(Fourth Space Flight) Roscosmos Exp.31

Sergei Revin Engineer

Joseph M. Acaba Engineer

Backup Crew: Commander: Oleg Novitskiy, Roscosmos
Flight Engineer 1: Evgeny Tarelkin, Roscosmos
Flight Engineer 2: Kevin A. Ford, NASA

Soyuz TMA-04M was a spaceflight to Low Earth orbit that transported three members of the Expedition 31 crew to the International Space Station (ISS), which was launched on May 15, 2012 and landed on September 17, 2012. TMA-04M was the Soyuz spacecrafts 113th flight since its initial launch in 1967, and the fourth launch of the improved Soyuz TMA-M series (first launched October 7, 2010). As per the mission plan, the spacecraft remained docked to the space station to serve as an emergency escape vehicle during Expedition 31.

The mission successfully launched to the International Space Station from the Baikonur in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, May 15, 2012, at 3:01:23 UTC (9:01:23 local time). The Soyuz docked successfully with the ISS on May 17 at 4:36 UTC.

The spacecraft carried to the ISS a three person crew (Gennady Padalka, Russia; Sergei Revin, Russia; Joseph Acaba, United States). The mission landed successfully in Kazakhstan on September 17, 2012, at 2:53 UTC

(First Space Flight) Roscosmos Exp.31

(Second Space Flight) NASA Exp.31

The Soyuz Space Missions

Science Research

Science Research

Science Theories

Designed by Nigel G Wilcox

Pages within this section: Soyuz (HH)

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courtesy: Wikipedia.org
spacefacts.de

A Soyuz space capsule took the first crew to the International Space Station in November 2000 and since that time, at least one Soyuz has always been at the Station, generally to serve as a lifeboat should the crew have to return to Earth unexpectedly.

After the Columbia accident in February 2003, the Soyuz TMA became the means of transportation for crew members going to or returning from the orbiting laboratory.

However, Tuesday's flight was delayed from March 30 to allow Russia's partly state-owned space contractor, RKK Energia, to prepare a new capsule for launch after an accident during pressure tests damaged the Soyuz crew capsule.

Moscow hopes a smooth mission will begin to restore confidence in its once-pioneering space programme after a string of launch mishaps last year, including the failure of a mission touted as post-Soviet Russia's interplanetary debut.

The Soyuz spacecraft is always launched to the Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard a Soyuz rocket.

Once the Soyuz reaches orbit, it spends two days chasing the Station. The crew performs systems checks and keeps in touch with controllers at the Russian Mission Control Center during that time.

Soyuz TMA-04M Launch from Baikonur cosmodrome

Landing and return... of Soyuz TMA-04M