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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2007-04-25 18:45 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 25 Apr '07

25 Apr '07

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2007-04-25 18:45 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Christian Life Elementary School, Rockford, Illinois, direct via N9SH Wed 2007-04-25 19:21 UTC 58 deg Watch for simulcast on Echolink, ATV, and web via http://www.wnta.com. See instructions below for ATV and WNTA coveage. Will be on IRLP (***) Samuel-von-Pufendorf Gymnasium, D-09557 Floeha, Germany, direct via DL0GYM Sat 2007-04-28 14:19 UTC 74 deg Liceo Scientifico Statale “Lorenzo Respighi”, Piacenza Italy, direct via IK4MED Sat 2007-05-05 10:24 UTC 37 deg Erweiterte Realschule, Weiskirchen D-66709, Germany, direct via DN1ERW Sat 2007-05-05 13:34 UTC 78 deg Total number of ARISS school contacts is 288. QSL information may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/arissfaq.html http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm#QSL's ISS callsigns: DP0ISS, NA1SS, RS0ISS ***************************************************************************** The schedule page has been updated as of 2007-04-23 22:00 UTC. Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2007-04-23 22:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correctio… tf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf ***************************************************************************** There has been a rumor that the ISS was having direct contacts on the 40 meter band. There is no HF radio equipment on board and available yet. The HF antenna is mounted. Sometimes WA3NAN will retransmit shuttle audio. ***************************************************************************** Expedition 14 on orbit: Michael Lopez-Alegria KE5GTK Mikhail Tyurin, RZ3FT Expedition 14/15 on orbit: Sunita Williams, KD5PLB Expedition 15 on orbit: Fyodor Yurchikhin RN3FI Dr. Oleg Kotov Expedition 15 future: Clayton Anderson KD5PLA Daniel Tani KD5DXE Soyuz 14S/13S on orbit: Charles Simonyi KE7KDP/HA5SIK ***************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

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ARISS Status Report April 24, 2007
by Frank H. Bauer 25 Apr '07

25 Apr '07

ISS Ham Radio Enthusiasts, I wanted to provide a progress report on the ISS Ham Radio activities. And to address some questions that have come up related to ARISS operations and equipment upgrade and repair. With the successful Shuttle return to flight, the International Space Station Program construction has moved into high gear with delivery and assembly of new ISS modules. If all goes well, the new European Columbus Module and Japanese Kibo module will be installed on ISS in the next 12 months. This substantial workload on the crew is impacting ARISS operations directly. The launching of any new or replacement radios or computers has been significantly curtailed due to the extremely limited upmass capability. There are just too many higher priority activities from an international space agency perspective and frankly we are a lower priority. The extra workload on the crew has taken its toll on ARISS - they have had very little extra time for Amateur Radio activities beyond school contacts. This is somewhat frustrating to the general ham radio community and the ARISS International Team, though the team is pleased that the crew has been able to speak so often with youth groups worldwide, piquing their interest in Amateur Radio, science, technology, engineering and math. The ARISS team had been hopeful that Charles Simonyi would have been able to restore the Kenwood D700 radio system to full functionality after an accidental reprogramming of the radio occurred near the end of Exp 13. The ARISS team worked diligently with the Simonyi team to get Charles licensed, trained, and prepared to perform the Kenwood reprogramming. Unfortunately, the ARISS team hit a major hurdle a few weeks before Charles' launch. We learned that additional software certification steps were required to allow the reprogramming software to be used on the ISS computers. Through heroic efforts by the team, final software certification was successfully completed. Unfortunately, this was completed only a few days before Charles' return from space. As a result, the ARISS team was informed by the mission control team and some of our international team partners that it there was insufficient time to allow Charles to complete the restoration. Thus, the Kenwood restoration was not completed by Charles. This last minute hiccup in software certification was not predictable. So there was no way the ARISS team could have better prepared for Charles' flight. At this point in time, it appears that a full restoration will require a substantial, concerted effort with full cooperation from our international colleagues and the Russian and US space agencies. We need to make sure that all components necessary for a successful reprogramming are identified, purchased (if necessary), certified, tested and flown together before the radio will be fully restored. Realizing this will be especially challenging due to the upmass issue I described above. This will likely take several months to accomplish as the team will have to begin from square one. In the short term, requests for some investigative analysis by the crew will be made. This will enable the ARISS team to determine if the radio can be partially restored to provide some of the unattended operations that it once provided. With Charles' successful landing, we have started down this new path. We will continue to keep you informed of our progress. In closing, we are aggressively working this issue, despite several setbacks. While our plans to have Charles reprogram the radio were thwarted, we were happy that he could speak to so many hams around the world during his short stay. And capture the imagination of students around the globe. On behalf of the ARISS team, we thank all of you for your interest and enthusiasm in Ham Radio on the ISS. 73, Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO ARISS International Chairman AMSAT-NA V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs

