[sarex] ISS EXP 12 STATUS REPORT #SS06-11

[Arthur Rowe <azrowe80@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR  N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

March 20, 2006

Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
(202) 358-3749

James Hartsfield
Johnson Space Center, Houston
(281) 483-5111

RELEASE: SS06-011

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS06-11

Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur and Flight Engineer Valery 
Tokarev took a short ride away from the International Space Station 
today. They flew their Soyuz spacecraft from one docking port to 
another to prepare for the arrival of the next station crew.

The crew left the station unoccupied for approximately 22 minutes, as 
they relocated their Soyuz vehicle. Tokarev undocked the Soyuz at 
1:49 a.m. EST from the Earth-facing port of Zarya, while the station 
orbited 220 miles above the south Atlantic Ocean. He re-docked at the 
aft of the Zvezda module at 2:11 a.m. EST, as the station was over 
Libya.

Tokarev, in the center seat of the Soyuz, disengaged the hooks and 
latches holding the craft to Zarya and backed it approximately 114 
feet away from the complex. With McArthur seated to his left, Tokarev 
piloted the Soyuz about 80 feet along the station and about 82 feet 
behind the aft docking port, resulting in about a 213-foot total 
distance traveled. Once behind Zvezda, Tokarev closed in on the 
docking port. A few minutes after the Soyuz linked with Zvezda, hooks 
and latches engaged, establishing a firm connection. The crew 
re-entered the station at approximately 5:30 a.m. EST.

The Soyuz move clears the Zarya port for the March 31 arrival of the 
Expedition 13 crew and a Brazilian Space Agency astronaut on another 
Soyuz vehicle. When the Expedition 12 crew leaves after handover 
activities on April 8, the Zvezda port will be available for the 
April arrival of a Progress cargo vehicle. On Nov. 18, McArthur and 
Tokarev relocated their Soyuz spacecraft from the Pirs docking port 
to Zarya. That move eased operations out of Pirs for a Russian 
spacewalk conducted on Feb. 3.

For information about crew activities, future launch dates and station 
sighting opportunities, on the Web, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

	
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