ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen before entering one of the world’s largest swimming pools at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab in Houston, USA for spacewalk training. He is wearing a liquid-cooled undergarment that will keep him at the right temperature during the many hours spent training in the spacesuit or Extravehicular Mobility Unit. Training underwater on a life-size mockup of the Space Station is one way astronauts prepare for their mission. Floating underwater is one of the best ways train on Earth for weightlessness.
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ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen will be venturing to the International Space Station next year. He is training as the flight engineer on the Soyuz spacecraft that will fly 400 km above Earth but his mission does not have a name – yet.
Andreas is asking you to be creative and submit a name for his 10-day flight in space. His time on the Space Station will focus on testing and demonstrating new technologies such as ESA’s Skinsuit that aims to alleviate backpain.
Andreas is an engineer by education who worked on ESA projects such as Swarm and lunar missions before becoming an astronaut in 2009.
Hailing from Denmark, his training has seen him travel all over the world as well as underneath it. He spent a week in Sardinia’s caves in Italy as part of ESA’s underground training course as well as spending almost a week underwater off the coast of Florida in NASA’s Seatest programme.
As background information to help guide you to the winning name, Andreas enjoys extreme sports and science: he practises rugby, basketball, mountaineering and skydiving, while at home he keeps his knowledge of astrophysics, exobiology and evolution up to date.
ESA astronaut missions to the orbital outpost have played on the acronym for International Space Station (PromISSe), have been acronyms themselves (DAMA) or simple words (Volare, Futura).
There are a few rules but as long your proposal is short and not copyrighted it should be eligible. The competition is open only to residents of ESA member states, however.
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Personal data
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark on 2 November 1976, Andreas enjoys rugby, basketball, and squash. He is also active in several adventure sports, including scuba diving, skydiving, kite surfing, kayaking and mountaineering. Other interests include science, in particular astrophysics, exobiology, and evolution.
Education
Andreas finished secondary school in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1995, graduating with an International Baccalaureate from the Copenhagen International School.
He received a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Imperial College London in the UK in 1999. As part of his studies, he spent a semester at the Instituto Superior Tecnico in Lisbon, Portugal.
Andreas received a doctorate in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in the United States in 2007. His research interests include guidance, navigation and control of spacecraft during entry, descent and landing; mission analysis and design; and trajectory optimisation.
Organisations
Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
Member of the American Astronautical Society (AAS)
Member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Experience
Andreas began his professional career as an engineer at Schlumberger Oilfield Services, where he worked as a drilling services engineer from 2000 to 2001. He was stationed in the Republic of Congo and the Republic of Angola working on offshore oil rigs.
From 2001 to 2003, Andreas worked at Vestas Wind Systems in Ringkøbing, Denmark as a control systems engineer in the research and development department, where he designed control systems for wind turbines.
From 2004 to 2007, while working towards his doctorate, Andreas was a research assistant at the Center for Space Research and a teaching assistant in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, USA.
From 2007 to 2008, Andreas worked as attitude and orbit control systems engineer for HE Space Operations. He was subcontracted to EADS Astrium in Friedrichshafen, Germany for the duration of his employment, where he worked on ESA’s Swarm mission.
Before being selected as an astronaut in 2009, Andreas was a research fellow at the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey in the UK. His research focused on spacecraft guidance, navigation and control during entry, descent and landing for lunar missions.
Andreas was selected as an ESA astronaut in May 2009 and completed the astronaut basic training programme at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany in November 2010. Since completing the astronaut basic training programme, Andreas has been trained and certified as a private pilot by the Lufthansa flight school and is trained and qualified for spacewalks using both the American EMU suit and the Russian Orlan suit.
Andreas participated in the ESA CAVES 2012 mission, as part of an international team of six astronauts, living underground for a week and exploring a cave system in Sardinia. The ESA CAVES training is a space-mission analogue, focusing on human behaviour and performance in extreme environments. Andreas was also selected to participate in the NASA SEATEST 2 mission, which took place in September 2013. The SEATEST 2 mission, at the Aquarius undersea research laboratory, is also an analogue for space exploration missions.
