Expedition 39 Set For Launch From Russia Tuesday

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TUNE INTO THE LIVE STREAM TUESDAY

ABOVE VIDEO: Expedition 39/40 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), NASA Flight Engineer Steve Swanson and Flight Engineer Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos participated in a final “fit check” dress rehearsal in their Soyuz TMA-12M spacecraft and conducted other pre-launch activities at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan March 21 as they prepared for their launch to the International Space Station on March 26, Kazakh time for a six-month mission on the orbital outpost.

Tune into SpaceCoastDaily.com to watch the live stream of the launch on Tuesday as three new Expedition 39 crew members wrapped up training Friday at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan as they prepare for next week’s launch to join Commander Koichi Wakata and Flight Engineers Rick Mastracchio and Mikhail Tyurin aboard the International Space Station.
In the Integration Facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, NASA astronaut Steve Swanson (left) and Alexander Skvortsov (center) and Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos pose for pictures in front of their Soyuz TMA-12M spacecraft March 21. (NASA.gov image)

NASA astronaut Steve Swanson and Russian cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev inspected the Soyuz TMA-12M that will carry them on an express, six-hour journey to the station on Tuesday.

The trio checked out the seats and the interior configuration of the Soyuz in advance of its being rolled out to the launch pad.

Swanson, Skvortsov and Artemyev will remain aboard the station until mid-September. Wakata, Mastracchio and Tyurin have been aboard the orbital outpost since November 2013 and will return to Earth May 14, leaving Swanson as the Expedition 40 commander. (NASA.gov iamge)

The Soyuz carrying Swanson, Skvortsov and Artemyev is scheduled to lift off from Baikonur at 5:17 p.m. EDT Tuesday (3:17 a.m. Wednesday, Kazakh time) and dock to the Poisk mini-research module at 11:04 p.m. NASA Television will provide live coverage of all the events, including the hatch opening planned for 12:45 a.m. Wednesday.

SWANSON TO BE EXPEDITION 40 COMMANDER

Swanson, Skvortsov and Artemyev will remain aboard the station until mid-September. Wakata, Mastracchio and Tyurin have been aboard the orbital outpost since November 2013 and will return to Earth May 14, leaving Swanson as the Expedition 40 commander.

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By SpaceCoastDaily.com on Sun, 23 Mar 2014 21:36:04 -0700