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04/08/08: Expedition 17 Launches Successfully from Baikonur.
Commander Sergei Alexandrovich Volkov and cosmonaut Oleg Dmitrievich Kononenko of the 17th International Space Station crew launched in their Soyuz TMA-12 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 12:16 UT (7:16 a.m. EDT) on Tuesday, to begin a six-month stay in space.
Less than 10 minutes after launch their spacecraft reached orbit, and its antennas and solar arrays were deployed shortly afterwards.
April 8: Expedition 17 launches aboard a Soyuz rocket from Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA TV
With Volkov, a lieutenant colonel in the Russian Air Force, and Kononenko is spaceflight participant So-yeon Yi. She is a South Korean flying under contract with the Russian Federal Space Agency.
Yi will return to Earth with Expedition 16 crew members, Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko in their Soyuz TMA-11 on April 19. Expedition 16 launched to the station on Oct. 10.
Expedition 17 crew members will be welcomed by the Expedition 16 crew, including astronaut Garrett Reisman, after their docking to the orbiting laboratory, scheduled for Thursday. Reisman launched to the station on the STS-123 mission of Endeavour March 11. He joined Expedition 16 in progress and will provide Expedition 17 with an experienced flight engineer for the first part of its increment.
Volkov, 35, is making his first flight into space. He is a graduate of the Tambov Air Force Academy for Pilots. After service as an air force pilot he began cosmonaut training in December 1997. He trained with the Expedition 11 crew and as a backup Expedition 13 crew member. He is the son of cosmonaut Alexander Volkov, who flew three long-duration missions in Soviet and Russian space stations from 1985 to 1992.
Kononenko, 43, also is making his first spaceflight. He is a graduate of the Aviation Institute and worked at the Russian Space Agency's Central Specialized Design Bureau. He began cosmonaut training in June 1996. He trained with the Expedition 9 and Expedition 11 crews.
Astronaut Greg Chamitoff is scheduled to launch on the STS-124 flight of Discovery to join Expedition 17 in progress. He holds a Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was selected as an astronaut for the class of 1998. He will be making his first spaceflight.
Two Expedition 18 crew members are expected to arrive next fall to replace Volkov and Kononenko.
- courtesy of NASA
April 8: According to the International Space Station (ISS) Flight Program and Russian Party commitments under the ISS Project, Soyuz TMA-12 manned space vehicle was launched at 15:16:39 Moscow time from Baikonur launch site.
The purpose of the launch is to deliver the Increment 17 (ISS-17) crew commander S. Volkov (test cosmonaut, Yu.A. Gagarin CTC RGNII), ISS-17 flight engineer O. Kononenko (test cosmonaut, S.P. Korolev RSC Energia) and spaceflight participant of the 14th visiting crew (VC-14), citizen of the Republic of Korea So Yeon Yi, the first Korean cosmonaut to the ISS.
The space vehicle is inserted into a near-earth reference orbit with the following parameters: inclination of 51.63°, minimum altitude of 199.5 km, maximum altitude of 246.3 km, orbital period of 88.67 min.
The space vehicle onboard systems operate normally.
The vehicle processing and launch were conducted under direction of the State Commission (chaired by A.N. Perminov, Director of Roscosmos). The Commission made decisions on implementing processing and launch stages based on conclusions of the Technical Management led by V.A. Lopota, President of S.P.Korolev RSC Energia, General Designer.
According to the telemetry information and reports of the ISS Increment 16 crew, the station onboard systems operate as designed. The station is ready for vehicle docking. Credit: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia
April 6: Preparations are underway for liftoff of the Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft as the transporter-emplacer rotates the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle with the Soyuz spacecraft to the vertical position as a part of its installation on the launch system. At sunrise, the Soyuz was transported by railcar to its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan April 6, 2008 for launch April 8 to carry new residents and a spaceflight participant to the International Space Station. Expedition 17 and Soyuz Commander Sergei Volkov, Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko and South Korean spaceflight participant So-yeon Yi will launch aboard the Soyuz and arrive at the station on April 10 to begin what will be six months in space for Volkov and Kononenko. Yi will be in space nine days on the complex, returning to Earth with two of the Expedition 16 crewmembers currently on the complex. Credit: NASA /Victor Zelentsov
April 6: A rollout of the Soyuz spacecraft from the assembly-test facility to the launch site was provided. The Soyuz-FG launch vehicle with the Soyuz TMA-12 transport spacecraft was erected on the launch pad. Operations under the launch minus two days program began.
The launch of the Soyuz-FG integrated launch vehicle with the Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft to the ISS Orbital Complex is planned for 08.04.2008 at 15:16 Moscow time. Credit: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia
April 5: At Baikonur launch site, the preparations continue for the launch of manned spacecraft Soyuz TMA-12 under the International Space Station program.
In the LV Integration and Checkout Facility, the basic integration of the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle with the upper composite has been completed. A meeting of the Technical management under the chairmanship of RSC Energia President and General Designer V.A. Lopota and State commission was held. A decision on rollout of the launch vehicle with the Soyuz TMA-12 transport manned spacecraft to the launch facility and its preparation for launch planned for April 8, 2008 was adopted. Credit: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia
April 4: Orbital module of the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle, containing the Soyuz TMA-12 manned spacecraft was transported from the spacecraft processing facility for the general integration with LV. Credit: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia
April 3: In the assembly/test building primary (Sergey Volkov (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Russia), Oleg Kononenko (S.P.Korolev RSC Energia, Russia), So Yeon Yi (South Korea)) and backup (Maksim Suraev (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Russia), Oleg Skripochka (S.P.Korolev RSC Energia, Russia), San Ko (South Korea)) crews of the Soyuz TMA-12 transportation spacecraft made a check inspection of the spacecraft in the launch configuration and got acquainted with equipment to be delivered and returned to the ground, as well as inspected Progress M-64 cargo vehicle which will be launched to the ISS in May 2008. Credit: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia
April 1: At Baikonur launch site the preparations continue for the launch of manned spacecraft Soyuz TMA-12 under the International Space Station program.
Designers inspection of the Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft was completed.
Payload shroud roll on to the Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft was performed. Credit: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia
March 30: At Baikonur launch site, the preparations continue for the launch of Soyuz TMA-12 transport manned spacecraft under the International Space Station program.
Soyuz TMA-12 transport manned vehicle was docked with the transfer compartment in the Spacecraft Assembly and Testing Facility. Credit: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia
Timezones: EST = (UT - 5 hours)
EDT = (UT - 4 hours) = (CDT + 1 hour)
CST = (UT - 6 hours)
CDT = (EDT - 1 hour) = (UT - 5 hours)
PST = (UT - 8 hours)
PDT = (UT - 7 hours)
MDT = (UT - 6 hours)
UT [GMT] = (EDT + 4 hours)
BST = (EDT + 5 hours) or (CDT + 6 hours) = (UT + 1 hour)
CEST = (UT + 2 hours) = (BST + 1 hour)
EDT, CDT, PDT, MDT daylight saving time = EST, CST, PST, MST +1hr. From 2007, this begins on the second Sunday in March, and ends on the first Sunday in November.
[Until 2007, EDT, CDT, PDT, MDT used to start at 02:00 local time on the first Sunday in April. EST, CST, PST started at 02:00 local time on the last Sunday in October.]
UT is also known as GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), Z, and UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). It is the time set on the International Space Station.
*Where '/' appears in dates, this site follows the following format: mm/dd/yr
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