In addition to his training activities, Andreas worked for ESA on the Lunar Lander programme at ESTEC, the Netherlands where he was involved in the design of the guidance, navigation and control system for precision landing.
Andreas is a qualified Eurocom at the Columbus Control Centre in Munich, where he communicates with the astronauts on the International Space Station.
Andreas is also an adjunct lecturer at the National Space Institute at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU Space).
In August 2013 Andreas was assigned to a 10-day mission to the International Space Station to be launched 30 September 2015 on the Soyuz TMA-18 spacecraft. He will be the first astronaut of Danish nationality to go to space.
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ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen before entering one of the world’s largest swimming pools at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab in Houston, USA for spacewalk training. He is wearing a liquid-cooled undergarment that will keep him at the right temperature during the many hours spent training in the spacesuit or Extravehicular Mobility Unit. Training underwater on a life-size mockup of the Space Station is one way astronauts prepare for their mission. Floating underwater is one of the best ways train on Earth for weightlessness.
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ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen preparing to enter the pool for spacewalk training at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab in Houston, USA.
Training underwater on a life-size mockup of the Space Station is one way astronauts prepare for their mission. Floating underwater is one of the best ways train on Earth for weightlessness.
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ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen before entering one of the world’s largest swimming pools at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab in Houston, USA for spacewalk training. He is wearing a liquid-cooled undergarment that will keep him at the right temperature during the many hours spent training in the spacesuit or Extravehicular Mobility Unit. Training underwater on a life-size mockup of the Space Station is one way astronauts prepare for their mission. Floating underwater is one of the best ways train on Earth for weightlessness.
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Seatest waterwalk
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ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, from Denmark, during EVA training at ESA's Neutral Buoyancy Facility at the European Astronaut Centre, in Cologne, Germany, 1 September 2010. This course teaches ESA astronauts basic Extravehicular Activity (EVA, or 'spacewalk') concepts and skills, such as tethering to the International Space Station, the use of special EVA tools, communicating with an EVA crewmate and with the control room and how to keep full situational awareness in a complex and challenging environment.
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The new recruits join the European Astronaut Corps and start their training to prepare for future missions to the International Space Station, and beyond. From clockwise from top left: Timothy Peake, Andreas Mogensen, Alexander Gerst, Luca Parmitano, Thomas Pesquet and Samantha Cristoforetti.
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Hiking in a river: Andreas walking in a river during the astronaut survival training in June 2010.
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Andreas has collected plenty of insulation material for the shelter during the astronaut survival training, June 2010.
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ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen (left) takes part in winter survival training near Star City outside Moscow, Russia. Survival training is an important part of all Soyuz mission training. There is always the possibility that a Soyuz spacecraft could land in a remote, cold area. All astronauts have to learn to survive in harsh climates while waiting for rescue.
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ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen (center) during winter survival training near Star City, Russia, on 21 January 2014.
Survival training is an important part of all Soyuz mission training. There is always the possibility that a Soyuz spacecraft could land in a remote, cold area. All astronauts have to learn to survive in harsh climates while waiting for rescue.
Andreas Mogensen was assigned to a 10-day mission to the International Space Station to be launched in September 2015 on the Soyuz TMA-18 spacecraft. He will be the first astronaut of Danish nationality to go to space.
Quelle: ESA
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Update: 28.04.2014
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ANDREAS MOGENSEN´S MISSION NAME: IRISS
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On 27 April 2014, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen announced his mission name, iriss, in Copenhagen at the Science Forum, part of the Danish national science fair. Over 1000 students and youths were in the audience. The iriss name was selected following a Europe-wide contest that garnered over 700 submissions.
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ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen’s mission next year to the International Space Station now has a name: iriss. The winning proposal was submitted by Filippo Magni, from Italy, and was selected from over 700 suggestions received from across Europe.
The name for Andreas’ 10-day mission combines Iris and ISS. Iris was a Greek goddess, the messenger of the gods of Olympus and the personification of the rainbow. As messenger, she represents the link between humanity and the cosmos, and between the heavens and Earth.
