Soyuz TMA-03M manned transport spaceship has docked with Rassvet research module of ISS (MIM-1) on Friday (19.19 Moscow time), press-service of Federal Space Agency reports. The pressurization check of the docking interface between Soyuz TMA-03M and MIM-1 is currently underway. AEX.ru
The transfer hatches should be opened in 22.00 - 22.30 Moscow time.
The crew of Soyuz TMA-03M will soon move to ISS: Oleg Kononenko (Roscosmos), Andre Kaupers (ESA) and Donald Pettite (NASA).
After the transfer hatches will be opened the number of the main mission at ISS will change to 30/31 and the crew will be formed by commander Daniel Burnback (NASA), onboard engineers Anton Shkaplerov (Roscosmos), Anatoly Ivshin (Roscosmos), Oleg Kononenko (Roscosmos), Andre Kaupers (ESA) and Donald Pettite (NASA).
Experiments in different areas will be carried out during 30/31 mission after the arrival of Soyuz TMA-03M, for example, space bioengineering, biomedical research, Earth’s remote probing, solar system exploration, space materials science, geophysics and exploration of near-Earth space environment, education and fine-tuning technologies. A significant part of the studies will be dedicated to the long duration space mission impact on the human body. It will help to learn more about complex processes, for example functioning of immune system, and use this knowledge for planning future long duration mission. The flight program assumes resupplying of the station with the delivered equipment and ISS’ maintenance.
The crew of ISS-30/31 will take up and unload the Progress M-14M automatic cargo ship in January 2012 (the launch is planned on January 26th), which will replenish the station’s supplies and deliver expendable equipment.
A spacewalk from the Russian segment of ISS is planned during 30/31 mission. Oleg Kononenko and Anton Shkaplerov will perform extravehicular activity in February 2012 using Russian Orlan-M suits. Kononenko has already performed two spacewalks during ISS-17 mission with a total duration of 2 hours 15 minutes. Shkaplerov will perform his first spacewalk. Kononenko and Shkaplerov will perform some scope of work including mounting of five obscuration masks for protection of “Zvezda” service module from micrometeorites and small pieces of space garbage and breakdown of “Strela-1” crane from the “Pirs” docking compartment for mounting it on the “Poisk” small research module.
The ISS-30/31 crew will take up European cargo spaceship ATV-3, also known as Edoardo Amaldi. The ship will be launched by Ariane 5 rocket from the European Kourou cosmodrome (French Guiana) in early March 2012. The Edoardo Amaldi shall deliver almost 2,5 tons of dry cargo, 285 kg of water and about 3 tons of fuel.