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GROWING PLANTS IN SPACE
by Arthur Rowe 24 Apr '07

24 Apr '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 Progressive Plant Growing is a Blooming Business 04.23.07 Soil. Water. Say that plants don't need them and people may think you've traded your cow -- and your good sense -- for a handful of beans. But NASA-sponsored plant experiments prove that you don't need soil and lots of water to grow a beanstalk that would make Jack proud. Plants have been to space since 1960, but NASA's plant growth experiments began in earnest during the 1990s. Experiments aboard the space shuttle and International Space Station have exposed plants to the effects of microgravity. These experiments use the principles of aeroponics: growing plants in an air/mist environment with no soil and very little water. Image at right: These plants have developed healthy root systems without soil in a rapid-growth aeroponic system. (Image credit: AgriHouse, Inc.) TO VIEW IMAGES GO TO: http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/technologies/aeroponic_plants.html In 1997, NASA-sponsored studies aboard the Mir space station studied adzuki bean seeds and seedlings, a high-protein Asian food crop. While the beans were growing in zero gravity, ground control experiments watched to see how another group of seeds and seedlings responded on Earth. Both sets of plants were treated with an all-natural, organically-derived, disease control liquid known as Organic Disease Control, or Organically Derived Colloidals (ODC). While all of the seeds did well, those aboard Mir grew more than those on Earth. Both sets of plants treated with the ODC method grew more robustly and exhibited less fungal infection than the untreated seeds and seedlings. Results from NASA's research aboard Mir has contributed to rapid-growth systems now used on Earth. Plants are started from either cuttings or seeds, then suspended mid-air in a growing chamber. The developing root systems grow in an enclosed, air-based environment that is regularly misted with a fine, nutrient-rich spray. Aeroponic growing systems provide clean, efficient, and rapid food production. Crops can be planted and harvested in the system year round without interruption, and without contamination from soil, pesticides, and residue. Since the growing environment is clean and sterile, it greatly reduces the chances of spreading plant disease and infection commonly found in soil and other growing media. Image at right: A grower clips the leaves of plants grown in the openings of an aeroponic growing chamber. (Image credit: AgriHouse, Inc.) The suspended system also has other advantages. Seedlings don't stretch or wilt while their roots are forming. Once the roots are developed, the plants can be easily moved into any type of growing media without the risk of transplant shock, which often sets back normal growth. Aeroponics systems can reduce water usage by 98 percent, fertilizer usage by 60 percent, and pesticide usage by 100 percent, all while maximizing crop yields. Plants grown in the aeroponic systems have also been shown to uptake more minerals and vitamins, making the plants healthier and potentially more nutritious. As an example, let's talk tomatoes. Tomato growers traditionally start their plants in pots, waiting at least 28 days before transplanting them into the ground. Using an aeroponic system, growers can start the plants in the growing chamber, then transplant them just 10 days later. This advanced technology produces six tomato crop cycles per year, instead of the traditional one to two crop cycles. That's good news for those who love marinara sauce. Successful long-term missions into deep space will require that crews grow some of their own food during flight. Aeroponic crops are also a potential source of fresh oxygen and clean drinking water. But this is about more than a breath of fresh air or taking a quick shower. Each ounce of food and water produced aboard a spacecraft reduces payload weight, allowing space for other cargo that can't be produced onboard. With technology like this, jumping over the moon won't be reserved for fairy tales. Read the entire article in /Spinoff 2006/. + View PDF, 9.6 MB <http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/164449main_spinoff_06.pdf>

