Return to space for Spanish ESA astronaut

Paris, 16 October 2003
Press Release
N° 65-2003

Return to space for Spanish ESA astronaut

On 18 October the Soyuz TMA-3 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:37 local time, 07:37 Central European
Summer Time, will be carrying the European Space Agency astronaut Pedro
Duque to the International Space Station (ISS) on Soyuz flight 7S,
accompanied by the two members of ISS Expedition 8 crew.

Duque, a member of ESA's astronaut corps since 1992, becomes the sixth
European, and first Spaniard, to visit and work on the International Space
Station.

His mission takes its name from Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), author of
Don Quixote. The main purpose of this 10-day mission is to carry out an
extensive scientific programme comprising a series of experiments in the
fields of life and physical sciences, Earth observation, education and
technology. Most of these will be performed by Duque in the Russian part
of the Station; others in NASA's Destiny laboratory, including use of the
Microgravity Science Glovebox, a scientific research facility developed in
Europe.

"A trip into space is not something you can do every day", said Duque, "so
I am determined to use every moment to the fullest and perform the various
experiments as proficiently as possible. I am proud to be representing
almost 40 million Spanish citizens".

From a European perspective the Cervantes mission is also important
because it increases ESA's astronaut experience ahead of the launch of
Columbus, Europe's own laboratory, to the Space Station. Pedro Duque has
worked previously on the development of Columbus. He reviewed its design
in terms of operability and maintainability and checked on ergonomic
aspects of its structure. The ongoing development of Columbus and its
research facilities will benefit from the 'hands on' experience he will
get during his stay on the ISS.

Other important objectives of the Soyuz 7S/Cervantes mission are to
exchange the ISS Expedition crews and the Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft currently
attached to the ISS.

Duque will be Flight Engineer in the Soyuz TMA-3 on the ascent phase to
the ISS, taking an active role in piloting the spacecraft. The other crew
members are Russian Rosaviakosmos cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri, the
Commander, and NASA astronaut Michael Foale. Kaleri and Foale, the ISS
Expedition 8 crew, will stay on the station for approximately six months.
Two days after launch the Soyuz TMA-3 will approach and dock with the
orbiting complex some 400 km above the Earth.

On the return flight, on 28 October, Duque will be Flight Engineer on the
Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft. He will return with the ISS Expedition 7 crew,
Yuri Malenchenko and Edward Lu, who arrived at the ISS on 28 April in the
Soyuz TMA-2, which is being replaced by the Soyuz TMA-3 in order to
maintain the integrity of the systems of the spacecraft, which is
permanently docked with the ISS in case of emergencies.

Duque's flight is sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Science and
Technology, through the Centre for the Development of Industrial
Technology (CDTI). It was organised under a framework agreement between
ESA and the Russian space agency Rosaviakosmos, covering flights for
European astronauts.

"Through the continued cooperation of the ISS partners we are now looking
forward to a productive and beneficial future for all parties involved in
the International Space Station", said Mr Jörg Feustel-Büechl, ESA
Director of Human Spaceflight. "By bringing the Cervantes mission to
fruition, the European Space Agency is showing its determination to
continue expanding the frontiers of research in human spaceflight and
fostering international cooperation and friendship".

The Cervantes mission was originally planned for April this year, but in
the aftermath of the Columbia accident, ESA was asked by the partners in
the Space Station programme to forgo that flight opportunity and make a
crew exchange possible. ESA agreed to give up its seat and postpone Pedro
Duque's flight to October.

The Cervantes mission follows the Odissea mission in October/November
2002, with ESA's Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne, and is the fourth in a
series of European manned Soyuz missions to the Space Station.
Since October 2002, Duque has spent most of his time training at the
Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City, near Moscow, with
additional mission-specific training at ESA's ESTEC facility in Noordwijk,
the Netherlands, and at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
This will be Duque's second mission in space. He flew as Mission
Specialist on the STS-95 mission on the Space Shuttle Discovery (29
October to 7 November 1998), a nine-day mission dedicated to solar
research. Now aged 40, he joined the the ESA astronaut corps over a decade
ago. He will find this mission on a Russian Soyuz rocket very different
from his maiden spaceflight on the Space Shuttle.

Unlike his first mission, Duque's journey to the International Space
Station will require hands-on involvement in the piloting of the Soyuz
spacecraft from the moment of lift-off.

"The training methods for the Shuttle and Soyuz are very different. On the
Shuttle we were like passengers and work only began once we had arrived in
orbit," observes Duque.

Dutch ESA astronaut André Kuipers is the backup astronaut for the
Cervantes mission and is himself scheduled to fly on a Dutch Soyuz mission
scheduled for April next year.

The Cervantes mission launch from Baikonur will be transmitted live to
Europe via satellite by the ESA Television Service. For transmission times
and details, please contact:
http://television.esa.int

For further information, please contact:
ESA Media Relations Office
Tel: +33 (0)1.5369.7155
Fax: +33 (0)1.5369.7690
or consult the web at :
http://www.esa.int/cervantes and
http://www.spaceflight.esa.int/cervantes





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Jacques :-)

Editor: www.spacepatches.info