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OCTOBER 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS i

Section Page 

MISSION OVERVIEW............................................................................................................... 1

EXPEDITION 18 CREW ............................................................................................................ 7

EXPEDITION 18 MISSION MILESTONES.................................................................................. 15

EXPEDITION 18 SPACEWALKS................................................................................................ 17

RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA ............................................................................................................. 19

SOYUZ BOOSTER ROCKET CHARACTERISTICS .................................................................................... 23

PRELAUNCH COUNTDOWN TIMELINE ................................................................................................... 24

PRELAUNCH COUNTDOWN TIMELINE (CONCLUDED)............................................................................ 25

ASCENT/INSERTION TIMELINE ............................................................................................................ 25

ORBITAL INSERTION TO DOCKING TIMELINE ...................................................................................... 26

KEY TIMES FOR EXPEDITION 18/17 ISS EVENTS.................................................................................. 31

EXPEDITION 17/SOYUZ TMA-12 LANDING ............................................................................................ 3 3

SOYUZ ENTRY TIMELINE ...................................................................................................................... 35

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION: EXPEDITION 18 SCIENCE OVERVIEW ............................ 39

THE PAYLOAD OPERATIONS CENTER ...................................................................................... 47

ISS-18 RUSSIAN RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ............................................................................. 51

EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY EXPERIMENT PROGRAM ............................................................. 55

JAPAN AEROSPACE EXPLORATION AGENCY SCIENCE OPERATIONS ...................................... 65

DIGITAL NASA TELEVISION .................................................................................................... 71

EXPEDITION 18 PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICERS (PAO) CONTACTS............................................. 73

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
ii TABLE OF CONTENTS OCTOBER 2008

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OCTOBER 2008 MISSION OVERVIEW 1

Mission Overview 

Expedition 18: Setting the Stage for Six-Person Crew 

Russian Federal Space Agency cosmonaut Yury Lonchakov (left), Expedition 18 flight engineer; 

NASA astronauts E. Michael Fincke, commander; Sandra Magnus, flight engineer; Japan 

Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, flight engineer; and American 

spaceflight participant Richard Garriott following an Expedition 18/Soyuz 17 preflight press 

conference at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. 

On Oct. 12, an American astronaut, a Russian 

cosmonaut and an American spaceflight 

participant will be launched aboard the Soyuz 

TMA-13 spacecraft to the International Space 

Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in 

Kazakhstan. The crew will replace two 

Russians, who have been in space for six 

months, while a NASA astronaut remains 

onboard for another month awaiting his ride 

home on the space shuttle Endeavour. The 

arrival of the Expedition 18 crew marks the 

beginning of a testing period of equipment that 

will support the expansion of the station to six 

people next spring. 

Making his second flight into space, NASA 

astronaut E. Michael Fincke, 41, an Air Force 

colonel, will become the first American to 

launch for a second time on a Soyuz vehicle. 

He was a flight engineer and NASA science 

officer during the Expedition 9 mission to the 

complex in 2004, spending 188 days in 

space, 186 days aboard the orbital outpost. 

Joining Fincke is veteran Russian cosmonaut 

Yury Lonchakov (pron: LAHN′-chuh-coff), 43, a 
2 MISSION OVERVIEW OCTOBER 2008

Russian Air Force colonel, who will serve as 

flight engineer and Soyuz commander for 

launch, landing and in-orbit operations. This is 

Lonchakov’s third flight and third trip to the 

station, having served as a mission specialist 

on the STS-100 mission on Endeavour in 2001 

that delivered the Canadarm2 robotic arm to the 

complex and a flight engineer aboard Soyuz 

TMA-1 in 2002 that brought a new Soyuz return 

craft to the space station for its resident crew. 

Fincke and Lonchakov will be joined for launch 

by Richard Garriott (GAH′-ree-ott), 47, an 

American computer game developer and the 

son of veteran NASA astronaut Owen Garriott. 

He will spend nine days on the station under a 

commercial agreement with the Russian 

Federal Space Agency, returning to Earth in the 

Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft on Oct. 24 with 

Expedition 17 Commander Sergey Volkov 

(SIR′-gay VOHL′-koff), 35, and Oleg Kononenko 

(AH’-leg Ko-no-NEN′-ko) 44, who have been 

aboard the station since April 10. 

For launch, Fincke will be in the left seat of the 

Soyuz as board engineer while Lonchakov 

occupies the center seat as Soyuz commander. 

Lonchakov’s call sign for launch, docking and 

landing in April 2009 will be “Titan”. Garriott will 

be in the right seat of the Soyuz. 

From the left, spaceflight participant Richard Garriott, along with cosmonaut Yury Lonchakov 

and astronaut E. Michael Fincke, flight engineer and commander, respectively, for the 

Expedition 18 mission of the International Space Station, listen to a briefing during a day of fit 

checks and rehearsals at the site of their scheduled Oct. 12 launch from the Baikonur launch 

complex in Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov. 
OCTOBER 2008 MISSION OVERVIEW 3

Two days after launch, the Soyuz TMA-13 craft 

will dock to the Zarya module of the Russian 

segment of the station. That will occur just five 

weeks before the commemoration of the 10th 

anniversary of Zarya’s launch Nov. 20, 1998, as 

the first component to arrive in orbit for the 

International Space Station. 

Once hatches are opened, Fincke and 

Lonchakov will join NASA flight engineer 

and science officer Greg Chamitoff 

(SHAM′-uh-toff), 46, who arrived at the station 

on the shuttle Discovery in June. Chamitoff will 

be replaced in November by NASA astronaut 

Sandra Magnus, 44, during shuttle Endeavour’s 

STS-126 mission to the station that will bring 

Chamitoff home. 

Endeavour’s crew will deliver new hardware 

and supplies to the space station from the 

Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module that 

will be berthed to the Earth-facing port of the 

Harmony connecting module for the duration of 

the shuttle’s visit. The hardware will include 

new environmental systems to support the 

expansion of the station to six crew members 

next year, including a second toilet, a new 

treadmill, a water regeneration system, 

additional sleeping quarters and an additional 

oxygen generation system. 

Fincke, Lonchakov and Magnus will spend a 

good portion of their increment testing and 

activating the new systems. 

Before Endeavour’s arrival, one of the three 

External Stowage Platforms (ESP-3) on the 

station will be robotically detached from the 

P3 truss by Fincke and Chamitoff and 

temporarily located to an attachment device 

on the Mobile Transporter railcar. This will 

facilitate the movement of items from 

Endeavour’s payload bay to the station during 

STS-126. After Endeavour’s logistics resupply 

and delivery mission, Fincke and Magnus will 

return the stowage platform to its parking place 

on the truss. 

Fincke and Lonchakov will see another 

partial crew rotation during their six months in 

space. Magnus will be replaced by Japan 

Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) 

astronaut Koichi Wakata (Koh-EE′-chee 

Wah-KAH′-tah), 45, in February 2009 on the 

STS-119 mission that delivers the final set of 

U.S. solar arrays, the S6 truss, to the station. 

Wakata, who will become the first Japanese 

long-duration crew member on the station, will 

return to Earth on the STS-127 mission next 

spring after the arrival of the Expedition 19 

crew, which will succeed Fincke and Lonchakov 

in late March. 

Once on board, Fincke and Lonchakov will 

conduct more than a week of handover 

activities with Volkov, Kononenko and 

Chamitoff, familiarizing themselves with station 

systems and procedures. They also will receive 

proficiency training on the Canadarm2 robotic 

arm from the resident crew and engage in 

safety briefings as well as payload and scientific 

equipment training. 
4 MISSION OVERVIEW OCTOBER 2008

Expedition 18 crew members participate in a space station emergency scenarios training 

session in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Pictured are 

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata (foreground), flight 

engineer; NASA astronauts E. Michael Fincke (center, partially obscured), commander; 

Sandra Magnus, and Russian Federal Space Agency cosmonaut Yuri V. Lonchakov 

(left, partially obscured), both flight engineers. 

The change of command ceremony during the 

docked operations between crews will mark the 

formal handover of the station to Fincke and 

Lonchakov, just days before the Expedition 17 

crew members and Garriott depart the station. 

After landing, Volkov, Kononenko and Garriott 

will be flown from Kazakhstan to the Gagarin 

Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City for 

about two weeks of initial physical rehabilitation. 

Due to the brevity of his fight, Garriott will spend 

significantly less time acclimating himself to 

Earth’s gravity than his Russian colleagues. 

