had a conversation with the 
station’s current residents, Expedition 13, and the six-member crew of 
Space Shuttle Atlantis. The three-way conversation was managed by the 
Mission Control Center in Houston.

Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer 
Mikhail Tyurin will replace Expedition 13 Commander Pavel Vinogradov and 
NASA Science Officer Jeff Williams. European Space Agency Astronaut 
Thomas Reiter will remain on the station and join Expedition 14.

Flying with Expedition 14 is American Anousheh Ansari, who will be the 
first female spaceflight participant to visit the station. She is flying 
under contract with the Russian Federal Space Agency.

Early Sunday, Expedition 13 concluded a busy week of joint operations 
with STS-115. The STS-115 and Expedition 13 crews installed the P3/P4 
truss and its solar arrays on to the station. The shuttle crew then 
conducted three spacewalks to prepare the addition for operation.

For the latest information on STS-115, please visit: 
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html>