The name also combines the rainbow – a symbol of peace – with Andreas’ scientific and technology demonstration mission to the Space Station.
The winning name was announced by Andreas yesterday in Copenhagen at the Science Forum, part of the Danish national science fair.
Andreas talked about his mission before an audience of almost 1100, and announced a new Danish national competition to design his mission logo.
“It was great to be able to make the announcement at an event where so many young students enthusiastic about science could participate,” he said.
“Science has been a bridge between East and West, helping to foster peace and understanding. The name iriss perfectly captures this aspect of the ISS.”
His time on the Space Station will focus on testing and demonstrating new technologies such as ESA’s Skinsuit, which aims to alleviate backpain.
Andreas is an engineer by education who worked on ESA projects such as Swarm and lunar missions before becoming an astronaut in 2009.
ISS: outstanding example of international cooperation
Filippo Magni is a 20-year-old student of aerospace engineering at Politecnico di Milano. He’s always been passionate about space and, as a child, was fascinated by the gorgeous pictures coming from interplanetary missions and the Hubble Space Telescope.
“The rainbow is a universal symbol of peace and I like to think of the ISS as a rare and outstanding example of peace and international cooperation,” says Filippo.
“The figure of Iris the messenger matches the role of the astronauts who have the task of transmitting their special experience in orbit to those who remain here on Earth.”
The winning name was selected from among many hundreds of excellent submissions in a Europe-wide contest announced by ESA in March. As winner, Filippo will receive a framed mission logo signed by Andreas.
Quelle: ESA
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Update: 10.10.2014
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SPACE VIKING: ANDREAS MOGENSEN PRÄSENTIERT MISSION LOGO
ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen today unveiled the patches that will accompany him on his iriss mission aboard the International Space Station next year.
Andreas will be launched from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, on a Soyuz spacecraft in September 2015 and be back on Earth within two weeks. This short mission offers excellent opportunities to test new technologies and return samples and results to scientists quickly.
An ESA astronaut usually has one logo per mission but Andreas has added another to emphasise his educational programme that will use iriss to inspire youngsters.
A competition in Andreas’s home country of Denmark attracted 500 entrants, with two designs chosen by an expert jury to represent iriss and Andreas.
The winner for the mission logo, Poul Rasmussen, was inspired by the Greek goddess Iris, who is often depicted with wings. The wings in the design also represent a Viking ship as used to explore the world and seek unknown horizons.
Andreas’ nationality is reflected in the country’s flag depicted in a globe and the colours used in the logo: red, white and blue.
The iriss name is written in two colours to highlight that Andreas is leaving Earth for the International Space Station, or ISS. Stars and planets appear above the name in stylised orbits.
iriss education logo
While the Space Station is teaching engineers and scientists about the world around us and how to live and work in space, Andreas will use his mission to inspire children to continue learning.
His educational logo was designed by 19-year-old Louise Nielsen, who adopted the same colours as the mission logo. The design shows Andreas heading into space on a rocket.
Meanwhile, Andreas continues to prepare for his mission, travelling the world to train in Russia, USA, Japan, Canada and Europe for his out-of-this-world experience. This summer he spent a week underwater on a NASA training mission testing some of the technology he will use in space next year.
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From left to right: ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, during a water survival training session near Star City, Russia, on 25 June 2014.
Survival training is an important part of all Soyuz mission training. When a Soyuz spacecraft returns to Earth there is always the possibility that it could land in water.
Andreas Mogensen has been assigned to be launched on a Soyuz spacecraft from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in September 2015 for a mission to the International Space Station. This 10-day mission will be Andreas's first flight into space and the first ever space mission by a Danish astronaut.
Thomas Pesquet has been assigned to be launched on a Soyuz spacecraft from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in 2016 for a long-duration mission to the International Space Station.
Quelle: ESA
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Update: 30.10.2014
Andreas Mogensen bei Unterwassertraining FIU - Medina Aquarius Program
Quelle: ESA
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Update: 4.12.2014
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Denmark ups ESA funds ahead of first astronaut
As Denmark prepares to launch its first ever astronaut next year, the nation increases its investments into the European Space Agency.