Taking advantage of the new Columbus and 

Kibo science modules, the Expedition 18 crew 

will work with experiments across a wide variety 

of fields, including human life sciences, physical 

sciences and Earth observation, as well as 

education and technology demonstrations. 

Many experiments are designed to gather 

information about the effects of long-duration 

spaceflight on the human body, which will help 

with planning future exploration missions to the 

moon and Mars. Science teams at the 

Payload Operations Integration Center at 

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in 

Huntsville, Ala., ESA’s Columbus Control 

Center in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, and 
OCTOBER 2008 MISSION OVERVIEW 5

JAXA’s Space Station Integration and 

Promotion Facility in Tsukuba, Japan, will 

oversee the operation of experiments and 

consult with the crew, when required, to ensure 

the best scientific data return possible. 

In addition to the two shuttle missions that will 

arrive with supplies for the station during 

Expedition 18, the resident crew is expected to 

greet the arrival of two Russian Progress 

resupply cargo ships filled with food, fuel, water 

and supplies. The ISS Progress 31 cargo is 

targeted to reach the station shortly after 

Thanksgiving, and ISS Progress 32 is slated to 

arrive in February. 

After four spacewalks on Expedition 9, Fincke is 

scheduled to don a Russian Orlan spacesuit 

shortly before Christmas and venture outside 

the Pirs Docking Compartment with Lonchakov. 

They will install a navigation antenna on Zvezda 

for next year’s docking of a new Russian 

research module, called the Mini-Research 

Module 2 (MRM2), the first of two such modules 

that also will serve as docking ports and 

airlocks for spacewalks for six-person crew 

operations. The pair also will install scientific 

equipment on the hull of Zvezda. The 

spacewalk will be the first for Lonchakov. 

Starting in late January 2009, Fincke and 

Magnus will begin extensive testing of the 

Japanese robotic arm attached to the forward 

end of Kibo that arrived at the station last June. 

All of the new arm’s joints, brakes and software 

will be checked out over a two-month period. 

During STS-127 in May 2009, Wakata will use 

the arm to move experiments from a Japanese 

platform that will be temporarily attached to the 

new Exposed Section of Kibo, a “front porch,” to 

JAXA’s lab. The lab will house a variety of 

biological, materials sciences and fluids 

experiments. 

Astronauts Sandra H. Magnus, Expedition 18 

flight engineer, and E. Michael Fincke 

(partially obscured), commander, are about 

to be submerged in the waters of the Neutral 

Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA’s 

Johnson Space Center. Magnus and Fincke 

are attired in training versions of their 

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) 

spacesuits. 

In late March, Expedition 19 Commander 

Gennady Padalka and flight engineer and 

NASA science officer Michael Barratt will arrive 

at the station on Soyuz TMA-14. Fincke and 

Lonchakov will board the Soyuz TMA-13 and 

depart the complex after six months in orbit, 

bringing Expedition 18 to a close with a landing 

in north central Kazakhstan. 
6 MISSION OVERVIEW OCTOBER 2008

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OCTOBER 2008 CREW 7

Expedition 18 Crew 

Expedition 18 Patch 

This emblem represents the 18th expedition to 

the International Space Station. Featured 

prominently is the Roman numeral XVIII. The 

“X” evokes exploration, which is at the core of 

the indivisible cooperation of the International 

Space Station partners. “V” is for victory and for 

the five space agencies in the ISS Program. 

“III” stands for the hope that this crew will help 

evolve the station from supporting the last 

three-person crew to crews of six explorers and 

researchers. The moon, sun and stars 

symbolize the efforts of the entire space station 

team, which will lead to the human exploration 

of the moon, our solar system and beyond. 
8 CREW OCTOBER 2008

From top left Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata; NASA astronauts 

Sandra Magnus, flight engineer; Greg Chamitoff, flight engineer; E. Michael Fincke, commander 

(bottom left); and Russian Federal Space Agency cosmonaut Yury Lonchakov. 

Short biographical sketches of the crew follow 

with detailed background available at: 

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/ 
OCTOBER 2008 CREW 9

E. Michael Fincke 

Astronaut E. Michael Fincke, a colonel in the 

U.S. Air Force, will command the Expedition 18 

mission. He holds master’s degrees in 

aeronautics and astronautics and physical 

sciences. He previously served as flight 

engineer and NASA space station science 

officer on Expedition 9 in 2004. Fincke's first 

mission to the International Space Station 

lasted 187 days, 21 hours and 17 minutes. He 

also logged 15 hours, 45 minutes and 

22 seconds of spacewalking time in four 

spacewalks. Before being named commander 

of Expedition 18, he served as backup 

commander for Expeditions 13 and 16. He will 

return to Earth in March 2009. 
10 CREW OCTOBER 2008

Yury Lonchakov 

Cosmonaut Yury Lonchakov, a colonel in the 

Russian Air Force, will serve as a flight 

engineer and Soyuz commander for 

Expedition 18. He was selected as a testcosmonaut candidate of the Gagarin 

Cosmonaut Training Center Cosmonaut Office 

in 1997. This will be his third trip to the 

International Space Station. Lonchakov was a 

mission specialist on STS-100, which visited 

the complex in 2001, and he returned to the 

station in 2002 as part of the Soyuz TMA-1 

crew. He has logged 22 days, 16 hours and 

23 minutes in space from his two previous 

spaceflight missions. He will return to Earth in 

March 2009. 
OCTOBER 2008 CREW 11

Greg Chamitoff 

Astronaut Greg Chamitoff made his first 

spaceflight aboard STS-124 and joined 

Expedition 17 in progress. He holds a 

doctorate in aeronautics and astronautics. 

Selected by NASA in 1998, Chamitoff has 

worked in the Astronaut Office robotics branch. 

He also served as the lead CAPCOM for 

Expedition 9 and as the crew support astronaut 

for Expedition 6. He was part of the NEEMO 3 

mission, living on the bottom of the sea in the 

Aquarius habitat for nine days. He is serving as 

a flight engineer and science officer for 

Expedition 17 and will continue his duties 

during the transition to Expedition 18 aboard 

station. He is scheduled to return on shuttle 

mission STS-126, targeted for November 2008. 
12 CREW OCTOBER 2008

Sandra Magnus 

Astronaut Sandra Magnus will fly to the 

International Space Station on shuttle mission 

STS-126 and will return to Earth on STS-119. 

She holds a doctorate in material science and 

engineering. Selected by NASA in 1996, 

Magnus previously served as a mission 

specialist on STS-112, which visited the station 

in 2002. During STS-112, Magnus operated 

the space station’s robotic arm during the three 

spacewalks the crew performed to continue the 

assembly of the station. She has been training 

for long-duration missions to the space station 

since 2005. She will serve as a flight engineer 

and NASA space station science officer for 

Expedition 18. 
OCTOBER 2008 CREW 13

Koichi Wakata 

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) 

astronaut Koichi Wakata will fly to the 

International Space Station on shuttle mission 

STS-119 and join the Expedition 18 crew as a 

flight engineer. He holds a doctorate in 

aerospace engineering. He was selected as an 

astronaut candidate by the National Space 

Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) in 

1992. Wakata has logged 21 days, 19 hours, 

41 minutes and 5 seconds in space from his 

two previous spaceflights on STS-72 and 

STS-92. He has been training for a 

long-duration expedition on the station since 

2001. He will be the first resident station crew 

member from JAXA. He will return to Earth on 

the STS-127 mission. 
14 CREW OCTOBER 2008

Richard Garriott 

Spaceflight Participant 

American Richard Garriott is a video game 

pioneer, entrepreneur and son of astronaut 

Owen Garriott. He is best known for creating 

the longest running role-playing game series, 

Ultima, which has been produced since the 

1980’s. Garriott will launch to the International 

Space Station as a spaceflight participant on a 

Soyuz spacecraft with the Expedition 18 crew 

and will return on a Soyuz spacecraft with the 

Expedition 17 crew. 
OCTOBER 2008 MISSION MILESTONES 15

Expedition 18 Mission Milestones 

(Dates are subject to change) 

2008: 

Oct. 12 Expedition 18 launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on Soyuz 

TMA-13 with U.S. spaceflight participant 

Oct. 14 Expedition 18 docks to the International Space Station’s Zarya module on Soyuz 

