Female complement doubles aboard ISS as Soyuz docks cleanly

by Stevie Smith - Jun 18 2010, 09:53

The complement of long-duration female crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) doubled and reached an all-time high this week following the arrival of a Russian Soyuz TMA-19 space capsule. According to Russian mission officials, the docking procedure was a complete success.

In welcoming Shannon Walker, a NASA flight engineer and physicist from Houston, onto the station alongside Tracey Caldwell-Dyson, a chemist from California who’s been aboard since early April, the ISS now has two female scientists orbiting some 220 miles above the Earth – a moment that will be recorded in the history books.

Arriving with first-time flyer Walker were American astronaut and shuttle veteran Douglas Wheelock and Russian Soyuz commander Fyodor Yurchikhin.

The trio’s successful arrival brings the station’s crew contingent from three back to six after Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov, NASA astronaut Timothy Creamer, and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi travelled back to Earth in early June via a returning Soyuz capsule.

“You’ll have an awesome expedition, plenty of good work in front of you, enjoy your time, enjoy your friendship, the time will go by fast,” relayed Bill Gerstenmaier, director of space operations at NASA, as the newly combined crew welcomed one another. “But make sure you enjoy yourself,” he added. “Good work, and have a good time.”

The Soyuz mission blasted towards its orbital rendezvous on Wednesday, launching cleanly from an outpost in Kazakhstan.

In related news, the ISS crew may be facing a stressful weekend following news that officials at NASA are tracking a total of four pieces of manmade space junk that could pass dangerously close to the station.

If the trajectory of said junk is deemed to pose an impact threat, NASA could instruct the crew to adjust the laboratory’s orbit for the sake of safety.

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