Expedition 9

ISS Expedition 9 is the mission name for the ninth long-term crew of the International Space Station ( ISS). The crew lived and worked from April 21 to October 23, 2004 on board the ISS.

• 2.1 extravehicular activities
• 2.2 Complete the mission

Team

• Gennady Ivanovich Padalka ( second space flight), Commander ( Roscosmos / Russia)
• Edward Michael Fincke ( first space flight), flight engineer (NASA / USA)

Backup crew

The subsequent occupation of the ISS Expedition 10:

• Leroy Chiao, Commander (NASA / USA)
• Salis Chan Schakirowitsch Sharipov, flight engineer ( Roscosmos / Russia)

Mission Description

Padalka and Fincke flew together with the Dutch ESA astronaut André Kuipers in the Russian Soyuz TMA -4 to the ISS. After a week of working together Gennady Padalka and Michael Fincke took over the station officially opened by the ISS commander Michael Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri ISS.

The ISS Expedition 8 left on April 29, along with Kuipers the station and returned in Soyuz TMA -3 back to Earth. Kuipers ' eleven-day mission aboard the ISS took place in the framework of an agreement between the European and the Russian Space Agency.

Then were extensive scientific research on the work program of the 9 crew of the International Space Station. Because of the reduced to 2 man crew, however, maintenance and repair operations moved more into the center and was attended by exercise a large part of the available time. Even during the command transfer on April 22, was told the astronauts that the Drehmomentengyroskop 2 ( Control Moment Gyroscope 2) the day before due to a failed power remote control module ( Remote Power Control Module, RPCM ) had shut down. At this time worked with the units 3 and 4, only two of the original four position control gyroscope. CGM 1 since June 8, 2002 refused the service already and should be replaced with a shuttle mission immediately after resumption of flights in 2005. Two position control units are sufficient, however, to control the orientation of the station in space precisely. In addition, the Russian segment has its own attitude control by means of small engines. However, the mission control on Earth began planning a spacewalk to replace the control module.

During the duty time of the expedition 9, a plurality mostly automatically running experiments was looked after and maintained. This included the replacement of sample containers, cleaning, recharging or replacing batteries, the transfer of data from local media into the station network and to the earth, function tests and one way or another repair. The scientific program included experiments to medicine, Earth observation, biology, materials science and space technology. Without further materials ran studies on natural and man-made phenomena on Earth and in the atmosphere (Experiments: Crew Earth Observation, ESTERS, Biotomeja, Uragan, Molniya SM) to structures on the earth's surface by the remote control of a station camera by student groups on the earth ( EarthKAM ), cooperation between station and ground crew ( Crew Interactions ) to radiation and acceleration measurements within the station ( radiation Monitoring, forecasters, BraDos, MAMS, SAMS ) and various outboard mounted material tests ( Kromka, MPAC, SEED, MISSE, meteoroid ) from.

Also without supervision ran the test a system for the use of a global time signal ( Global Time System ), the recording of the motion parameters of the station as well as the test of forecast systems ( tensor, vector T Izgib ) and the search for heavy solar and galactic nuclei ( Platan ). Some of the seals on Zvezda skin samples were changed at irregular intervals and stored the results or returned to Earth for further investigation.

Mentioned here are a few more experiments. At Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Micro- Gravity ( ADUM -G), an ultrasound system for imaging of internal organs and detection of changes was used. The Capillary Flow Experiment examined the movements of liquids in capillaries in weightlessness. The aim of the research could be pumping systems that do not require any moving mechanical parts and therefore would not only be simpler, easier and cheaper it will also likely fail safe.

As part of the physical experiment Miscible fluids in microgravity behavior of immiscible liquids has been studied in microgravity. Without disturbing other gravitational effects can be measured, which would otherwise be masked by gravity. The complex of radiation measurement, however, belonged flourescence Orbital Radiation Risk Assessment using Yeast. This floureszierende Yeast cultures were tentatively used as indicators of cumulative radiation exposure.

On August 17, installed 50 systems to control the engines from the service module Zvezda Padalka and Fincke out in the cargo spaceship Progress M. The trajectory height in the following days was raised several times by several kilometers due to prolonged thruster firings of the coupled at the rear of the station freighter. In addition to working on repairing the U.S. spacesuits on.

On September 8, the system is switched to oxygen production by electrolysis electron in the Zvezda module itself off. First reactivation experiments did not lead to the desired result, so that extensive repairs were necessary. After electron initially worked again, but with higher maintenance costs.

Extravehicular activities

First, an exit was provided with American space suits from the lock module quest. Since both space drivers should get off, was the support of the controlled from within Canadian manipulator arm of the station is not available. For the beginning of the 10th and later 16th June scheduled EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity ) for the exchange of RPCM Padalka and Fincke tested on May 19, the American space suits (Extra- vehicular Mobility Unit, EMU ) and noticed problems with their refrigeration systems. Repair attempts on 21 and 22 May were unsuccessful. This was decided on May 24 to conduct the exit with Russian Orlan spacesuits from the exit and coupling module Pirs from. For better preparation and integration into the daily routine of the EVA was also postponed to June 24.

The first attempt on June 24, was canceled after only a few minutes. Due to incorrect switch position ( operator error ) the pressure dropped in the primary oxygen tank of the space suit of Edward Fincke, who had become a father a few days earlier, more than forecast. This Fincke exit with 14 minutes duration was the shortest U.S. spacewalk. On June 30, the second exit was successful, managed the replacement of the control unit. The space travelers were cared for at an exit and re-entry as well as the winding- panning to the U.S. segment by means of a telescopically extendable crane arm type Strela by the Russian control center, during the actual repair by in the U.S.. In addition, devices have been installed for the measurement of engine exhaust gases in the Russian segment. The application was terminated on July 1 after 5 hours and 40 minutes, the CMG 2 ran on the following day.

Another exit was on August 3 ( 4:30 ) to exchange various outboard mounted material and measurement experiments as well as for the installation of four new laser reflectors on the Heckkopplungsagregat of Zvezda that the planned approach of the ESA freighter Automated Transfer Vehicle ( ATV) were required. This six older reflectors have been removed. After these works were still used during the exit position control thrusters to correct the position of the station. The gyroscopes otherwise mostly used for this purpose in the grid module Z1 were already saturated to maximum speed and were made at a later date for use again.

The fourth EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity ) followed on 3 September. This maintenance has been performed on the module Zarya and Zvezda antennas mounted on a special approach system of ESA. This also served the planned rendezvous of the European ATV. Finally, they carried out maintenance work on the coupling and exit module Pirs and ended the use 22:04 UTC clock after 5 hours and 21 minutes. Overall, this resulted in an operating time outside the station for 15 hours and 43 minutes.

Completion of the mission

For the return to Earth Padalka and Fincke tested the systems of the return spacecraft Soyuz TMA 4 for communication with the White Sands Test Facility ( WSTF ), the Dryden Flight Research Center ( DFRC ) and the Wallops Flight Facility ( WFF ) to the U.S. network to from ground stations for communications and data exchange qualify with Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

Because of suspected problems to the explosive bolts to separate from the service module and orbital part of the landing capsule of the Soyuz spacecraft after the braking maneuver as well as difficulties with the engines of the successor spacecraft to its launch postponed by three days.

The astronauts finally returned on October 24, 2004 0.35 UTC clock after nearly 188 days in space back to Earth.