TMA-13 with U.S. spaceflight participant 

Oct. 21 Change of command ceremony with departing Expedition 17 crew 

Oct. 23 Undocking and landing of Expedition 17 crew from Pirs Docking Compartment 

and landing in Kazakhstan on Soyuz TMA-12 with U.S. spaceflight participant 

Nov. 14 Launch of Endeavour on the STS-126/ULF-2 mission from the Kennedy Space 

Center 

Nov. 28 Docking of Endeavour to ISS Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 (PMA-2); Magnus 

and Chamitoff swap places as Expedition 18 crew members 

TBD Undocking of ISS Progress 30 from Zvezda Service Module aft port 

Nov. 26 Launch of ISS Progress 31 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan 

Nov. 29 Undocking of Endeavour from ISS PMA-2 

Nov. 30 Docking of ISS Progress 31 to the Pirs Docking Compartment 

Dec. 1 Landing of Endeavour to complete STS-126/ULF-2 

Dec. 18 Russian spacewalk No. 21 by Lonchakov and Fincke Out of Pirs Docking 

Compartment 

2009: 

Feb. 9 Undocking of ISS Progress 31 from the Pirs Docking Compartment 

Feb. 10 Launch of ISS Progress 32 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan 

Feb. 12 Docking of ISS Progress 32 to the Pirs Docking Compartment; launch of 

Discovery on the STS-119/15A mission from the Kennedy Space Center 

Feb. 14 Docking of Discovery to ISS Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 (PMA-2); Wakata and 

Magnus swap places as Expedition 18 crew members 
16 MISSION MILESTONES OCTOBER 2008

Feb. 23 Undocking of Discovery from PMA-2 

Feb. 26 Landing of Discovery to complete STS-119/15A 

March 25 Launch of the Expedition 19 crew and an Australian spaceflight participant on the 

Soyuz TMA-14 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan 

March 27 Docking of the Expedition 19 crew and an Australian spaceflight participant on 

the Soyuz TMA-14 to the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module 

April 5 Undocking of the Expedition 18 crew and an Australian spaceflight participant 

from the Zarya Module and landing in Kazakhstan on Soyuz TMA-13 
OCTOBER 2008 SPACEWALKS 17

Expedition 18 Spacewalks 

There are no U.S.-based spacewalks currently 

scheduled for Expedition 18; however, 

Commander E. Michael Fincke and Flight 

Engineer Yury Lonchakov plan to venture 

outside the Russian segment’s Pirs Docking 

Compartment in December for the station’s 21st 

Russian spacewalk. 

It will be Fincke’s fifth time to don one of the 

Russian Orlan spacesuits and Lonchakov’s 

first. 

Astronaut E. Michael Fincke, Expedition 18 commander, gets help donning a training version of 

the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit before being submerged in the waters of the 

Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near the Johnson Space Center. 

The plans for the spacewalk are still in work, 

but several tasks have already been 

identified. Fincke and Lonchakov will be 

installing the Expose-R and Impuls experiments 

on the exterior of the Zvezda Service Module. 

Expose-R is a European Space Agency 

experiment that will arrive on a Progress vehicle 

scheduled to launch in November. It is 

designed to expose organic material to the 

extreme environment of space. Impuls 

explores the ionosphere plasma environment. 

As part of a continuing experiment, the 

spacewalkers also will be removing a container 

from the Russian Biorisk experiment. Biorisk 

studies how changes in solar activity affect the 
18 SPACEWALKS OCTOBER 2008

growth of microbial bacteria and fungi on 

materials used to build spacecraft. The 

container Fincke and Lonchakov remove will be 

returned to Earth for examination. 

They’ll also take advantage of their time outside 

to close a multilayer insulation flap on the 

Zvezda module opened during the last Russian 

spacewalk and reorient the SKK experiment, 

which was moved accidentally during a 

previous spacewalk. 
OCTOBER 2008 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA 19

Russian Soyuz TMA 

The Soyuz TMA spacecraft is designed to serve 

as the ISS’s crew return vehicle, acting as a 

lifeboat in the unlikely event an emergency 

would require the crew to leave the station. A 

new Soyuz capsule is normally delivered to the 

station by a Soyuz crew every six months, 

replacing an older Soyuz capsule at the ISS. 

The Soyuz spacecraft is launched to the space 

station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in 

Kazakhstan aboard a Soyuz rocket. It consists 

of an orbital module, a descent module and an 

instrumentation/propulsion module. 

Orbital Module 

This portion of the Soyuz spacecraft is used by 

the crew while on orbit during free-flight. It has 

a volume of 6.5 cubic meters (230 cubic feet), 

with a docking mechanism, hatch and 

rendezvous antennas located at the front end. 

The docking mechanism is used to dock with 

the space station and the hatch allows entry 

into the station. The rendezvous antennas are 

used by the automated docking system – a 

radar-based system – to maneuver towards the 

station for docking. There is also a window in 

the module. 

The opposite end of the orbital module 

connects to the descent module via a 

pressurized hatch. Before returning to Earth, 

the orbital module separates from the descent 

module – after the deorbit maneuver – and 

burns up upon re-entry into the atmosphere. 

Descent Module 

The descent module is where the cosmonauts 

and astronauts sit for launch, re-entry and 

landing. All the necessary controls and 

displays of the Soyuz are here. The module 

also contains life support supplies and batteries 

used during descent, as well as the primary and 

backup parachutes and landing rockets. It also 

contains custom-fitted seat liners for each crew 

member, individually molded to fit each 

person's body – this ensures a tight, 

comfortable fit when the module lands on the 

Earth. When crew members are brought to the 

station aboard the space shuttle, their seat 

liners are brought with them and transferred to 

the Soyuz spacecraft as part of crew handover 

activities. 

The module has a periscope, which allows the 

crew to view the docking target on the station or 

the Earth below. The eight hydrogen peroxide 

thrusters located on the module are used to 

control the spacecraft's orientation, or attitude, 

during the descent until parachute deployment. 

It also has a guidance, navigation and control 

system to maneuver the vehicle during the 

descent phase of the mission. 
20 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA OCTOBER 2008

This module weighs 2,900 kilograms 

(6,393 pounds), with a habitable volume of 

4 cubic meters (141 cubic feet). Approximately 

50 kilograms (110 pounds) of payload can be 

returned to Earth in this module and up to 

150 kilograms (331 pounds) if only two crew 

members are present. The Descent Module is 

the only portion of the Soyuz that survives the 

return to Earth. 

Instrumentation/Propulsion Module 

This module contains three compartments: 

intermediate, instrumentation and propulsion. 

The intermediate compartment is where the 

module connects to the descent module. It also 

contains oxygen storage tanks and the attitude 

control thrusters, as well as electronics, 

communications and control equipment. The 

primary guidance, navigation, control and 

computer systems of the Soyuz are in the 

instrumentation compartment, which is a sealed 

container filled with circulating nitrogen gas to 

cool the avionics equipment. The propulsion 

compartment contains the primary thermal 

control system and the Soyuz radiator, with a 

cooling area of 8 square meters (86 square 

feet). The propulsion system, batteries, solar 

arrays, radiator and structural connection to the 

Soyuz launch rocket are located in this 

compartment. 

The propulsion compartment contains the 

system that is used to perform any 

maneuvers while in orbit, including rendezvous 

and docking with the space station and the 

deorbit burns necessary to return to Earth. 

The propellants are nitrogen tetroxide 

and unsymmetric-dimethylhydrazine. The main 

propulsion system and the smaller reaction 

control system, used for attitude changes while 

in space, share the same propellant tanks. 

The two Soyuz solar arrays are attached to 

either side of the rear section of the 

instrumentation/propulsion module and are 

linked to rechargeable batteries. Like the 

orbital module, the intermediate section of the 

instrumentation/propulsion module separates 

from the descent module after the final deorbit 

maneuver and burns up in atmosphere upon 

re-entry. 

TMA Improvements and Testing 

The Soyuz TMA spacecraft is a replacement for 

the Soyuz TM, which was used from 1986 to 

2002 to take astronauts and cosmonauts to Mir 

and then to the International Space Station. 

The TMA increases safety, especially in 

descent and landing. It has smaller and more 

efficient computers and improved displays. In 

addition, the Soyuz TMA accommodates 

individuals as large as 1.9 meters (6 feet, 

3 inches) tall and 95 kilograms (209 pounds), 

compared to 1.8 meters (6 feet) and 

85 kilograms (187 pounds) in the earlier TM. 

Minimum crew member size for the TMA is 

1.5 meters (4 feet, 11 inches) and 50 kilograms 

(110 pounds), compared to 1.6 meters (5 feet, 

4 inches) and 56 kilograms (123 pounds) for the 

TM. 

