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New Crew Launches and Heads to Space Station

The Soyuz TMA-20M Spacecraft Launches — The Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft launches on time from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA TV

The Soyuz TMA-20M launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station at 5:26 p.m. EDT Friday (3:26 a.m. on March 19 in Baikonur). Jeff Williams of NASA and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin are now safely in orbit. NASA Television coverage of the launch continues:

https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/

Below is a schedule of the remainder of the trip to the orbiting laboratory:

6:12 p.m.	DV1 (19.62 m/s)
6:56 p.m.	DV2 (12.37 m/s)
6:57 p.m.	Daily Orbit 2 RGS AOS
7:18 p.m.	DV3 (4.630 m/s)
7:19 p.m.	Daily Orbit 2 RGS LOS
8:02 p.m.	DV4 (8.801 m/s)
8:27 p.m.	Daily Orbit 3 RGS AOS
8:45 p.m.	Daily Orbit 3 RGS LOS
9:02 p.m	Automated Rendezvous start
9:05 p.m.	USOS to RS MCS Handover: LVLH(177.0,357.1,0.7)
9:08 p.m.	Impulse 1 (20.927 m/s)
9:10 p.m.	ISS mnvr to dock attitude: LVLH(165.0,0.0,0.0)
9:31 p.m.	Impulse 2 (0.056 m/s)
9:34 p.m.	Soyuz Kurs-A activation
9:34 p.m.	Ham radio deactivate NLT (VHF-2 voice activation)
9:34 p.m.	Range = 200 km: Soyuz VHF-2 voice link
9:36 p.m.	SM Kurs-P activation
9: 51 p.m.	Sunrise at Launch Site
9:54 p.m.	Impulse 3 (33.919 m/s)
10:00 p.m.	Daily Orbit 4 RGS AOS
10:00 p.m.	Range = 80 km: Valid Kurs-P range data
10:06 p.m.	Sunrise
10:16 p.m.	Daily Orbit 4 RGS LOS
10:21 p.m.	Range = 15 km: Kurs-A & Kurs-P short test
10:28 p.m.	Robonaut deactivate NLT (TV activation)
10:28 p.m.	Range = 8 km: Soyuz TV activation
10:31 p.m.	SCAN & Rapidscat inhibit NLT (range = 6 km)
10:36 p.m.	Impulse 4 (7.196 m/s)
10:28 p.m.	ICS inhibit NLT (range = 2 km)
10:30 p.m.	NASA TV Docking Coverage Begins
10:38 p.m.	Ballistic Targeting Point
10:41 p.m.	Impulse 5 (6.048 m/s)
10:44 p.m.	Impulse 6 (2.005 m/s)
10:47 p.m.	Flyaround mode start
10:56 p.m.	Stationkeeping start
11:00 p.m.	Final Approach start
11:02 p.m.	ISS inertial snap-and-hold window open
11:04 p.m.	Ku-band mask enable NLT (range = 60 m)
11:04 p.m.	Sunset
11:11 p.m.	Docking
11:11 p.m.	ISS to free drift at docking
11:12 p.m.	ISS inertial snap-and-hold window close
11:25 p.m.	Soyuz & MRM2 hooks closed: ISS mnvr to LVLH(177.0,358.4,0.7)
11:36 p.m.	Daily Orbit 5 RGS AOS
11:39 p.m.	Sunrise
11:54 p.m.	Daily Orbit 5 RGS LOS
12:05 a.m.	RS to USOS MCS Handover

To learn more about the International Space Station, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/station. For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit: https://blogs-stage-old.nasawestprime.com/spacestation/. To join the online conversation about the International Space Station, follow @Space_Station.

Crew Launches to Station Live on NASA TV Today

Soyuz Rocket Ready for Launch — The Soyuz rocket launching three new Expedition 47-48 crew members stands ready at its launch pad. Credit: RSC-Energia

NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin are preparing for launch to the International Space Station. Their six-month journey will begin with a lift off in a Soyuz spacecraft today at 5:26 p.m. EDT.

NASA Television will broadcast launch coverage live beginning at 4:30 p.m. For the NASA TV schedule and where to watch live and replays, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/

The crew is scheduled to dock to the station at 11:11 p.m. EDT after a six-hour journey. The trio will join Expedition 47 Commander Tim Kopra of NASA and Flight Engineers Tim Peake of ESA (European Space Agency) and cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko of Roscosmos. Together, they will bring the total to six crew aboard station, which will once again be fully staffed after operating with only three crew members following the departure of a separate trio on March 1.

During his six-month mission, Williams will become the new American record holder for cumulative days in space – 534 – surpassing Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly, who wrapped up his one-year mission on March 1. Williams will take command of the station on June 4 for Expedition 48. This will be his third space station expedition – another record.

The Expedition 47 crew members will continue several hundred experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science currently underway and scheduled to take place aboard humanity’s only orbiting laboratory. Williams, Ovchinin and Skripochka are scheduled to spend six months on the station, returning to Earth in early September 2016.

