Forostar
Ancient Mariner
This topic serves for anything that has to do with space (research and missions).
Starting with a pretty special event, especially in my country:
Today, André Kuipers, physician and ESA astronaut, will be become the first Dutch astronaut to return to space (launched to space today and return to earth by June, 2012). He was on the DELTA mission in 2004 before this.
Kuipers is only the 2nd person with Dutch nationality (after Wubbo Ockels in 1985) to have been in space.
Today's mission:
Soyuz TMA-03M is planned to fly to the International Space Station. It will transport three members of the Expedition 30 crew to the International Space Station. TMA-03M will be the 112th flight of a Soyuz spacecraft, the first flight launching in 1967, and the third flight of the modernised Soyuz-TMA-M version. The Soyuz will most likely remain on board the space station for the Expedition 30 increment to serve as an emergency escape vehicle.
crew:
Commander Oleg Kononenko
Second spaceflight
Flight Engineer 1 André Kuipers, ESA
Second spaceflight
Flight Engineer 2 Donald Pettit, NASA
Third spaceflight
The launch can be witnessed here http://multimedia.esa.int/Live or
here http://nos.nl/nieuws/live/journaal24/
(hopefully outside my country as well)
Program starts now. Launch is 14.16 pm, less than an hour.
Starting with a pretty special event, especially in my country:
Today, André Kuipers, physician and ESA astronaut, will be become the first Dutch astronaut to return to space (launched to space today and return to earth by June, 2012). He was on the DELTA mission in 2004 before this.
Kuipers is only the 2nd person with Dutch nationality (after Wubbo Ockels in 1985) to have been in space.
Today's mission:
Soyuz TMA-03M is planned to fly to the International Space Station. It will transport three members of the Expedition 30 crew to the International Space Station. TMA-03M will be the 112th flight of a Soyuz spacecraft, the first flight launching in 1967, and the third flight of the modernised Soyuz-TMA-M version. The Soyuz will most likely remain on board the space station for the Expedition 30 increment to serve as an emergency escape vehicle.
crew:
Commander Oleg Kononenko
Second spaceflight
Flight Engineer 1 André Kuipers, ESA
Second spaceflight
Flight Engineer 2 Donald Pettit, NASA
Third spaceflight
The launch can be witnessed here http://multimedia.esa.int/Live or
here http://nos.nl/nieuws/live/journaal24/
(hopefully outside my country as well)
Program starts now. Launch is 14.16 pm, less than an hour.