Two new engines reduce landing speed and 

forces felt by crew members by 15 to 

30 percent and a new entry control system and 

three-axis accelerometer increase landing 

accuracy. Instrumentation improvements 

include a color “glass cockpit,” which is easier 

to use and gives the crew more information, 

with hand controllers that can be secured under 

an instrument panel. All the new components 

in the Soyuz TMA can spend up to one year in 

space. 

New components and the entire TMA were 

rigorously tested on the ground, in hangar-drop 

tests, in airdrop tests and in space before the 

spacecraft was declared flight-ready. For 

example, the accelerometer and associated 

software, as well as modified boosters 

(incorporated to cope with the TMA’s additional 

mass), were tested on flights of Progress 

unpiloted supply spacecraft, while the new 
OCTOBER 2008 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA 21

cooling system was tested on two Soyuz TM 

flights. 

Descent module structural modifications, seats 

and seat shock absorbers were tested in 

hangar drop tests. Landing system 

modifications, including associated software 

upgrades, were tested in a series of airdrop 

tests. Additionally, extensive tests of systems 

and components were conducted on the 

ground. 

Soyuz Launcher 

Throughout history, more than 1,500 launches 

have been made with Soyuz launchers to orbit 

satellites for telecommunications, Earth 

observation, weather, and scientific missions, 

as well as for human flights. 

The basic Soyuz vehicle is considered a threestage launcher in Russian terms and is 

composed of: 

• A lower portion consisting of four boosters 

(first stage) and a central core (second 

stage). 

• An upper portion, consisting of the third 

stage, payload adapter and payload fairing. 

• Liquid oxygen and kerosene are used as 

propellants in all three Soyuz stages. 

First Stage Boosters 

The first stage’s four boosters are assembled 

around the second stage central core. The 

boosters are identical and cylindrical-conic in 

shape with the oxygen tank in the cone-shaped 

portion and the kerosene tank in the cylindrical 

portion. 

An NPO Energomash RD 107 engine with four 

main chambers and two gimbaled vernier 

thrusters is used in each booster. The vernier 

thrusters provide three-axis flight control. 

Ignition of the first stage boosters and the 

second stage central core occur simultaneously 

on the ground. When the boosters have 

completed their powered flight during ascent, 

they are separated and the core second stage 

continues to function. 

First stage separation occurs when the 

pre-defined velocity is reached, which is about 

118 seconds after liftoff. 

A Soyuz launches from the Baikonur 

Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. 
22 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA OCTOBER 2008

Second Stage 

An NPO Energomash RD 108 engine powers 

the Soyuz second stage. This engine has four 

vernier thrusters, necessary for three-axis flight 

control after the first stage boosters have 

separated. 

An equipment bay located atop the second 

stage operates during the entire flight of the first 

and second stages. 

Third Stage 

The third stage is linked to the Soyuz second 

stage by a latticework structure. When the 

second stage’s powered flight is complete, the 

third stage engine is ignited. Separation occurs 

by the direct ignition forces of the third stage 

engine. 

A single-turbopump RD 0110 engine from KB 

KhA powers the Soyuz third stage. 

The third stage engine is fired for about 

240 seconds. Cutoff occurs at a calculated 

velocity. After cutoff and separation, the third 

stage performs an avoidance maneuver by 

opening an outgassing valve in the liquid 

oxygen tank. 

Launcher Telemetry Tracking & Flight 

Safety Systems 

Soyuz launcher tracking and telemetry is 

provided through systems in the second and 

third stages. These two stages have their own 

radar transponders for ground tracking. 

Individual telemetry transmitters are in each 

stage. Launcher health status is downlinked to 

ground stations along the flight path. Telemetry 

and tracking data are transmitted to the mission 

control center, where the incoming data flow is 

recorded. Partial real-time data processing and 

plotting is performed for flight following and 

initial performance assessment. All flight data 

is analyzed and documented within a few hours 

after launch. 

Baikonur Cosmodrome Launch 

Operations 

Soyuz missions use the Baikonur 

Cosmodrome’s proven infrastructure, and 

launches are performed by trained personnel 

with extensive operational experience. 

Baikonur Cosmodrome is in the Republic of 

Kazakhstan in Central Asia between 

45 degrees and 46 degrees north latitude and 

63 degrees east longitude. Two launch pads 

are dedicated to Soyuz missions. 

Final Launch Preparations 

The assembled launch vehicle is moved to the 

launch pad on a railcar. Transfer to the launch 

zone occurs two days before launch. The 

vehicle is erected and a launch rehearsal is 

performed that includes activation of all 

electrical and mechanical equipment. 

On launch day, the vehicle is loaded with 

propellant and the final countdown sequence is 

started at three hours before the liftoff time. 

Rendezvous to Docking 

A Soyuz spacecraft generally takes two days 

to reach the space station. The rendezvous 

and docking are both automated, though once 

the spacecraft is within 150 meters (492 feet) of 

the station, the Russian Mission Control Center 

just outside Moscow monitors the approach and 

docking. The Soyuz crew has the capability to 

manually intervene or execute these 

operations. 
OCTOBER 2008 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA 23

Soyuz Booster Rocket Characteristics 

First Stage Data - Blocks B, V, G, D 

Engine RD-107 

Propellants LOX/Kerosene 

Thrust (tons) 102 

Burn time (sec) 122 

Specific impulse 314 

Length (meters) 19.8 

Diameter (meters) 2.68 

Dry mass (tons) 3.45 

Propellant mass (tons) 39.63 

Second Stage Data, Block A 

Engine RD-108 

Propellants LOX/Kerosene 

Thrust (tons) 96 

Burn time (sec) 314 

Specific impulse 315 

Length (meters) 28.75 

Diameter (meters) 2.95 

Dry mass (tons) 6.51 

Propellant mass (tons) 95.7 

Third Stage Data, Block I 

Engine RD-461 

Propellants LOX/Kerosene 

Thrust (tons) 30 

Burn time (sec) 240 

Specific impulse 330 

Length (meters) 8.1 

Diameter (meters) 2.66 

Dry mass (tons) 2.4 

Propellant mass (tons) 21.3 

PAYLOAD MASS (tons) 6.8 

SHROUD MASS (tons) 4.5 

LAUNCH MASS (tons) 309.53 

TOTAL LENGTH (meters) 49.3 
24 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA OCTOBER 2008

Prelaunch Countdown Timeline 

T- 34 Hours 

 

 

 

 

 

Booster is prepared for fuel loading 

T- 6:00:00 Batteries are installed in booster 

T- 5:30:00 State commission gives go to take launch vehicle 

T- 5:15:00 Crew arrives at site 254 

T- 5:00:00 Tanking begins 

T- 4:20:00 Spacesuit donning 

T- 4:00:00 Booster is loaded with liquid oxygen 

T- 3:40:00 Crew meets delegations 

T- 3:10:00 Reports to the State commission 

T- 3:05:00 Transfer to the launch pad 

T- 3:00:00 Vehicle 1st and 2nd stage oxidizer fueling complete 

T- 2:35:00 Crew arrives at launch vehicle 

T- 2:30:00 Crew ingress through orbital module side hatch 

T- 2:00:00 Crew in re-entry vehicle 

T- 1:45:00 Re-entry vehicle hardware tested; suits are ventilated 

T- 1:30:00 Launch command monitoring and supply unit prepared 

Orbital compartment hatch tested for sealing 

T- 1:00:00 Launch vehicle control system prepared for use; gyro instruments 

activated 

T - :45:00 Launch pad service structure halves are lowered 

T- :40:00 Re-entry vehicle hardware testing complete; leak checks 

performed on suits 

T- :30:00 Emergency escape system armed; launch command supply unit 

activated 

T- :25:00 Service towers withdrawn 

T- :15:00 Suit leak tests complete; crew engages personal escape 

hardware auto mode 

T- :10:00 Launch gyro instruments uncaged; crew activates on-board 

recorders 

T- 7:00 All prelaunch operations are complete 

T- 6:15 Key to launch command given at the launch site 

Automatic program of final launch operations is activated 

T- 6:00 All launch complex and vehicle systems ready for launch 

T- 5:00 Onboard systems switched to onboard control 

 Ground measurement system activated by RUN 1 command 

Commander's controls activated 

Crew switches to suit air by closing helmets 

Launch key inserted in launch bunker 

T- 3:15 Combustion chambers of side and central engine pods purged 

with nitrogen 
Prelaunch Countdown Timeline (concluded) 

OCTOBER 2008 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA 25

 T- 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2:30 Booster propellant tank pressurization starts 