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Station Crew Measures Up
by Arthur Rowe 24 Apr '07

24 Apr '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1 ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *Station Crew Measures Up* ISS014-E-19587 : Oleg V. Kotov and Sunita L. WilliamsImage above: Flight engineers Oleg Kotov (foreground) and Sunita Williams participate in a Space Station Remote Manipulator System training session using the Robotic Onboard Trainer simulator in the Unity node of the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA TO VIEW IMAGE GO TO: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html The Expedition 15 crew members aboard the International Space Station enjoyed a light-duty schedule Tuesday, conducting medical operations proficiency reviews and experiment hardware maintenance. Before breakfast, Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and flight engineers Oleg Kotov and Suni Williams took measurements of their body masses and calf volumes. These routine checks allow them to test the efficacy of countermeasures to the effects of weightlessness on the human body. Later, Suni Williams performed regular maintenance on some of the station's exercise equipment, including the Resistive Exercise Device -- or RED -- and the treadmill. Spaceflight Participant Charles Simonyi and the station's previous crew, Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin, landed safely in their Soyuz TMA-9 spacecraft in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Saturday at 8:31 a.m. EDT. Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin will now spend several weeks in Star City, near Moscow, for debriefing and medical examinations. + View Expedition 14 landing images <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/multimedia/exp14_landing_images.h…> + Read more about Expedition 15 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition15/index.ht…> + Read more about Expedition 14 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/index.ht…> + View Crew's Daily Timelines <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/timelines/index.html>

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ariss equipment status???
by Thomas McGrane 24 Apr '07

24 Apr '07

Greetings from pat Does anyone know the outcome of charles simonyi's work with the ariss equipment? Was the kenwood reprogrammed etcetera? I was happy to make a contact with charles last thursday evening. So therefore something was done to the radio. Anyone know if it can be used for casual or cross-band contacts? Please limit packet activity in the future unless it is capable of messaging. Thanks, pat

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2007-04-23 22:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 23 Apr '07

23 Apr '07

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2007-04-23 22:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Scuola Europea Varese, Varese Italy, telebridge via VK4KHZ Successful Mon 2007-04-23 14:50 UTC 84 deg via VK4KHZ (***) Kingston Elementary School, Virginia Beach via direct via KN4KL Successful Mon 2007-04-23 18:43 UTC 55 deg (***) Christian Life Elementary School, Rockford, Illinois, direct via N9SH Wed 2007-04-25 19:21 UTC 58 deg Watch for simulcast on Echolink, ATV, and web via http://www.wnta.com. See instructions on the full schedule page for ATV and WNTA coverage. (***) Samuel-von-Pufendorf Gymnasium, D-09557 Floeha, Germany, direct via DL0GYM Sat 2007-04-28 14:19 UTC 74 deg Liceo Scientifico Statale “Lorenzo Respighi”, Piacenza Italy, direct via IK4MED Sat 2007-05-05 10:24 UTC 37 deg Erweiterte Realschule, Weiskirchen D-66709, Germany, direct via DN1ERW Sat 2007-05-05 13:34 UTC 78 deg Total number of ARISS school contacts is 288. (***) QSL information may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/arissfaq.html http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm#QSL's ISS callsigns: DP0ISS, NA1SS, RS0ISS ***************************************************************************** The schedule page has been updated as of 2007-04-23 22:00 UTC. Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2007-04-23 22:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correctio… tf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf ***************************************************************************** There has been a rumor that the ISS was having direct contacts on the 40 meter band. There is no HF radio equipment on board and available yet. The HF antenna is mounted. Sometimes WA3NAN will retransmit shuttle audio. ***************************************************************************** Expedition 14 on orbit: Michael Lopez-Alegria KE5GTK Mikhail Tyurin, RZ3FT Expedition 14/15 on orbit: Sunita Williams, KD5PLB Expedition 15 on orbit: Fyodor Yurchikhin RN3FI Dr. Oleg Kotov Expedition 15 future: Clayton Anderson KD5PLA Daniel Tani KD5DXE Soyuz 14S/13S on orbit: Charles Simonyi KE7KDP/HA5SIK ***************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