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Fresh off the European Space Agency’s historic comet landing last month, Denmark has agreed to up its contributions to European space exploration.
At this week’s European Space Agency (ESA) ministerial council meeting, 20 member countries agreed to invest op to 44 billion kroner ($7.3 billion) in ESA activities over the next three years. Denmark’s contributions will total 313 million kroner.
The largest share of the Danish funding will go toward supporting the International Space Station (ISS), which next year will be visited by Denmark’s first ever astronaut, Andreas Mogensen.
Mogensen will be a member of crew travelling to the ISS in September 2015. His 10-day mission will include testing the ESA’s new Skinsuit, which is designed to minimizer the negative effects of weightlessness on the body. He will also launch two small satellites created by Aalborg University that will monitor ship traffic in the Arctic.
“Within the next two years, we will have both an astronaut and a climate gauge sent up to the ISS. With Denmark’s contributions, we are sending a clear signal about our participation,” Sofie Carsten Nielsen, the minister for higher education and research, said.
Nielsen said that the ESA’s sensational mission with the robot probe Philae, which successfully landed on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on November 12, helped to demonstrate the importance of space exploration.
“It’s important for me that we see an increased focus on how important the space industry is to our modern infrastructure and daily life. So it is spectacular that the ESA can land on a comment millions of kilometres out in space. Then space travel seems no further away than our daily needs for reliable weather forecasts and safe navigation,” Nielsen said.
Quelle:The Local
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Update: 23.05.2015
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100 Tage-CountDown für Andreas Mogensen IRISS-Mission
The 100-day countdown begins today for ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen’s visit to the International Space Station. Following launch on 1 September, he will test new technologies and deliver a fresh spacecraft for the long-stay crew already aboard the orbital complex.Most Station astronauts stay for up to six months, but NASA’s Scott Kelly and Russia’s Mikhail Korniyenko are spending almost a year in space to research the effects of living in weightlessness for a long time.
All occupants arrive in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft that is certified for six months, so Scott and Mikhail need a new vehicle to fly home when their mission ends next year.
Andreas and his crewmates will fly to the Station in Soyuz TMA-18M but return to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-16M, which delivered Mikhail and Scott to the weightless research laboratory.
Tech-heavy tight schedule
This unusual short mission is an opportunity to test new technologies and return experiment samples to scientists on Earth quickly.
During the early period that most new arrivals spend acclimatising to their new environment, Andreas will work on around 20 European experiments.
He will test a new close-fitting garment that promises to alleviate the back pain that many astronauts suffer. Other experiments will look at blood vessels and Andreas’s muscles, bones and brain to see how they fare in space.
Many of the experiments for his ‘iriss’ mission will test new ways of interacting with mission control to improve operations. He will perform some tasks without training on the ground, instead relying on just-in-time-training from 3D software. A headset will stream live video to mission control so they can look over his shoulder and offer advice.
Andreas with headset
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The Meteron project, aiming to control robots from space, will take a step forward when Andreas operates a rover in the Netherlands from the Station. He will also use a feedback joystick to move its twin on Earth, allowing him to ‘feel’ objects remotely.
He will also investigate from above what happens during thunderstorms and possibly launch a student satellite to track ocean ships.
“I will be very busy the last 100 days before launch, preparing for the science and technology activities,” says Andreas. “With the densely packed schedule that I have for the mission, I need to hit the ground running as soon as I arrive at the Station.”
Andreas using feedback joystick
Quelle: ESA
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Update: 24.07.2015
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Andreas Morgensen launch moved by a day
The next ESA astronaut to work on the International Space Station, Andreas Mogensen, will arrive a day later than previously planned because the Station’s orbit has been changed.
The Danish flight engineer, commander Sergei Volkov and Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov will leave Earth from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, at 4:34 GMT (6:34 CEST, 10:34 local time) on 2 September and arrive at the Space Station just six hours later.
Andreas and Aidyn’s stay will be short – they will be back on terra firma just 10 days later. They will leave Sergei on the Station and return to Earth in a different Soyuz under commander Gennady Padalka, who is already in space.