Onboard measurement system activated by RUN 2 command 

Prelaunch pressurization of all tanks with nitrogen begins 

T- 2:15 Oxidizer and fuel drain and safety valves of launch vehicle are 

closed 

Ground filling of oxidizer and nitrogen to the launch vehicle is 

terminated 

T- 1:00 Vehicle on internal power 

 Automatic sequencer on 

First umbilical tower separates from booster 

T- :40 Ground power supply umbilical to third stage is disconnected 

T- :20 Launch command given at the launch position 

Central and side pod engines are turned on 

T- :15 Second umbilical tower separates from booster 

T- :10 Engine turbopumps at flight speed 

T- :05 First stage engines at maximum thrust 

T- :00 Fueling tower separates 

 Lift off 

 

Ascent/Insertion Timeline 

 T- :00 Lift off 

T+ 1:10 Booster velocity is 1,640 ft/sec 

T+ 1:58 Stage 1 (strap-on boosters) separation 

T+ 2:00 Booster velocity is 4,921 ft/sec 

T+ 2:40 Escape tower and launch shroud jettison 

T+ 4:58 Core booster separates at 105.65 statute miles 

Third stage ignites 

T+ 7:30 Velocity is 19,685 ft/sec 

T+ 9:00 Third stage cut-off 

 Soyuz separates 

Antennas and solar panels deploy 

Flight control switches to Mission Control, Korolev 

 
26 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA OCTOBER 2008

Orbital Insertion to Docking Timeline 

FLIGHT DAY 1 OVERVIEW 

Orbit 1 Post insertion: Deployment of solar panels, antennas and 

docking probe 

- Crew monitors all deployments 

- Crew reports on pressurization of OMS/RCS and ECLSS 

systems and crew health. Entry thermal sensors are manually 

deactivated 

- Ground provides initial orbital insertion data from tracking 

Orbit 2 Systems Checkout: IR Att Sensors, Kurs, Angular Accels, 

“Display” TV Downlink System, OMS engine control system, 

Manual Attitude Control Test 

- Crew monitors all systems tests and confirms onboard 

indications 

- Crew performs manual RHC stick inputs for attitude control test

- Ingress into HM, activate HM CO2 scrubber and doff Sokols 

- A/G, R/T and Recorded TLM and Display TV downlink 

- Radar and radio transponder tracking 

Manual maneuver to +Y to Sun and initiate a 2 deg/sec yaw 

rotation. MCS is deactivated after rate is established. 

Orbit 3 Terminate +Y solar rotation, reactivate MCS and establish 

LVLH attitude reference (auto maneuver sequence) 

- Crew monitors LVLH attitude reference build up 

- Burn data command upload for DV1 and DV2 (attitude, TIG 

Delta V’s) 

- Form 14 preburn emergency deorbit pad read up 

- A/G, R/T and Recorded TLM and Display TV downlink 

- Radar and radio transponder tracking 

Auto maneuver to DV1 burn attitude (TIG - 8 minutes) while 

LOS 

- Crew monitor only, no manual action nominally required 

DV1 phasing burn while LOS 

- Crew monitor only, no manual action nominally required 

Orbit 4 Auto maneuver to DV2 burn attitude (TIG - 8 minutes) while 

LOS 

- Crew monitor only, no manual action nominally required 

DV2 phasing burn while LOS 

- Crew monitor only, no manual action nominally required 
OCTOBER 2008 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA 27

FLIGHT DAY 1 OVERVIEW (CONTINUED) 

Orbit 4 

(continued) 

Crew report on burn performance upon AOS 

- HM and DM pressure checks read down 

- Post burn Form 23 (AOS/LOS pad), Form 14 and “Globe” 

corrections voiced up 

- A/G, R/T and Recorded TLM and Display TV downlink 

- Radar and radio transponder tracking 

Manual maneuver to +Y to Sun and initiate a 2 deg/sec yaw 

rotation. MCS is deactivated after rate is established. 

External boresight TV camera ops check (while LOS) 

 Meal 

Orbit 5 Last pass on Russian tracking range for Flight Day 1 

Report on TV camera test and crew health 

Sokol suit clean up 

- A/G, R/T and Recorded TLM and Display TV downlink 

- Radar and radio transponder tracking 

Orbit 6-12 Crew Sleep, off of Russian tracking range 

- Emergency VHF2 comm available through NASA VHF Network

FLIGHT DAY 2 OVERVIEW 

Orbit 13 Post sleep activity, report on HM/DM Pressures 

Form 14 revisions voiced up 

- A/G, R/T and Recorded TLM and Display TV downlink 

- Radar and radio transponder tracking 

Orbit 14 Configuration of RHC-2/THC-2 work station in the HM 

- A/G, R/T and Recorded TLM and Display TV downlink 

- Radar and radio transponder tracking 

Orbit 15 THC-2 (HM) manual control test 

- A/G, R/T and Recorded TLM and Display TV downlink 

- Radar and radio transponder tracking 

Orbit 16 Lunch 

- A/G, R/T and Recorded TLM and Display TV downlink 

- Radar and radio transponder tracking 

Orbit 17 (1) Terminate +Y solar rotation, reactivate MCS and establish 

LVLH attitude reference (auto maneuver sequence) 

RHC-2 (HM) Test 

- Burn data uplink (TIG, attitude, delta V) 

- A/G, R/T and Recorded TLM and Display TV downlink 

- Radar and radio transponder tracking 

Auto maneuver to burn attitude (TIG - 8 min) while LOS 

Rendezvous burn while LOS 

Manual maneuver to +Y to Sun and initiate a 2 deg/sec yaw 

rotation. MCS is deactivated after rate is established. 
28 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA OCTOBER 2008

FLIGHT DAY 2 OVERVIEW (CONTINUED) 

Orbit 18 (2) Post burn and manual maneuver to +Y Sun report when AOS 

- HM/DM pressures read down 

- Post burn Form 23, Form 14 and Form 2 (Globe correction) 

voiced up 

- A/G, R/T and Recorded TLM and Display TV downlink 

- Radar and radio transponder tracking 

Orbit 19 (3) CO2 scrubber cartridge change out 

 Free time 

- A/G, R/T and Recorded TLM and Display TV downlink 

- Radar and radio transponder tracking 

Orbit 20 (4) Free time 

- A/G, R/T and Recorded TLM and Display TV downlink 

- Radar and radio transponder tracking 

Orbit 21 (5) Last pass on Russian tracking range for Flight Day 2 

 Free time 

- A/G, R/T and Recorded TLM and Display TV downlink 

- Radar and radio transponder tracking 

Orbit 22 (6) - 27 

(11) 

Crew sleep, off of Russian tracking range 

- Emergency VHF2 comm available through NASA VHF Network

FLIGHT DAY 3 OVERVIEW 

Orbit 28 (12) Post sleep activity 

- A/G, R/T and Recorded TLM and Display TV downlink 

- Radar and radio transponder tracking 

Orbit 29 (13) Free time, report on HM/DM pressures 

- Read up of predicted post burn Form 23 and Form 14 

- A/G, R/T and Recorded TLM and Display TV downlink 

- Radar and radio transponder tracking 

Orbit 30 (14) Free time, read up of Form 2 “Globe Correction,” lunch 

- Uplink of auto rendezvous command timeline 

- A/G, R/T and Recorded TLM and Display TV downlink 

- Radar and radio transponder tracking 

FLIGHT DAY 3 AUTO RENDEZVOUS SEQUENCE 

Orbit 31 (15) Don Sokol spacesuits, ingress DM, close DM/HM hatch 

- Active and passive vehicle state vector uplinks 

- A/G, R/T and Recorded TLM and Display TV downlink 

- Radio transponder tracking 
OCTOBER 2008 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA 29

FLIGHT DAY 3 AUTO RENDEZVOUS SEQUENCE (CONCLUDED) 

Orbit 32 (16) Terminate +Y solar rotation, reactivate MCS and establish 

LVLH attitude reference (auto maneuver sequence) 

Begin auto rendezvous sequence 

- Crew monitoring of LVLH reference build and auto rendezvous 

timeline execution 

- A/G, R/T and Recorded TLM and Display TV downlink 

- Radio transponder tracking 

FLIGHT DAY 3 FINAL APPROACH AND DOCKING 

Orbit 33 (1) Auto Rendezvous sequence continues, flyaround and station 

keeping 

 - Crew monitor 

- Comm relays via SM through Altair established 

- Form 23 and Form 14 updates 

- Fly around and station keeping initiated near end of orbit 

- A/G (gnd stations and Altair), R/T TLM (gnd stations), Display 

TV downlink (gnd stations and Altair) 

