April 21, 2004. Korolev, Moscow Region.
The Russian Soyuz TMA-4 manned transport spacecraft docked
to the International Space Station (ISS) Orbital Complex.
At 09:01 Moscow time the spacecraft came into contact with
the port of the ISS Functional Cargo Block Zarya, when the
spacecraft and Space Station 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 Space
Station, Soyuz TMA-4 spacecraft approached the ISS Orbital
Complex.
Upon completion of the mechanical capture, retraction and
interface leak check operations, at 10:25 Moscow time the
transfer hatches between the spacecraft and Zarya Module
were open. The spacecraft crew consisting of Russian cosmonaut
Gennady Padalka, U.S. astronaut Michael Fincke, and European
Space Agency Astronaut (ESA), citizen of the Netherlands
Andre Kuipers transferred to the Russian Segment of the
Station.
The spacecraft fly-around, rendezvous and berthing operations
were observed by the Expedition Eight Crew (ISS-8) and Russian
and U.S. Mission Control Centers personnel, by using the
trajectory measurements, telemetry and television information
from the onboard TV cameras accommodated on the ISS Russian
and U.S. On-orbit Segments.
The joint International crew consisting of Russian cosmonauts
Alexander Kaleri, (ISS-8 flight engineer), Gennady Padalka
(ISS-9 commander), U.S. astronauts Michael Foale (ISS-8
commander), Michael Fincke (ISS-9 flight engineer) and ESA
astronaut Andre Kuipers (VC-6 flight engineer) stay aboard
the Orbital Complex. They will have to perform a nearly
8-day joint activity onboard the ISS. During this time the
cosmonauts and astronauts will perform planned scientific
and technological investigations and experiments including
the DSM Delta program (ESA).
At present the ISS Orbital Complex of about 188.1 tons is
operating in orbit in the following configuration: Functional
Cargo Block Zarya, Service Module Zvezda, Docking Module/Compartment
Pirs, manned spacecraft Soyuz TMA-3, Soyuz TMA-4, cargo
vehicle Progress M1-11 (Russian Segment), as well as modules
Unity, Destiny and airlock Quest and multi-link truss structure
with the deployed solar arrays (U.S. On-Orbit Segment).
The ISS Russian Segment flight is commanded by the 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 387.0 km, minimum
altitude of 356.6 km, orbital period of 91.7 min.
The onboard systems of the transport spacecraft and station
modules operate normally. The ISS joint crew is performing
on-orbit flight program activities.
During the Soyuz TMA-4 spacecraft rendezvous and docking
maneuvers with the ISS MCC-M was attended by members of
the State Board (Co-chairmen: N.F. Moiseev, First Deputy
Director of Federal Space Agency, V.A. Grin, First Deputy
General Director of TsNIIMash), Technical management of
manned space programs (Yu. P. Semenov, Technical Director
of Russian Manned Space Programs, General Designer of S.P.
Korolev RSC Energia, Academician of the Russian Academy
of Sciences), as well as representatives of the Russian
enterprises and organizations participating in the implementation
of the ISS program.
The rendezvous and docking operations were watched by the
representatives of the Federal Space Agency (FSA), NASA,
ESA, CNES, business circles of the Netherlands and France,
leading Russian and foreign information agencies and TV
companies, as well as relatives and friends of the cosmonauts
and astronauts.
After the docking a press conference for Russian and foreign
mass media representatives was held at MCC-M. The press
conference was attended by N.F. Moiseev and V.A. Grin, co-chairmen
of the State Board, Yu.P. Semenov, Technical Director of
Russian Manned Space Programs, General Designer of S.P.
Korolev RSC Energia, Academician of the Russian Academy
of Sciences, N.A. Anfimov, General Director of TsNII of
Machine-Building, Academician of RAS, V.V.Tsibliev, Director
of Yu.A. Gagarin CTC RGNII, Frederick D. Gregory, NASA Deputy
Administrator, Michael C. Kostelnik, NASA Deputy Associate
Administrator, Office of Space flights, Jorg Feustel-Buechl,
Director of Manned Spaceflight and Microgravity, Yannick
d'Escatha, CNES President, Hans de Groene and Joris van
Enst, representatives of the Ministry of Economic Affairs
and Education of the Netherlands.
During the first TV contact with the ISS established after
the meeting of the Soyuz TMA-4 and ISS -9 crews, Yu.P. Semenov,
General Designer of S.P. Korolev RSC Energia, Jorg Feustel-Buechl,
Director of Manned SpaceFlight and Microgravity, Frederick
D. Gregory, NASA Deputy Administrator, Hans de Groene and
Joris van Enst, representatives of the Ministry of Economic
Affairs and Education of the Netherlands congratulated Gennady
Padalka, Mike Fincke, Andre Kuipers on the arrival to the
station and wished successful flight program activities
to the joint international crew.
The ISS-8 crew is scheduled to return to the ground with
Soyuz TMA-3 on 30 April 2004 and land approximately at 04:07
Moscow time.
Key data on the experiment program to be performed by Expedition
Crew ISS-9 and visiting crew VC-6 is presented in Internet
at RSC Energia site at addresses:
www.energia.ru/eng/iss09/res.html,
www.energia.ru/eng/iss/researches/delta.html.
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