Prelaunch tests of the SOYUZ TMA-04M crew vehicle continue at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for the planned May 15, 2012 launch to the International Space Station ferrying Roscosmos cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin along with NASA astronaut "Joe" Acaba. The three member crew flight was previously DELAYED BY A CAPSULE AIR LEAK.Verification sequence covers standalone and integrated system tests, tests in vacuum and acoustic chambers. At the final stages, prime and backup crews arrive at the spaceport to inspect the vehicle and to make their comments on desired accommodation of the hardware inside the Soyuz.There remains a lot of activity at the International Space Station prior to the launch departure of the Soyuz TMA-04M and its crew from Earth with the departure of an older Russian cargo ship and arrival of a new one, departure of three of the the current six member ISS crew, and the arrival of the first American commercial cargo spacecraft. The "PROGRESS M-15M" is expected to launch with cargo to the space station on April 20, 2012. The Progress M-14M cargo ship is expected to depart the ISS Pirs docking port on April 19, 2012 to make way for the new Russian cargo spacecraft.Astronaut and ISS Commander D abiel Burbank and cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoli Ivanishin are now expected to depart the International Space Station on Friday, April 27, 2012 aboard the Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft. Their departure will downsize the crew to three for a little more than two weeks. The COMMERCIAL DRAGON2 SPACECRAFT is expected to launch April 30th and arrive May 3, 2012 for the first test of the SpaceX launch system and docking at the the space station, if all remains on the currently announced scehdule.
Origin: mystery-sky-lights.blogspot.com
Origin: mystery-sky-lights.blogspot.com
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