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New Crew at Work After Previous Crew Returns to Earth
by Arthur Rowe 23 Apr '07

23 Apr '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *New Crew at Work After Previous Crew Returns to Earth* JSC2007-E-19320 : Expedition 14 crew and SimonyiImage above: From the left, Spaceflight Participant Charles Simonyi, Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin and Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria sit in chairs near their Soyuz TMA-9 spacecraft at their landing site. Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls TO VIEW IMAGE GO TO: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html With the previous Expedition crew now back on Earth, the Expedition 15 crew begins a new week of science and maintenance aboard the International Space Station. On Monday, Flight Engineer Suni Williams worked with the Capillary Flow Experiment (CFE) equipment and performed an experiment. CFE studies the interaction of liquids with solid surfaces in a microgravity environment. Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria, Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin and Spaceflight Participant Charles Simonyi landed safely in their Soyuz TMA-9 spacecraft in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Saturday at 8:31 a.m. EDT. Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin will now spend several weeks in Star City, near Moscow, for debriefing and medical examinations. + View Expedition 14 landing images <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/multimedia/exp14_landing_images.h…> + Read more about Expedition 15 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition15/index.ht…> + Read more about Expedition 14 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/index.ht…> + View Crew's Daily Timelines <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/timelines/index.html>

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ARISS event - Christian Life Elementary School, Rockford, Illinois, USA , Wednesday (April 25) 19:21 UTC
by Ransom, Kenneth G. (JSC-OC)[BAR] 23 Apr '07

23 Apr '07

An International Space Station Expedition 15 ARISS school contact has been planned with students at Christian Life Elementary School, Rockford, Illinois, USA on 25 April. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 19:21 UTC. The contact will be a direct between stations NA1SS and N9SH. The contact should be audible in central and Eastern portions of North America. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English. Additional listening options are listed below. Christian Life Schools is a nationally accredited private school that serves Pre-K through 12th grade students and its staff and faculty are certified teachers. The school is located in the northeast side of Rockford, Illinois which is 90 miles west of Chicago. The student body is made up of students from the surrounding Rockford area; as well as, southern Wisconsin families. Students participate in several after school activities such as: Football, Basketball, Track, Baseball, Softball, Scholastic Bowl, Chess Club, Math Olympics, Science Olympiad, Cheerleading, and Student Council. Graduates from Christian Life have moved on to: community colleges, state universities, and the military. Students will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. I have heard that you are growing plants up there. What kinds are you growing? 2. How do you get to see or talk to your friends and/or family? 3. If you had your choice, what would the next space project be and what part would you do to see it happen? 4. What were some of your thoughts when you first boarded the International Space Station? 5. What is the hardest thing to change in your lifestyle while in space? 6. Do you ever bring anything back from the Space Station? 7. What type of food do you eat in space? 8. What do you like about outer space? 9. Has your view of life and the universe changed since you've been in space? 10. Are their any other space crafts around the ISS, do you see them? 11. When did you know that you wanted to become an astronaut? 12. How do you go to sleep or do you even go to sleep? 13. What do you see that we will discover about space in the next 20 years? 14. How do you get to different rooms? 15. For the couple of hours before you went into space, how did you spend your time, knowing that you wouldn't be on earth for a long time? 16. What changes does your body experience when you enter and leave space? 17. What things do you do in your spare time when you aren't working? 18. As technology progresses now, how long do you think it will be until we have bases on the moon? Please note, the amateur equipment on the ISS is not functioning in the automatic modes properly and may be silent more than usual. Information about the next scheduled ARISS contact can be found at http://www.rac.ca/ariss/upcoming.htm#NextContact . Next planned event(s): Samuel-von-Pufendorf Gymnasium, Floeha, Germany, Sat 2007-04-28 14:19 UTC via DL0GYM ARISS is an international educational outreach program partnering the participating space agencies, NASA, Russian Space Agency, ESA, CNES, JAXA, and CSA, with the AMSAT and IARU organizations from participating countries. ARISS offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by talking directly with crewmembers on-board the International Space Station. Teachers, parents and communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and crewmembers on ISS can energize youngsters' interest in science, technology, and learning. Further information on the ARISS program is available on the website http://www.rac.ca/ariss (graciously hosted by the Radio Amateurs of Canada). Thank you & 73, Kenneth - N5VHO

