INTERNATIONAL Space Station (ISS) astronauts welcomed on Wednesday three new crew members to the space laboratory. Watch the incredible moment of their arrival in orbit and docking here.
The International Space Station’s Expedition 61 Crew safely docked with the ISS on Wednesday, September 25, after six hours in flight. The thrilling journey began around 2. (PM BST) 9. 47 am EDT) with liftoff from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The launch marked a historic moment for spaceflight as it saw the first astronaut from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reach the ISS. Astronaut Hazzaa Ali Almansoori was joined by colleagues Jessica Meir fromNASAand Oleg Skripochka from Russia’s Roscosmosspaceagency.
The three astronauts flew to the ISS on board a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, which will stay with the ISS for eight days.
The Soyuz MS – 12 capsule docked with the ISS around 8 . (PM BST) 3. (PM EDT).
The docking manoeuvres were broadcast to the world from the ISS, from 250 miles (402 km) up in spac E.
Expedition 61 joined the six astronauts already on board the ISS, representing Expedition 59 and 60.
WATCH LIVE:International Space Station live stream here
International Space Station: Three new astronauts docked with the ISS last nigth(Image: NASA)
International Space Station: The Soyuz orbited the Earth four times(Image: NASA)
Together, the nine astronauts represent the largest ISS crew to ever orbit the planet at once since 2015.
Mr Almansoori will only spend eight days on the space station and is expected to return to Earth on October 3.
The astronaut will fly back onboard the Soyuz MS – 12 together with US astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ov chinin.
The two men have already completed more than 200 days in space.
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Ms Meir and Mr Skripochka will spend a total of six months on the ISS.
The remaining astronauts living on the space station are NASA’s Christina Koch and Andrew Morgan, European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Luca Parmitano and Russia’s Alexander Skvortsov.
Expedition 61 crew will spend more than six months conducting about 250 science investigations
NASA
NASA said: “The Expedition 61 crew will spend more than six months conducting about 250 science investigations in fields such as biology, Earth science, human research, physical sciences, and technology development.
“Work on the unique microgravity laboratory advances scientific knowledge and demonstrates new technologies, making research breakthroughs that will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration of the Moon and Mars. ”
Expedition 61 is also tasked with installing new batteries on the space station’s solar arrays.
International Space Station: Mr Almansoori is the first UAE astronaut on the ISS(Image: NASA)
International Space Station: There are now nine astronauts on t he ISS(Image: NASA)
The astronauts will also leave the ISS to upgrade and repair the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiments.
The external instrument studies the cosmos in search of dark matter.
NASA said: “An additional highlight of the upcoming investigations the crew will facilitate on the orbiting laboratory is the AstroRad Vest.
“The vest will use the International Space Station as a platform to test the new garment used to protect astronauts from exposure to increased radiation as they prepare to travel farther into deep space to the Moon and later Mars. ”
Quick facts about the International Space Station (ISS):
1. The wingspan of the Space Station’s solar array measures 240 ft or the equivalent of the Airbus A 380
2. There are about 350, 000 sensors on the ISS, monitoring the crews’ health ..,
3. The ISS ‘large modules were delivered into orbit on a total of (flights -) US Space Shuttle launches and five Russian launches.
4. A spacecraft launched from Earth can arrive at the Space Station in as little as six hours.
5. A total of six spacecraft can dock to the ISS at once.
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