- Radio transponder tracking 

Orbit 34 (2) Final Approach and docking 

- Capture to “docking sequence complete” 20 minutes, typically 

- Monitor docking interface pressure seal 

- Transfer to HM, doff Sokol suits 

- A/G (gnd stations and Altair), R/T TLM (gnd stations), Display 

TV downlink (gnd stations and Altair) 

- Radio transponder tracking 

FLIGHT DAY 3 STATION INGRESS 

Orbit 35 (3) Station/Soyuz pressure equalization 

- Report all pressures 

- Open transfer hatch, ingress station 

- A/G, R/T and playback telemetry 

- Radio transponder tracking 

 
30 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA OCTOBER 2008

Typical Soyuz Ground Track 
OCTOBER 2008 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA 31

Key Times for Expedition 18/17 ISS Events 

Expedition 18/SFP Launch on Soyuz TMA-13

2:01:29 a.m. CT on Oct. 12 

7:01:29 GMT on Oct. 12 

11:01:29 a.m. Moscow time on Oct. 12 

13:01:29 p.m. Baikonur time on Oct. 12 

Expedition 18/SFP Docking to ISS on Soyuz TMA-13 (Zarya module nadir port)

3:33 a.m. CT on Oct. 14 

8:33 GMT on Oct. 14 

12:33 p.m. Moscow time on Oct. 14 

Expedition 18/SFP Hatch Opening to ISS

5 a.m. CT on Oct. 14 

10:00 GMT on Oct. 14 

14:00 p.m. Moscow time on Oct. 14 

Expedition 17/SFP Hatch Closing to ISS

4:15 p.m. CT on Oct. 23 

21:15 GMT on Oct. 23 

1:15 a.m. Moscow time on Oct. 24 

3:15 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Oct. 24 

Expedition 17/SFP Undocking from ISS on Soyuz TMA-12 (Pirs Docking Compartment)

7:15 p.m. CT on Oct. 23 

00:15 GMT on Oct. 24 

4:15 a.m. Moscow time on Oct. 24 

6:15 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Oct. 24 
32 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA OCTOBER 2008

Expedition 17/SFP Deorbit Burn on Soyuz TMA-12

9:44:29 p.m. CT on Oct. 23 

2:44:29 GMT on Oct. 24 

6:44:29 a.m. Moscow time on Oct. 24 

8:44:29 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Oct. 24 

Expedition 17/SFP Landing in Soyuz TMA-12

10:36:07 p.m. CT on Oct. 23 

3:36:07 GMT on Oct. 24 

7:36:07 a.m. Moscow time on Oct. 24 

9:36:07 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Oct. 24 (approximately 1:24 after sunrise at the landing site) 
OCTOBER 2008 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA 33

Expedition 17/Soyuz TMA-12 Landing 

Following a nine-day handover with the newly 

arrived Expedition 18 crew, Expedition 17 and 

Soyuz Commander Sergei Volkov, Flight 

Engineer Oleg Kononenko and U.S. spaceflight 

participant Richard Garriott will board their 

Soyuz TMA-12 capsule for undocking and a 

one-hour descent back to Earth. Volkov and 

Kononenko will complete a six-month mission in 

orbit, while Garriott will return after an 11-day 

flight. 

About three hours before undocking,

 

 

 

Volkov, Kononenko and Garriott will bid farewell

to the new Expedition 18 crew, Commander

E. Michael Fincke, Flight Engineer

Yury Lonchakov and Flight Engineer

Greg Chamitoff, who arrived at the station

in June on the shuttle Discovery. The 

departing crew will climb into the Soyuz 

vehicle, closing the hatch between Soyuz and 

the Pirs Docking Compartment. Kononenko will 

be seated in the Soyuz’ left seat for entry and 

landing as on-board engineer. Volkov will be in 

the center seat as Soyuz commander as he 

was for the April launch, and Garriott will 

occupy the right seat. 

After activating Soyuz systems and getting 

approval from Russian flight controllers at the 

Russian Mission Control Center outside 

Moscow, Volkov will send commands to open 

hooks and latches between Soyuz and Pirs. 

Volkov will fire the Soyuz thrusters to back 

away from Pirs. Six minutes after undocking, 

with the Soyuz about 66 feet away from the 

station, Volkov will conduct a separation 

maneuver, firing the Soyuz jets for about 

15 seconds to begin to depart the vicinity of the 

complex. 

About 2.5 hours after undocking, at a distance 

of about 12 miles from the station, Soyuz 

computers will initiate a deorbit burn braking 

maneuver. The 4.5-minute maneuver to slow 

the spacecraft will enable it to drop out of orbit 

and begin its re-entry to Earth. 

About 30 minutes later, just above the first 

traces of the Earth’s atmosphere, computers 

will command the pyrotechnic separation of the 

three modules of the Soyuz vehicle. With the 

crew strapped in the middle descent module, 

the uppermost orbital module containing the 

docking mechanism and rendezvous antennas, 

and the instrumentation and propulsion module 

at the rear, which houses the engines and 

avionics, will separate and burn up in the 

atmosphere. 

The descent module’s computers will orient the 

capsule with its ablative heat shield pointing 

forward to repel the buildup of heat as it 

plunges into the atmosphere. The crew will feel 

the first effects of gravity about three minutes 

after module separation at the point called entry 

interface, when the module is about 

400,000 feet above the Earth. 

About eight minutes later, at an altitude of about 

33,000 feet, traveling at about 722 feet per 

second, the Soyuz’ computers will begin a 

commanded sequence for the deployment of 

the capsule’s parachutes. First, two “pilot” 

parachutes will be deployed, extracting a larger 

drogue parachute, which stretches out over an 

area of 79 square feet. Within 16 seconds, the 

Soyuz’s descent will slow to about 262 feet per 

second. 

The initiation of the parachute deployment will 

create a gentle spin for the Soyuz as it dangles 

underneath the drogue chute, assisting in the 

capsule’s stability in the final minutes before 

touchdown. 

A few minutes before touchdown, the drogue 

chute is jettisoned, allowing the main parachute 

to be deployed. Connected to the descent 

module by two harnesses, the main parachute 

covers an area of about 3,281 feet. The 
34 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA OCTOBER 2008

deployment of the main parachute slows down 

the descent module to a velocity of about 

23 feet per second. Initially, the descent 

module will hang underneath the main 

parachute at a 30-degree angle with respect to 

the horizon, for aerodynamic stability. The 

bottommost harness will be severed a few 

minutes before landing, allowing the descent 

module to right itself to a vertical position 

through touchdown. 

At an altitude of a little more than 16,000 feet, 

the crew will monitor the jettison of the descent 

module’s heat shield, which is followed by the 

termination of the aerodynamic spin cycle and 

the dissipation of any residual propellant from 

the Soyuz. Computers also will arm the 

module’s seat shock absorbers in preparation 

for landing. 

When the capsule’s heat shield is jettisoned, 

the Soyuz altimeter is exposed to the surface of 

the Earth. Signals are bounced to the ground 

from the Soyuz and reflected back, providing 

the capsule’s computers updated information 

on altitude and rate of descent. 

At an altitude of about 39 feet, cockpit displays 

will tell Volkov to prepare for the soft landing 

engine firing. Just 3 feet above the surface, 

and just seconds before touchdown, the six 

solid propellant engines are fired in a final 

braking maneuver. This enables the Soyuz to 

settle down to a velocity of about 5 feet per 

second and land to complete its mission. 

The last two Soyuz entries involving the 

Expedition 15 and 16 crews resulted in 

“ballistic” landings, safe but off-course landings 

that brought the Soyuz vehicles to landing sites 

in Kazakhstan about 250 miles short of their 

intended target zones. It is believed that a 

problem with a pyrotechnic separation 

mechanism between the descent and 

instrumentation and propulsion modules 

triggered both “ballistic” entries. As is always 

the case, teams of Russian engineers, flight 

surgeons and technicians in fleets of MI-8 

helicopters will be poised near the nominal and 

“ballistic” landing zones to perform the swift 

recovery of Volkov, Kononenko and Garriott 

once the capsule touches down. 

A portable medical tent will be set up near the 

capsule in which the crew can change out of its 

launch and entry suits. Russian technicians will 

open the module’s hatch and begin to remove 

the crew members. They will be seated in 

special reclining chairs near the capsule for 

initial medical tests and to have a chance to 

begin readapting to Earth’s gravity. 