Watch NASA TV for Launch of Next Crew

Expedition 47-48 Crew Members — Expedition 47-48 crew members (from left) Jeff Williams, Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka pose for a portrait two days before their launch.

At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos are preparing for launch to the International Space Station. Their six-month journey will begin with a lift off in a Soyuz spacecraft at 5:26 p.m. EDT Friday, March 18 (3:26 a.m. on March 19 in Baikonur).

NASA Television will broadcast launch coverage live beginning tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. For the NASA TV schedule and where to watch live and replays, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/

The incoming crew will join Expedition 47 Commander Tim Kopra of NASA and Flight Engineers Tim Peake of ESA (European Space Agency) and cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko of Roscosmos. A separate trio returned to Earth on March 1, including one-year mission crewmates NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko of Roscosmos as well as cosmonaut Sergey Volkov. Kelly and Kornienko completed a historic 340-day mission aboard the station.

Below is the launch timeline for the crew in EDT:

March 18

11:26 a.m.    Crew departs Cosmonaut Hotel (L-6)
11:41 a.m.    Batteries installed in booster
12:11 p.m.    Crew arrives at Site 254
12:26 p.m.    Tanking begins
12:56 p.m.    Crew suit up
12:21 p.m.    Booster loaded with liquid oxygen
1:56 p.m.      Crew meets family members on other side of the glass
2:21 p.m.      First and second stage Oxygen fueling complete
2:26 p.m.      Crew walkout from 254 and boards bus for the launch pad (L-3)
2:31 p.m.      Crew departs for launch pad (Site 1)
2:51 p.m.      Crew arrives at launch pad (Site 1)
3:01 p.m.      Crew boards Soyuz; strapped in to the Descent module
3:51 p.m.      Descent module hardware tested
4:06 p.m.      Hatch closed; leak checks begin
4:26 p.m.      Launch vehicle control system prep; gyro activation (L-1)
4:30 p.m.     NASA TV Launch Coverage Begins
4:40 p.m.    NASA TV: Crew pre-launch activities played (B-roll)
4:41 p.m.      Pad service structure components lowered
4:42 p.m.      Clamshell gantry service towers retracted
4:49 p.m.      Suit leak checks begin; descent module testing complete
4:52 p.m.      Emergency escape system armed
5:11 p.m.      Suit leak checks complete; escape system to auto
5:16 p.m.      Gyros in flight readiness and recorders activated
5:19 p.m.      Pre-launch operations complete
5:20 p.m.      Launch countdown operations to auto; vehicle ready
5:21 p.m.      Commander’s controls activated
5:22 p.m.      Combustion chamber nitrogen purge
5:23 p.m.      ISS FLIES OVER THE BAIKONUR COSMODROME
5:23 p.m.      Propellant drainback
5:23 p.m.      Booster propellant tank pressurization
5:25 p.m.      Ground propellant feed terminated
5:25 p.m.      Vehicle to internal power
5:26 p.m.      First umbilical tower separates
Auto sequence start
5:26 p.m.      Ground umbilical to third stage disconnected
5:26 p.m.      Second umbilical tower separates
5:26 p.m.      Launch command issued
Engine Start Sequence Begins
5:26 p.m.      Engine turbopumps at flight speed
5:26 p.m.      Engines at maximum thrust
5:26 p.m.     Launch of SOYUZ TMA-20M to the ISS
10:30 p.m.   Docking Coverage Begins on NASA TV
11:11 p.m.   Docking to the ISS
MARCH 19
12:30 a.m. Hatch opening coverage begins on NASA TV
12:55 a.m. Hatch opens

Scott Kelly Hands Over Station Command to Tim Kopra

Expedition 46 Crew Members — Astronaut Scott Kelly (right foreground) hands over command of the International Space Station to astronaut Tim Kopra (left foreground) with their crewmates in the background. Credit: NASA TV

At 3:15 p.m. EST, NASA astronaut Tim Kopra assumed command of the International Space Station from astronaut Scott Kelly of NASA in a traditional Change of Command ceremony. Expedition 47 will officially begin under Kopra’s command when the Soyuz spacecraft carrying Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov undocks from the space station on March 1.

Watch video of the moment of change of command.

Kelly and Kornienko launched to the space station on March 27, 2015, for their one-year mission. The pair’s return on March 1 will mark the end of 340 days aboard the space station. Volkov arrived at the station on September 4.

Join the online conversation about the one-year mission using #YearInSpace.

Follow space station activities on social media via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. To learn more about all the ways to connect and collaborate with NASA, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/connect.

Cygnus Departs Station after Robotic Release

Cygnus Released from Station — The Cygnus spacecraft is released from the International Space Station’s Canadarm2. Credit: NASA TV

Expedition 46 astronauts Scott Kelly and Tim Kopra of NASA commanded the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to release the Cygnus spacecraft at 7:26 a.m. EST while the space station was flying above Bolivia. Earlier, ground controllers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center had maneuvered Cygnus into place for its departure.

Once the spacecraft is a safe distance from the station, its engines will fire twice, pushing it into Earth’s atmosphere where it will burn up over the Pacific Ocean. The deorbit burn and re-entry of Cygnus will not air on NASA TV.

