The station crews have shifted their sleep schedules in preparation for Saturday morning’s Soyuz TMA-11 undocking. Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko will return to Earth with South Korean spaceflight participant So-yeon Yi.
Whitson broke Michael Foale’s cumulative time-in-space record on Wednesday. She will have accumulated 377 days in space by the time she lands in Kazakhstan.
Meanwhile, the station occupants continue their normal activities as they resize U.S. spacesuits, work on science experiments and stow gear for Expedition 16’s return home. Whitson and Malenchenko also are proceeding with their increased exercise routines to condition their bodies for their return to Earth’s gravity.
Source: NASA
Related stories:
Expedition 17 Docks to International Space Station
Commander Sergei Alexandrovich Volkov and cosmonaut Oleg Dmitrievich Kononenko of the 17th International Space Station crew docked their Soyuz TMA-12 with the orbiting laboratory's Pirs Docking Compartment at 8:57 a.m. EDT Thursday, marking the beginning of their six-month stay aboard.
Expedition 17 is en route to the ISS
The International Space Station's Expedition 17 crew was en route to a temporary space home Wednesday aboard a Soyuz rocket.
New Station Crew Prepares For Launch Tuesday
The Progress 28 cargo ship undocked from the International Space Station at 4:50 a.m. EDT Monday and headed into its deorbit and destructive re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.
Saturday Spacewalk to Complete Harmony Hookup to Station
A 6-hour, 30-minute spacewalk by International Space Station Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Dan Tani will continue the external outfitting of the Harmony node in its new position in front of the U.S laboratory Destiny.
Spacewalk Set for Tomorrow
The International Space Station’s crew enjoyed a day off duty Tuesday before starting a heavy schedule of spacewalks and robotics activities, which kick off with a spacewalk by Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko Friday morning. The goal of the work is the relocation of the Harmony module so the station will be ready to receive the European laboratory module on the next shuttle flight, targeted to launch in early December.
Shuttle Discovery Returns to Earth After Successful Mission
The space shuttle Discovery and its crew landed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Wednesday at 1:01 p.m. EST after completing a 15-day journey of more than 6.2 million miles in space. Discovery's STS-120 mission added a key component to the International Space Station and featured an unprecedented spacewalk to repair a damaged solar array.
Space Shuttle Discovery Blasts Off
The space shuttle Discovery and its seven-member crew lifted off Tuesday, Oct. 23, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 11:38 a.m. EDT to continue construction of the International Space Station.
ISS Expedition Crews Working Together
The newly arrived Expedition 16 crew members continue to familiarize themselves with life aboard the International Space Station as Expedition 15 nears the end of its mission.
