Soyuz TMA-17

Crew

Crew notes

Noguchi is the first Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut and the second Japanese astronaut to fly on a Soyuz, after Toyohiro Akiyama.

Backup crew

Launch and docking

Soyuz TMA-17 was launched on 20 December 2009 and transported three members of the ISS Expedition 22 crew to the station. Soyuz TMA-17 was the 104th flight of a Soyuz spacecraft. The Soyuz remained docked to the space station for the remainder of the Expedition 22 increment serving as an emergency escape vehicle.

This mission marked the first Soyuz launch in the month of December for more than 19 years. The prior Soyuz launch in the month of December was Soyuz TM-11 on 2 December 1990.

This mission also included the last planned docking of a Soyuz at the nadir, or Earth-facing, port of the Zarya module. The Rassvet module was attached to Zarya's nadir port during the STS-132 mission.

Relocation

On 12 May 2010, the Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft was relocated to the aft port of the Zvezda module. At 14:23 UTC, Kotov, Creamer and Noguchi temporarily undocked the spacecraft from the nadir port of Zarya and flew it to the aft port of the Zvezda service module. The docking occurred at 14:53 UTC. After hooks and latches were engaged, the crew conducted leak checks, opened hatches around 17:40 UTC and then re-entered the station through the service module.

Undocking and landing

On 26 May 2010, the orbital altitude of the International Space Station (ISS) was lowered by 1.5 kilometers to 345 kilometers to ensure perfect conditions for the re-entry of the Soyuz TMA-17 into the Earth's atmosphere. The orbit of the ISS was adjusted using the four engines on board the Progress M-05M spacecraft.

Expedition 23 commander Oleg Kotov was at the controls of the Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft as it undocked at 00:04 UTC on 2 June 2010 from the space station's Zvezda module. The Soyuz TMA-17 crew capsule landed on the steppes of Kazakhstan at 03:25 UTC on 2 June 2010 wrapping up their stay aboard the space station.

References

References

1. (2009-12-20). "Crew Lifts Off From Kazakhstan to Begin Science and Construction Work Aboard the International Space Station". NASA.
2. (May 12, 2010). "Soyuz TMA-17: Redocking Plan (Mission from FGB Nadir Port to Zvezda Instrumentation Compartment)". Russian Federal Space Agency.
3. [http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/nov/HQ_08-306_Expedition_crews.html NASA Assigns Space Station Crews, Updates Expedition Numbering] {{Webarchive. link. (17 April 2012 - NASA press release - 08-306 - November 21, 2008 {{PD-notice)
4. Stephen Clark. (December 17, 2009). "Russian storage module arrives in Florida for launch". Spaceflight Now.
5. (May 12, 2010). "ISS On-Orbit Status 05/12/10". NASA.
6. Justin Ray. (May 12, 2010). "Station crew clears the path for space shuttle mission". Spaceflight Now.
7. William Harwood. (June 2, 2010). "Soyuz brings international crew back to Earth". Spaceflight Now.