Docking of the Soyuz TMA-3 transport spacecraft with the International Space Station

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
on the docking of the Soyuz TMA-3 transport spacecraft
with the International Space Station



October 20, 2003. Korolev, Moscow area

The Russian Soyuz TMA-3 manned transport spacecraft has been docked to the
Orbital Complex of the International Space Station (ISS). Contact of the
spacecraft docking assembly with the docking port of the Pirs (Piers)
Docking Compartment-Module took place at 11:16 Moscow daylight saving time
when the spacecraft and complex were in the radio visibility of Russian
ground measuring stations.
The Soyuz TMA-3 spacecraft approached the ISS Orbital Complex after two days
of the autonomous flight on the near-earth orbit, completing on the final
portion of this phase all necessary operations on rendezvous with the
complex and final approach to it in the automatic mode.
Transfer hatches between the spacecraft and Pirs module were opened at 14:16
upon completion of operations on mechanical capture, tightening up and
interface sealing check. The spacecraft crew consisting of Russian cosmonaut
Alexander Kaleri, American astronaut Michael Foale as well as European Space
Agency astronaut Pedro Duque from Spain moved to the Russian Segment of the
station.
The spacecraft fly-around, rendezvous and final approach were observed by
the main ISS Expedition 7 crew (ISS-7 crew) and personnel from Russian and
American Mission Control Centers, among them through coming
trajectory-measurement, telemetry and TV information, including information
from external onboard TV cameras located on the Russian and USOS Segments of
ISS.
On board the Orbital Complex stays a joint international crew: Russian
cosmonauts Yu. Malenchenko (ISS-7 Commander), A. Kaleri (ISS-8 Flight
Engineer), American astronauts Ed. Lu (ISS-7 Flight Engineer), Michael Foale
(ISS-8 Commander) and ESA astronaut Pedro Duque from Spain (EP-5 Flight
Engineer). They have to work together on board the complex during eight
days. For this time the cosmonauts and astronauts will perform the planned
scientific and technological studies and experiments, among them under the
Cervantes program (ESA).
The ISS-7 crew return to Earth on the Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft is planned for
October 28th, 2003 with the landing at 5:36 Moscow time.
At the present time the ISS complex weighing about 188.3 t incorporates:
Zarya Functional Cargo Block, Zvezda Service Module, Pirs Docking
Compartment-Module, Soyuz TMA-2 and Soyuz TMA-3 manned spacecraft, Progress
M-48 cargo vehicle (Russian Segment), as well as Yuniti and Destini modules,
Quest air lock and multilink truss structure with deployed solar arrays
(USOS Segment).
Flight control of the ISS Russian Segment is exercised from MCC-M (Korolev,
Moscow area) in interaction with the American Mission Control Center MCC-H
(Houston, USA). Pilot-cosmonaut V.A. Soloviev is Flight Director.
The complex conducts flight on the near-earth orbit with the following
parameters: maximum altitude - 401.3 km, minimum altitude- 376,7 km, period
of revolution around Earth - 92.0 min.
The onboard systems of transport spacecraft and modules of the complex are
functioning in the calculated mode. The joint crew is performing on orbit
the activities under the flight program.
At MCC-M during the maneuvers of the Soyuz TMA-3 spacecraft rendezvous and
docking with ISS were present members of State Commission (Co-chairmen:
Rosaviakosmos First Deputy General Director N.F. Moiseyev, TsNIIMASh Deputy
Director V.A. Grin) and Technical Management of Nanned Space Programs
(Technical Manager of Russia's Manned Programs - Korolev RSC Energia General
Designer, Academician Yu.P. Semenov), as well as representatives of Russian
enterprises and organizations involved in ISS program implementation.
Implementation of operations during rendezvous and docking were observed
from MCC-M by NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight William Readdy,
ESA Director of Manned Spaceflight and Microgravity Joerg Feustel-Bueechl,
General Director of the Spanish Center of Industrial Technology Development
Vicente Homes, representatives of Rosaviakosmos, NASA, ESA, Spanish business
circles, leading Russian and foreign information agencies and TV companies.
After docking took place a press-conference for the Russian and foreign
mass-media representatives available at MCC-M. Among the participants of the
press-conference we Co-Chairmen of the State Commission N.F. Moiseyev and
V.A. Grin, Technical Manager of Russia's Manned Programs, Korolev RSC
Energia General Designer, Academician Yu.P. Semenov, TsNIIMASh General
Director, Academician N.A. Anfimov, Gagarin RGNIIB TsPK (Cosmonaut Training
Center) First Deputy Director V.G. Korsun, NASA Associate Administrator for
Space Flight William Readdy, ISS Program Manager William Gestenmayer, ESA
Director of Manned Spaceflight and Microgravity Joerg Feustel-Bueechl,
General Director of the Spanish Center of Industrial Technology Development
Vicente Homes.
In the first TV communication session with ISS held after the meeting of
Soyuz TMA-3 spacecraft and ISS-7 crews, Co-Chairman of the State Commission
V.A. Grin, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight William Readdy, ESA
Director of Manned Spaceflight and Microgravity Joerg Feustel-Bueechl
congratulated A. Kaleri, M.Foale, P. Duque on arrival at the station and
wished the joint international crew a successful work on the flight program.



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Jacques :-)

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