The one-day delay was necessary because the Station’s orbit was raised this month and their original launch date would no longer allow the Soyuz to reach the weightless research laboratory inside six hours.
This sprint for Andreas and Aidyn is part of a marathon mission for NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Korniyenko, who will stay in space for 11 months. The older Soyuz crew ferry is reaching the end of its six-month ‘space warranty’ and needs to be replaced by a new delivery courtesy of Sergei, Andreas and Aidyn.
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The Soyuz TMA-18M official crew picture from the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre. From left, Aidyn Aimbetov (KazCosmos), Sergei Volkov (Roscosmos) and Andreas Mogensen (ESA).
The Danish flight engineer, commander Volkov and Kazakh cosmonaut Aimbetov will leave Earth from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, at 04:34 GMT (06:34 CEST, 10:34 local time) on 2 September 2015 and arrive at the Space Station just six hours later.
Andreas and Aidyn’s stay will be short – they will be back on terra firma just 10 days later. They will leave Sergei on the Station and return to Earth in a different Soyuz under commander Gennady Padalka, who is already in space.
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Andreas has an essential role in this spacecraft swap assisting both Soyuz commanders on each flight in his role as flight engineer, or second-in-command.
Intense sprint
During his mission, Andreas has more than 20 ESA experiments planned, focusing on new ways of operating and testing new technology.
Most missions allow astronauts a week to acclimatise to the sensation of weightlessness and their new home, but this is obviously not an option for Andreas so he has been doing full-day dress rehearsals on Earth with ground control to prepare, much like previous Space Shuttle missions.
Aside from Station safety procedures, Andreas is exempt from the usual housekeeping tasks of astronauts in space. In addition, he will work an extra 90 minutes a day, in Europe’s Columbus space laboratory.
His iriss mission is being planned by ESA from the Columbus Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. For 10 days they will employ extra specialists to prepare the next day’s activities while Andreas sleeps, following his work live and adapting to new situations as quickly as possible.
The iriss mission will see the first intensive use of a new communications radio link between the control centre and Columbus, allowing closer collaboration between the astronaut and the ground crew.
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ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen’s official portrait for the Soyuz TMA-18M flight that will take him to the International Space Station in September 2015. He is wearing the Sokol suit that will protect him for the six-hour flight to the Station.
Andreas is the Soyuz flight engineer, flying with with commander Sergei Volkov and Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov. The mission for Andreas and Aidyn is part of a marathon mission for NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Korniyenko, who will stay in space for 11 months. An older Soyuz crew ferry is reaching the end of its six-month ‘space warranty’ and needs to be replaced by a new craft delivery courtesy of Sergei, Andreas and Aidyn.
Andreas has an essential role in this spacecraft swap, assisting both Soyuz commanders on each flight as a flight engineer, or second-in-command.
Quelle: ESA
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Update: 18.08.2015
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LEGO joins sprint mission to the ISS
The European Space Agency (ESA) has teamed up with LEGO Education, to inspire school children to make their own LEGO movies based around a mission to the International Space Station. ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, as the ambassador for the educational project, is hoping to inspire children to take up technological and scientific studies. Mogensen's 'iriss' mission starts in September. The mission's name combines the Greek goddess Iris, the messenger of the gods of Olympus and the International Space Station ISS. The contest asked primary school students in Denmark to create short movies, using a StoryStarter product by LEGO, based on different aspects of the mission. The children's films were uploaded on YouTube, with the five best movies displayed in a special event at Legoland in Billund, Denmark, hosted by Andreas at the end of June. Meanwhile, 20 LEGO figurines launched to the Space Station will be used as prizes for activities around the mission when they return to Earth later this year. During his brief ten-day 'sprint' mission, Andreas will be conducting more than 20 ESA experiments testing new technology for space and new ways of operation. These include testing a novel suit to alleviate back pain, operating a car-sized rover and using augmented-reality goggles to guide him through maintenance tasks. To complete his tasks, Mogensen will have to work up to nine-and-a-half-hour days instead of the eight-hour workdays that are usual for astronauts on the Station. Expedition 44 and the One-Year Crew currently aboard the ISS are Russian cosmonauts Commander Gennady Padalka, Mikhail Kornienko and Oleg Kononenko, NASA's Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren, and JAXA's Kimiya Yui. For details of every human who has been in space since the first spaceflight of Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961, including who is in space now and their previous missions, check out Sen’s human spaceflight app.