About two hours after landing, the crew will be 

assisted to the recovery helicopters for a flight 

back to a staging site in northern Kazakhstan, 

where local officials will welcome them. The 

crew then will board a Russian military plane to 

be flown back to the Chkalovsky Airfield 

adjacent to the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training 

Center in Star City, Russia, where their families 

will meet them. In all, it will take around 

eight hours between landing and the return to 

Star City. 

Assisted by a team of flight surgeons, Volkov 

and Kononenko will undergo several weeks of 

medical tests and physical rehabilitation. 

Garriott’s acclimation to Earth’s gravity will take 

a much shorter period of time due to the brevity 

of his flight. 
OCTOBER 2008 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA 35

Soyuz Entry Timeline 

This is the entry timeline for Soyuz TMA-12. 

Undocking Command to Begin to Open Hooks and Latches; Undocking Command + 0 mins.)

7:12 p.m. CT on Oct. 23 

00:12 GMT on Oct. 24 

4:12 a.m. Moscow time on Oct. 24 

6:12 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Oct. 24 

Hooks Opened/Physical Separation of Soyuz from Zarya Module nadir port at .12 meter/sec.; 

Undocking Command + 3 mins.)

7:15 p.m. CT on Oct. 23 

00:15 GMT on Oct. 24 

4:15 a.m. Moscow time on Oct. 24 

6:15 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Oct. 24 

Separation Burn from ISS (15 second burn of the Soyuz engines, .65 meters/sec; Soyuz distance 

from the ISS is ~20 meters)

7:18 p.m. CT on Oct. 23 

00:18 GMT on Oct. 24 

4:18 a.m. Moscow time on Oct. 24 

6:18 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Oct. 24 

Deorbit Burn (appx 4:19 in duration, 115.2 m/sec; Soyuz distance from the ISS is ~12 kilometers; 

Undocking Command appx + ~2 hours, 30 mins.)

9:44:29 p.m. CT on Oct. 23 

2:44:29 GMT on Oct. 24 

6:44:29 a.m. Moscow time on Oct. 24 

8:44:29 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Oct. 24 
36 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA OCTOBER 2008

Separation of Modules (~23 mins. after Deorbit Burn; Undocking Command + ~2 hours, 57 

mins.)

~10:08 p.m. CT on Oct. 23 

~3:08 GMT on Oct. 24 

~7:08 a.m. Moscow time on Oct. 24 

~9:08 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Oct. 24 

Entry Interface (400,000 feet in altitude; 3 mins. after Module Seperation; 31 mins. after Deorbit 

Burn; Undocking Command + ~3 hours)

10:12:35 p.m. CT on Oct. 23 

3:12:35 GMT on Oct. 24 

7:12:35 a.m. Moscow time on Oct. 24 

9:12:35 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Oct. 24 

Command to Open Chutes (8 mins. after Entry Interface; 39 mins. after Deorbit Burn; Undocking 

Command + ~3 hours, 8 mins.)

10:21:07 p.m. CT on Oct. 23 

3:21:07 GMT on Oct. 24 

7:21:07 a.m. Moscow time on Oct. 24 

9:21:07 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Oct. 24 

Two pilot parachutes are first deployed, the second of which extracts the drogue chute. The drogue 

chute is then released, measuring 24 square meters, slowing the Soyuz down from a descent rate of 

230 meters/second to 80 meters/second. 

The main parachute is then released, covering an area of 1,000 meters; it slows the Soyuz to a descent 

rate of 7.2 meters/second; its harnesses first allow the Soyuz to descend at an angle of 30 degrees to 

expel heat, then shifts the Soyuz to a straight vertical descent. 
OCTOBER 2008 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA 37

Soft Landing Engine Firing (6 engines fire to slow the Soyuz descent rate to 1.5 meters/second 

just .8 meter above the ground)

Landing - appx. 2 seconds 

Landing (~50 mins. after Deorbit Burn; Undocking Command + ~3 hours, 24 mins.)

10:36:07 p.m. CT on Oct. 23 

3:36:07 GMT on Oct. 24 

7:36:07 a.m. Moscow time on Oct. 24 

9:36:07 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Oct. 24 (~1:24 after sunrise at the landing site) 
38 RUSSIAN SOYUZ TMA OCTOBER 2008

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OCTOBER 2008 SCIENCE OVERVIEW 39

International Space Station: Expedition 18 Science Overview 

Expedition 18, the 18th science research 

mission on the International Space Station, 

includes the operation of 40 NASA-managed 

experiments in human research, exploration 

technology testing, biological and physical 

sciences, and education. An additional 

33 experiments are planned for operation by 

the international partners – the European 

Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace 

Exploration Agency (JAXA). 

During Expedition 18, the scientific work of 

more than 300 scientists will be supported 

through U.S.-managed experiments. The team 

of controllers and scientists on the ground will 

continue to plan, monitor and remotely operate 

experiments from control centers across the 

United States. 

A team of controllers for Expedition 18 will staff 

the Payload Operations Center, the science 

command post for the space station, at NASA’s 

Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. 

Controllers work in three shifts around the 

clock, seven days a week in the Payload 

Operations Center, which links researchers 

around the world with their experiments and the 

station crew. 

The Payload Operations Center also 

coordinates the payload activities of NASA’s 

international partners. While the partners are 

responsible for the planning and operations of 

their space agencies’ modules, NASA’s 

Payload Operations Center is chartered to 

synchronize the payload activities among the 

partners and optimize the use of valuable 

in-orbit resources. 

Human Life Science Investigations 

Sampling and testing of crew members will be 

used to study changes in the body caused by 

living in microgravity. Continuing and new 

experiments include: 

Bisphosphonates as a Countermeasure to 

Space Flight Induced Bone Loss

(Bisphosphonates) will determine whether 

antiresorptive agents, or those that help reduce 

bone loss on Earth, in conjunction with the 

routine in-flight exercise program, will protect 

station crew members from the bone loss 

documented on previous missions. 

Validation of Procedures for Monitoring 

Crew Member Immune Function (Integrated 

Immune) will assess the clinical risks resulting 

from the adverse effects of spaceflight on the 

human immune system. The study will validate 

a flight-compatible immune monitoring strategy 

by collecting and analyzing blood, urine and 

saliva samples from crew members before, 

during and after spaceflight to monitor changes 

in the immune system. 

Test of Midodrine as a Countermeasure 

Against Postflight Orthostatic Hypotension 

– Long (Midodrine-Long) measures the ability 

of the drug midodrine, as a countermeasure, to 

reduce the incidence or severity of orthostatic 

hypotension, or dizziness caused by the blood 

pressure decrease that many astronauts 

experience when returning to Earth’s gravity. 

Nutritional Status Assessment (Nutrition) is 

NASA’s most comprehensive in-flight study to 

date of human physiologic changes during longduration spaceflight. This study will impact both 

the definition of nutritional requirements and 

development of food systems for future space 

exploration missions to the moon and beyond. 

This experiment also will help researchers 

understand the impact of countermeasures, 

such as exercise and pharmaceuticals, on 

nutritional status and nutrient requirements for 

astronauts. 
40 SCIENCE OVERVIEW OCTOBER 2008

The National Aeronautics and Space

 

Administration Biological Specimen

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Repository (Repository) is a storage ban

used to maintain biological specimens ove

extended periods of time and under we

controlled conditions. Samples from th

station, including blood and urine, will b

collected, processed and archived during th

preflight, in-flight and postflight phases of th

missions. This investigation has bee

developed to archive biological samples for us

as a resource for future spaceflight research. 

Stability of Pharmacotherapeutic an

Nutritional Compounds (Stability) studies th

effects of radiation in space on complex organ

molecules, such as vitamins and othe

compounds in food and medicine. This cou

help researchers develop more stable an

reliable pharmaceutical and nutrition

countermeasures suitable for future long

duration missions. 

Experiments Related to Spacecraft 

Systems 

Many experiments are designed to he

develop technologies, designs and materials fo

future spacecraft and exploration mission

These include: 

JPL Electronic Nose (ENose) is a full-tim

continuously operating event, or incide

monitor designed to detect air contaminatio

from spills and leaks in the crew habitat insid

the station. It is envisioned to be one part of 

distributed system for automated monitorin

and control of the breathing atmosphere 

inhabited spacecraft in microgravity. 

Investigating the Structure of Paramagnet

Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions – 

(InSPACE-2) will obtain data o

magnetorheological fluids, or fluids that change

properties in response to magnetic fields, that

can be used to improve or develop new brake

systems and robotics. 

