NASA ANNOUNCES THREE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION CREWS

Feb. 12, 2007

Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-3749

Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111

RELEASE: 07-39

NASA ANNOUNCES THREE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION CREWS

WASHINGTON - NASA and its international partners have named the crews
that will live and work aboard the International Space Station for
the next two years. The crew members make up three expeditions to the
station and represent four space agencies.

The assignments include the first long-duration station flight for a
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut and the second
long-duration station flight for an astronaut from the European Space
Agency (ESA). The JAXA and ESA astronauts will work on the
installation and checkout of the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo and
European Columbus laboratories on the station.

NASA astronaut and veteran station crew member Peggy A. Whitson will
command Expedition 16, set to begin in fall 2007. The flight
engineers for the mission include cosmonaut and Russian Air Force
Col. Yuri I. Malenchenko, ESA astronaut and French Air Force Brig.
Gen. Leopold Eyharts and NASA astronaut Garrett E. Reisman.

Malenchenko will command the Russian Soyuz spacecraft that will carry
him and Whitson to the station and return them to Earth in spring
2008. They will join NASA astronaut Daniel M. Tani aboard the
station.
Eyharts will fly to the station on space shuttle mission STS-122,
which is expected to deliver the Columbus lab this fall. Eyharts will
remain on the station to oversee activation and checkout of the
laboratory, while Tani takes the shuttle home.
Reisman will fly on shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission to replace
Eyharts. Reisman will remain on the station for about six months and
return on shuttle mission STS-119, targeted for summer 2008.
Russian Air Force Lt. Col. Sergei Volkov will command Expedition 17.
Expedition 17 flight engineers include cosmonaut Oleg D. Kononenko
and NASA astronaut Sandra H. Magnus.

Kononenko will command the Soyuz spacecraft that will carry him and
Volkov to the station in spring 2008 and bring them home in fall
2008.
Magnus will arrive on STS-119 and remain aboard the station. Magnus
will return on the STS-126 mission targeted for summer 2008.
NASA astronaut and station veteran Air Force Lt. Col. E. Michael
Fincke will command Expedition 18. Expedition 18 flight engineers
include cosmonaut and veteran station crew member Russian Air Force
Col. Salizhan S. Sharipov, JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata and NASA
astronaut Gregory E. Chamitoff.

Sharipov will command the Soyuz that will carry him and Fincke to the
station in fall 2008 and back to Earth in spring 2009.
Wakata will fly to the station on STS-126 to replace Magnus. Magnus
will return to Earth on STS-126.
Chamitoff will fly to the station on the STS-127 mission, targeted for
winter 2008, the third and final flight for assembly of the Japanese
Kibo lab. Wakata will return to Earth on STS-127. Chamitoff will
return home on a later shuttle or Soyuz mission.
Expedition 16 backup crew members:

Fincke for Whitson
Sharipov for Malenchenko
ESA astronaut Frank DeWinne for Eyharts
NASA astronaut Army Lt. Col. Timothy L. Kopra for Reisman.
Expedition 17 backup crew members:

Cosmonaut and veteran station crew member Sergei Krikalev for Volkov
Cosmonaut Russian Air Force Col. Maxim V. Suraev for Kononenko
NASA astronaut Nicole P. Stott for Magnus.
Expedition 18 backup crew members:

NASA astronaut Dr. Michael R. Barratt for Fincke
Cosmonaut Russian Air Force Lt. Col. Yuri V. Lonchakov for Sharipov
JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi for Wakata
NASA astronaut Army Col. Timothy J. Creamer for Chamitoff.
Video of the prime crew members will air on NASA TV's Video File. For
NASA TV downlink, streaming video and scheduling information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv For complete crew biographies, visit:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/astrobio.html

For more about upcoming space shuttle missions, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle


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Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.nl