Quelle: SEN
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Update: 20.08.2015
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ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Soyuz spacecraft commander Sergei Volkov and Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov arrived in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, yesterday. This is their last destination before heading to the International Space Station in the night of 2 September.
The trio will spend their last two weeks on Earth with technicians and medical staff to make sure everything is ready for the mission.
“We had a great welcome in Kazakhstan and I am looking forward to the last phase before launch,” says Andreas.
Their schedule includes final checks to make sure their spacecraft is fit for travel, refresher training on Space Station systems and many medical examinations. They will spend their last days in quarantine to avoid taking unwanted bacteria or viruses to their colleagues waiting for them on the International Space Station.
Andreas’s mission only lasts ten days so his schedule is tightly packed with European experiments to test new technologies and operational techniques for future space missions. Andreas will drive three different rovers in two experiments from 400 km above while he orbits Earth.
Much of the equipment that Andreas needs for his experiments will fly to the Space Station with him in the Soyuz spacecraft, including a radiation monitoring device, the ‘SkinSuit’ designed to alleviate astronaut back problems and a new type of filter that mimics nature to purify water.
These experiments will be packed into the Soyuz on 27 August. Andreas, Sergei and Aidyn have an extra day to prepare their personal belongings that they wish to take with them.
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who is Andreas’s backup on this mission, also arrived at Baikonur yesterday with the rest of the backup crew – on a different plane for safety purposes.
Throughout the ‘iriss’ mission, ESA will publish frequent blog posts and updates via the @esaoperations Twitter account to showcase the work done at the Columbus Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, and the researchers from all over Europe.
Andreas will answer questions shortly before launch via a Reddit ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on 27 August. You can also follow him on his Twitter account, @astro_andreas and on Facebook.
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Farewell from Moscow
Quelle: ESA
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Update: 27.08.2015
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NASA Television to Air Launch of Next International Space Station Crew
Aidyn Aimbetov of the Kazakh Space Agency, Sergei Volkov of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015.
Credits: NASA
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The next three crew members bound for the International Space Station are set to launch to the orbital outpost Wednesday, Sept. 2.
NASA Television launch coverage will begin at 11:45 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Sept. 1.
Sergei Volkov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) and Aidyn Aimbetov of the Kazakh Space Agency will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 12:37 a.m. Wednesday (10:34 a.m. Baikonur time). Mogensen and Aimbetov are short duration crew members while Volkov will spend six months on the orbital complex.
The trio will travel in a Soyuz spacecraft, which will rendezvous with the space station and dock two days later to the Poisk module at 3:42 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 4. NASA TV coverage of docking will begin at 3 a.m.
The hatches between the Soyuz and station will be opened at about 6:15 a.m. on Sept. 4, at which time the newly arrived crew members will be greeted by Expedition 44 Commander Gennady Padalka of Roscosmos, as well as Flight Engineers Oleg Kononenko and Mikhail Kornienko of Roscosmos, Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren of NASA, and Kimiya Yui of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. NASA TV coverage of the hatch opening will begin at 5:45 a.m.
This will be the first time nine crew members are aboard the station simultaneously since November 2013. Padalka, Mogensen and Aimbetov will return to Earth on Saturday, Sept. 12, leaving Kelly in command of Expedition 45. The change of command ceremony in which Padalka will hand over command of the space station to Kelly will be broadcast on NASA TV on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 2:40 p.m.
Kelly and Kornienko will return in March 2016 after spending a year on the station collecting valuable biomedical data that will improve our understanding of the effects of long duration space travel and aid in NASA’s journey to Mars.
Together, the Expedition 45 crew members will continue the several hundred experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science currently underway and scheduled to take place aboard humanity’s only orbiting laboratory.
