TM-32 was a manned Russian spacecraft which was launched on April 28, 2001, and docked with the International Space Station two days later. It launched the crew of the visiting missionISS-EP-1, which included the first paying space tourist Dennis Tito, as well as two Russian cosmonauts. The Soyuz TM-32 remained docked to the station until October; during this time it served as the lifeboat for the crew of Expedition-2 and later for the crew of Expedition 3. In October it landed the crew of ISS EP-2, who had been launched by Soyuz TM-23.
TM-32 carried a three man crew (two Russians and one American, the latter not a professional astronaut) to the International Space Station, ISS. It docked automatically with the ISS at 07:57 UT on April 30, 2001, just a few hours after the space shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-100 undocked. The launched crew stayed for a week and returned in Soyuz TM-31, which had been docked to (or nearby) the station since November 2000 functioning as "lifeboat" for the onboard crew (Xepedition 1 and 2).
As the new lifeboat for Expedition 2 and later Expedition 3, TM-32 stayed docked at the station for six months (except for a brief move between docking ports) and finally, on October 31, brought home two cosmonauts and an ESA astronaut who had arrived a week earlier in Soyuz TM-33.
TM-32 undocks on October 31st, 2001
Soyuz TM-32 prior to docking
Key Objectives: putting Visiting Crew 2 into orbit on-board Soyuz TM-33 spacecraft; planned replacement of Souyz TM-32 which has been functioning as a crew rescue vehicle within ISS since April 30, 2001; conducting on-board the space station a work package under the program of the visit: experiments under "Russian program" - "Uragan", "Diatomea", "Plasma crystal": research program "Andromeda" under a contract with French national center for space research (CNES); contractual work with "Globus Space" company ("Lok" project); providing maintenance support for ISS-3 crew mission; return of Visiting Crew 2 on-board Soyuz TM-32.
