14 DAY TRIAL // After a successful launch on Tuesday, June 7, the Russian-built Soyuz TMA-02M space capsule and its crew are now getting ready to dock to the International Space Station (ISS), hundreds of miles above the surface of the planet.
The spacecraft is delivering the second half of the Expedition 28 crew, to complete the team made up of three astronauts already on the orbital outpost. The Soyuz arrives just a week after the undocking and landing of space shuttle Endeavour.
Today, June 9, NASA astronaut Michael Fossum, Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA),and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov, of the Russian Federal Space Agency (RosCosmos), will reach the station.
Docking is scheduled to occur later in the evening, at 5:22 pm EDT (2122 GMT). The Soyuz will be directed to the Russian Mini Research Module (MRM-2) module, which is called Rassvet.
After a few in-depth checks meant to verify the structural integrity of the seals connecting the two spacecraft, the hatches between them will open, and the three passengers on the capsule will finally join the rest of their expedition.
Waiting for them aboard the ISS are RosCosmos Expedition 28 Commander Andrey Borisenko and fellow RosCosmos space flyer Alexander Samokutyaev, as well as NASA astronaut Ron Garan.
The three aboard the station arrived in early April, and are scheduled to depart sometime in September. The newly-arrived will remain on the outpost until December, when their replacements will arrive.
When Expedition 28 concludes in September, Borisenko will hand over command to Fossum, who will act as Commander of Expedition 29. A long-term stay on the station usually lasts for 5 ½ months.
During the current expedition, some of the six astronauts are scheduled to carry out several maintenance spacewalks outside the station. The extravehicular activities (EVA) will take place during Atlantis' visit.
The final Space Shuttle Program (SSP) flight, designated STS-135, is now scheduled to launch on July 8, carrying a crew of four veteran astronaut. The crew will be made up exclusively of NASA personnel.
After Atlantis' 12-day mission to the ISS, the SSP will conclude, and all shuttles will enter a decommissioning phase, before they are shipped to their respective museums, for permanent display.
NASA expects about a million people to turn up around the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida, to witness the last shuttle launch ever, Space reports.