The Cygnus resupply craft arrived to the space station on Dec. 9, following Dec. 6 launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, for the company’s fourth NASA-contracted commercial station resupply mission.

Experiments delivered on Cygnus supported NASA and other research investigations during Expeditions 45 and 46, in areas such as biology, biotechnology, and physical and Earth science — research that impacts life on Earth.

For more information about the International Space Station, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/station

Watch Live Coverage of the Cygnus Release from Station

NASA Television is providing live coverage now of the departure of Orbital ATK’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station. Release from the space station’s Unity module is scheduled for 7:25 a.m. EST / 12:25 p.m. UTC.

Watch the departure live on NASA TV or at: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv.

The Cygnus spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station Dec. 9, delivering more than 7,000 pounds of cargo to support dozens of science experiments from around the world.

For more information about Orbital ATK’s mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/orbitalatk. For more information about the International Space Station, and its research and crews, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/station.

Join the conversation on Twitter by following @Space_Station. To learn more about all the ways to connect and collaborate with NASA, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/connect.

Second Spacewalk of Year Complete

Spacewalkers Yuri Malenchenko and Sergey Volkov work outside the Pirs docking compartment on gear installation and science experiments. Credit: NASA TV

Expedition 46 Flight Engineers Yuri Malenchenko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos successfully concluded their spacewalk at 12:40 p.m. EST.

The cosmonauts installed and retrieved a number of science experiments and conducted extensive photography of the external surfaces of the Russian segment of the International Space Station.

The 4 hour and 45 minute spacewalk was the sixth for Malenchenko and the fourth for Volkov. Space station crew members have conducted 193 spacewalks in support of assembly and maintenance of the orbiting laboratory. Spacewalkers have now spent a total of 1,204 hours and 48 minutes working outside the station.

Stay up-to-date on the latest International Space Station news at … https://www.nasa.gov/station

Watch NASA TV Now for Spacewalk Coverage

Cosmonaut Sergey Volkov works outside the International Space Station in August 2011 during Expedition 28.

Expedition 46 Flight Engineers Yuri Malenchenko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos will begin today’s spacewalk outside of the International Space Station at 8:10 a.m. EST. Watch live NASA TV coverage here:

https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

The two cosmonauts will exit the station’s Pirs airlock for 5.5 hours to deploy and retrieve several experiment packages on the Zvezda and Poisk modules and install device gap spanners, which will be placed on the hull of the station to facilitate the movement of crew members on future spacewalks.

This will be the 193rd spacewalk in support of space station assembly and maintenance, the sixth spacewalk for Malenchenko and the fourth spacewalk for Volkov. Malenchenko will be designated extravehicular crew member 1 (EV1) and Volkov will be extravehicular crew member 2 (EV2). Both will wear Russian Orlan spacesuits bearing blue stripes.

Follow @space_station on Twitter and #spacewalk for updates online. For more information about the International Space Station, including current residents, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/station

Spacewalk Ends Early After Water Detected in Helmet

Spacewalker Tim Kopra is helped out of his spacesuit by Commander Scott Kelly and Flight Engineer Sergey Volkov. Credit: NASA TV

Astronauts Tim Kopra and Tim Peake ended their spacewalk at 12:31 p.m. EST with the repressurization of the U.S. Quest airlock following an early termination of the spacewalk after Kopra reported a small water bubble had formed inside his helmet.

Commander Scott Kelly will assist the crew members with an expedited removal of their spacesuits and helmets. Once they have removed the spacesuits and helmets, the astronauts will use a syringe to take a water sample and retrieve the helmet absorption pad to determine what may have prompted the water to form inside Kopra’s helmet.

The crew was never in any danger and returned to the airlock in an orderly fashion. The astronauts replaced a failed voltage regulator that caused a loss of power to one of the station’s eight power channels last November, accomplishing the major objective for this spacewalk.

The 4 hour and 43 minutes spacewalk was the third for Kopra and the first for Peake, who both arrived to the station Dec. 15. It was the 192 in support of assembly and maintenance of the orbiting laboratory.

Stay up-to-date on the latest ISS news at: www.nasa.gov/station

Fourth Russian Cargo Ship This Year Docks to Station

The Progress 62 Spacecraft Docks — Engineering video from a camera on the Progress 62 spacecraft shows the docking target on the Pirs docking compartment.

Traveling about 253 miles over western Mongolia, the unpiloted ISS Progress 62 Russian cargo ship docked automatically with the Pirs docking compartment of the International Space Station at 5:27 a.m. EST today. Progress is delivering 2.8 tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the crew aboard the station.

The spacecraft launched Monday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Following a by-the-book rendezvous and docking with the Progress’ upgraded Kurs automated system, hooks formed a hard mate between the spacecraft and the Pirs docking compartment. Once the crew completes leak checks, the hatches will open, allowing the crew to unload the cargo.

The Progress spacecraft will remain docked until early July 2016.

For more information about the International Space Station, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/station.