Decision on the Soyuz TMA-4 spacecraft prelaunch processing

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
on the General Designer's Review
Decision on the Soyuz TMA-4 spacecraft
prelaunch processing



March 30, 2004. Korolev, Moscow Area.
The General Designer's Review on the International Space Station Russian
Segment was held (led by the Review Chairman, Technical Director of the
Russian Manned Programs, General Designer, the RAS academician Yu.P.
Semenov).
The Review's meeting held at S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation
Energia considered the progress reports on the International Space Station
(ISS) effort from October 2003 through March 2004, as well as on their
readiness for implementing the Program next stage.
Yu. J. Grigoriev, Deputy General Designer of S.P. Korolev RSC Energia,
briefed on the main accomplishments reached during Expeditions 7 and 8
(ISS-7 and ISS-8) to the International Space Station, the proposals for the
Mission Program associated with Expedition 9 (ISS-9) and Visiting Crew 6
(VC-6); dwelt upon the current technical state of the station and the
progress in prelaunch processing of the Soyuz TMA-4 manned spacecraft.
Among those delivering reports were also the following persons:

General Designers, responsible representatives from the enterprises
developing and manufacturing the systems, who focused on the issues of
operational readiness of the spacecraft, launch vehicle and Launch Complex
for launch;
V.V. Tsibliev (Head of RGNII's CTC after Yu.A. Gagarin), who focused on the
flight readiness of ISS-9 and VC-6 Expedition Crews;
V.V. Bogomolov (Deputy Director of the Institute for Medical-Biological
Problems), who concentrated on the health state of the ISS-8, ISS-9 and VC-6
crews;
V.A. Soloviev (Manager of Lead Operational Control Team (LOCT); Head of
Division at S.P. Korolev RSC Energia, Pilot-Cosmonaut), who dwelt upon the
ISS flight progress, Mission Control documentation readiness, the LOCT
personnel and crews readiness for the Soyuz TMA-4/ISS docking operations to
be performed;
A.T. Goryachenkov (Deputy General Director of TsNII of Machinebuilding), who
spoke about the Conclusion drawn by this organization at Federal Space
Agency (FSA) on the ISS technical state and launch readiness of the Soyuz
TMA-4 spacecraft.
The Launch preparations are under way in the ISS-9 prime crew involving the
following persons: Russian Cosmonaut Gennady Padalka (Spacecraft Commander,
ISS-9 Commander) and American Astronaut Michael Fink (ISS-9 Flight Engineer,
Spacecraft Flight Engineer-2). The spacecraft crewmembers also include the
citizen of Netherlands, the European Space Agency's (ESA) astronaut Andre
Kuipers (Spacecraft Flight Engineer-1). He will be working under VC-6
Program (Delta Project) at the station and return to Earth together with
ISS-8 crewmembers by the Soyuz TMA-3 spacecraft.
Flight tasks set to ISS-9 crew:

support the operations to undock the Soyuz TMA-3 spacecraft, Progress M1-11
cargo space vehicle; to dock and undock the Soyuz TMA-4 spacecraft; to dock,
unload and undock the Progress M-49 cargo space vehicle, to dock (including
unloading) the Progress M-50 cargo space vehicle, to dock the Soyuz TMA-5
spacecraft;
maintain the station functionality;
perform two space walks into open space;
implement the program of scientific and applied research;
return to Earth by the Soyuz TMA-4 spacecraft.
The Program of scientific and applied research in the ISS-9 stage involves
conduct of 42 experiments, of which 39 experiments are to be carried out
under the Russian Program. A total of 191 sessions will be conducted with
the scheduled time of 132 hours allotted for them.
The experiments program to be carried out by the astronaut of Dutch
nationality includes conduct of 58 sessions relating to 24 experiments.
The General Designer's Review having considered the ISS technical state,
state of flight readiness of the Soyuz TMA-4, progress of the Soyuz-FG
launch vehicle and Launch Complex prelaunch processing, personnel readiness
of the Russian and American ground processing aids and mission control
services, crew readiness for implementing the station and spacecraft Mission
Program, as well as taking into account positive conclusions on operations
readiness of the spacecraft and the International station as a whole, has
resolved to approve the following:

ISS Program effort accomplishments from October 2003 through March 2004;
the test results and the forthcoming work plan for the Soyuz TMA-4
spacecraft prelaunch processing for the scheduled replacement of the Soyuz
TMA-3 spacecraft at the station and VC-6 Expedition implementation with
return to the ground of Russian cosmonaut Alexandr Kalery (Commander of the
Soyuz TMA-3 spacecraft, ISS-8 Flight Engineer), NASA astronaut Michael Foale
(Flight Engineer of the Soyuz TMA-3 spacecraft, ISS-8 Commander) and the
citizen of Netherlands, ESA's astronaut Andre Kuipers;
Research and Experiments Program during Expedition ISS-9 scheduled to last
183 days, whose crewmembers are expected to involve two persons: Russian
cosmonaut Gennady Padalka and NASA astronaut Michael Fink;
11-day VC-6 Expedition Program envisaging flight of ESA astronaut Andre
Kuipers with the aim to conduct the experiments and studies developed by the
Russian scientists and ESA member countries, including those within the
Delta Project.
The Review meeting was attended by the representatives of FSA, NASA, ESA,
the industry-wide enterprises and organizations involved in the Project
implementation.
The Soyuz TMA-4 spacecraft is slated to be launched on April 19, 2004 at 7
hours 18 minutes Moscow Time.




--
---------------------------

Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.info