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2007-04-22 04:30 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 22 Apr '07

22 Apr '07

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2007-04-22 04:30 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Scuola Europea Varese, Varese Italy, telebridge via VK4KHZ Mon 2007-04-23 14:50 UTC 84 deg via VK4KHZ Simulcast on Echolink, IRLP and Web (Discovery Reflector and Verizon) Kingston Elementary School, Virginia Beach via direct via KN4KL Mon 2007-04-23 18:43 UTC 55 deg Christian Life Elementary School, Rockford, Illinois, direct via N9SH Wed 2007-04-25 19:21 UTC 58 deg Watch for simulcast on Echolink, ATV, and web via http://www.wnta.com. (***) Samuel-von-Pufendorf Gymnasium, D-09557 Floeha, Germany, direct via DL0GYM Sat 2007-04-28 14:19 UTC 74 deg Liceo Scientifico Statale “Lorenzo Respighi”, Piacenza Italy, direct via IK4MED Sat 2007-05-05 10:24 UTC 37 deg Erweiterte Realschule, Weiskirchen D-66709, Germany, direct via DN1ERW Sat 2007-05-05 13:34 UTC 78 deg Congratulations to Michael Lopez-Alegria KE5GTK, Mikhail Tyurin RZ3FT, and Charles Simonyi KE7KDP/HA5SIK!(***) Total number of ARISS school contacts is 286. QSL information may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/arissfaq.html http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm#QSL's ISS callsigns: DP0ISS, NA1SS, RS0ISS ***************************************************************************** The schedule page has been updated as of 2007-04-17 22:00 UTC. Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2007-04-17 22:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correctio… tf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf ***************************************************************************** There has been a rumor that the ISS was having direct contacts on the 40 meter band. There is no HF radio equipment on board and available yet. The HF antenna is mounted. Sometimes WA3NAN will retransmit shuttle audio. ***************************************************************************** Expedition 14 on orbit: Michael Lopez-Alegria KE5GTK Mikhail Tyurin, RZ3FT Expedition 14/15 on orbit: Sunita Williams, KD5PLB Expedition 15 on orbit: Fyodor Yurchikhin RN3FI Dr. Oleg Kotov Expedition 15 future: Clayton Anderson KD5PLA Daniel Tani KD5DXE Soyuz 14S/13S on orbit: Charles Simonyi KE7KDP/HA5SIK ***************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

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EXPEDITION 14 CREW LANDS SAFELY
by Arthur Rowe 21 Apr '07

21 Apr '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria, Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin and Spaceflight Participant Charles Simonyi are back on Earth. They landed safely southwest of Karaganda, Kazakhstan at 8:31 a.m. EDT. (1231 GMT) Back on the station is Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and flight engineers Oleg Kotov and Suni Williams. Williams had been a member of Expedition 14 since December. She will remain with Expedition 15 until this summer. Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on April 7. + Watch NASA TV <http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html> + Read more about Expedition 15 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition15/index.ht…> + Read more about Expedition 14 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/index.ht…> + View Crew's Daily Timelines <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/timelines/index.html>

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