Multi-User Droplet Combustion Apparatus – 

Flame Extinguishment Experiment 

(MCDA-FLEX) will assess the effectiveness of 

fire suppressants in microgravity and quantify 

the effect of different possible crew exploration 

atmospheres on fire suppression. This will 

provide definition and direction for large-scale 

fire suppression tests and selection of the 

fire suppressant for next-generation crew 

exploration vehicles. 

Materials on the International Space Station 

Experiment 6 A and B (MISSE-6A and 6B) is 

a test bed for materials and coatings attached 

to the outside of the space station that are 

being evaluated for the effects of atomic 

oxygen, direct sunlight, radiation and extremes 

of heat and cold. This experiment allows the 

development and testing of new materials to 

better withstand the rigors of space 

environments. Results will provide a better 

understanding of the durability of various 

materials in space, leading to the design of 

stronger, more durable spacecraft components. 

Pico-Satellite Solar Cell Experiment (PSSC)

is designed to test the space environment 

effects on new solar cell technologies for 

applications in the design of future spacecraft. 

It will provide a better understanding of the 

durability of various solar cell materials when 

they are exposed to the space environment. 

Shuttle Exhaust Ion Turbulence 

Experiments (SEITE) will use space-based 

sensors to detect turbulence inferred from 

the radar observations from a previous space 

shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System burn 

experiment using ground-based radar. The 

research will enhance detection, tracking and 

timely surveillance of high interest objects in 

space. 

Smoke Point In Co-flow Experiment (SPICE)

determines the point at which gas-jet flames, 

similar to a butane-lighter flame, begin to emit 

soot in microgravity. Studying a soot-emitting 
OCTOBER 2008 SCIENCE OVERVIEW 41

flame is important in understanding the ability of 

fires to spread in microgravity. 

Biological and Physical Science 

Experiments 

Plant growth experiments give insight into 

the effects of the space environment on living 

organisms. Physical science experiments 

explore fundamental processes – such as 

phase transitions or crystal growth – in 

microgravity. These experiments include: 

Validating Vegetable Production Unit (VPU)

Plants, Protocols, Procedures and

Requirements (P y 3

R) Using Currentl

Existing Flight Resources (Lada-VPU-P3R) is

a study to advance the technology required for

plant growth in microgravity and to research

related food safety issues. It also investigates

the non-nutritional value to the flight crew of

developing plants in orbit. 

The Optimization of Root Zone Substrates 

(ORZS) for Reduced Gravity Experiments 

Program was developed to provide direct 

measurements and models for plant rooting 

instructions that will be used in future advanced 

life support plant growth experiments. The goal 

is to develop and enhance hardware and 

procedures to allow optimal plant growth in 

microgravity. 

Shear History Extensional Rheology 

Experiment (SHERE) is designed to 

investigate the effect of preshearing, or rotation 

on the stress and strain response of a polymer 

fluid – a complex fluid containing long chains of 

polymer molecules – being stretched in 

microgravity. The fundamental understanding 

and measurement of these complex fluids is 

important for fabrication of parts on future 

exploration missions. 

Education and Earth Observation 

Many experiments aboard the space station 

continue to teach the next generation of 

explorers about living and working in space. 

These experiments include: 

Crew Earth Observations (CEO) takes 

advantage of the crew in space to observe and 

photograph natural and human-made changes 

on Earth. The photographs record the Earth’s 

surface changes over time, along with dynamic 

events such as storms, floods, fires and 

volcanic eruptions. These images provide 

researchers on Earth with key data to better 

understand the planet. 

Crew Earth Observations – International 

Polar Year (CEO-IPY) supports an international 

collaboration of scientists studying the Earth’s 

polar regions from 2007 to 2009. Space station 

crew members photograph polar phenomena 

including icebergs, auroras and mesospheric 

clouds in response to daily correspondence 

from the scientists on the ground. 

Commercial Generic Bioprocessing 

Apparatus Science Insert – 02 (CSI-02) is an 

educational payload designed to interest middle 

school students in science, technology, 

engineering and math by participating in near 

real-time research conducted aboard the 

station. Students will observe four experiments 

through data and imagery downlinked and 

distributed directly into the classroom via the 

Internet. The first experiment will examine 

seed germination and plant development in 

microgravity. It will be followed by an 

experiment to examine yeast cells’ adaptation 

to the space environment; another will examine 

plant cell cultures; and the final experiment, a 

silicate garden, will examine crystal growth 

formation using silicates, or compounds 

containing silicon, oxygen and one or more 

metals. 

Commercial Generic Bioprocessing 

Apparatus Science Insert – 03 (CSI-03)

provides K-12 teachers opportunities to use the 

unique microgravity environment of the space 

station as part of the regular classroom to 

encourage learning and interest in science, 
42 SCIENCE OVERVIEW OCTOBER 2008

technology, engineering and math. CSI-03 will 

examine the complete life cycle of the painted 

lady butterfly and the ability of an orb-weaving 

spider to spin a web, eat and remain healthy in 

space. 

Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle 

School Students (EarthKAM), an education 

experiment, allows middle school students 

to program a digital camera aboard the 

station to photograph a variety of geographical 

targets for study in the classroom. Photos 

are made available on the Web for viewing 

and study by participating schools around the 

world. Educators use the images for projects 

involving Earth science, geography, physics 

and technology. 

Space Shuttle Experiments 

Many other experiments are scheduled to be 

performed during upcoming space shuttle 

missions that are part of Expedition 18. These 

experiments include: 

Maui Analysis of Upper Atmospheric 

Injections (MAUI) observes the space shuttle 

engine exhaust plumes from the Maui Space 

Surveillance Site in Hawaii. The observations 

will occur when the shuttle fires its engines at 

night or twilight. A telescope and all-sky 

imagers will collect images and data while the 

shuttle flies over the Maui site. The images will 

be analyzed to better understand the interaction 

between the spacecraft plume and the upper 

atmosphere. 

National Lab Pathfinder – Cells (NLP-Cells)

comprises two experiments conducted by the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture aimed at 

understanding the effects of microgravity on 

living systems. One experiment will assess the 

effects of spaceflight on cattle cells. The other 

experiment examines the effects of spaceflight 

on liver cells. 

National Lab Pathfinder – Vaccine 2 

(NLP-Vaccine 2) is a commercial payload 

serving as a pathfinder for use of the space 

station as a National Laboratory after station 

assembly is complete. This payload contains a 

pathogenic, or disease-carrying organism, and 

tests whether the organism changes in 

microgravity in a way that allows it to become a 

viable base for a potential vaccine against 

infections on Earth and in microgravity. 

Validation of Procedures for Monitoring 

Crew Member Immune Function – Short 

Duration Biological Investigation (Integrated 

Immune – SDBI) will assess the clinical risks 

resulting from the adverse effects of spaceflight 

on the human immune system for space 

shuttle crew members. The study will validate a 

flight-compatible immune monitoring strategy by 

collecting and analyzing blood, urine and saliva 

samples from crew members before, during and 

after spaceflight to monitor changes in the 

immune system. 

Shuttle Ionospheric Modification with 

Pulsed Localized Exhaust Experiments 

(SIMPLEX) will investigate plasma turbulence 

driven by rocket exhaust in the ionosphere 

using ground-based radars. 

Sleep-Wake Actigraphy and Light Exposure 

During Spaceflight – Short (Sleep-Short)

examines the effects of spaceflight on the 

sleep-wake cycles of the astronauts during 

space shuttle missions. Advancing state-of-theart technology for monitoring, diagnosing and 

assessing treatment of sleep patterns is vital to 

treating insomnia on Earth and in space. 

Reserve Payloads 

Several additional experiments are ready for 

operation, but designated as “reserve” and will 

be performed if crew time becomes available. 

They include: 

Agricultural Camera (AgCam) takes frequent 

images, in visible and infrared light, of 

vegetated areas on Earth, such as growing 

crops, rangeland, grasslands, forests and 
OCTOBER 2008 SCIENCE OVERVIEW 43

wetlands in the northern Great Plains and 

Rocky Mountain regions of the United States. 

Images will be delivered within two days directly 

to requesting farmers, ranchers, foresters, 

natural resource managers and tribal officials to 

help improve environmental stewardship. 

Binary Colloidal Alloy Test – 3 and 4: Critical 

Point (BCAT-3-4-CP) continues to investigate 

the long-term behavior of colloids – a system of 

fine particles suspended in a fluid – in a 

microgravity environment, where the effects of 

sedimentation and convection are removed. 

Results will help scientists develop fundamental 

physics concepts previously masked by the 

effects of gravity. 

Binodal Colloidal Aggregation Test – 4: 

Polydispersion (BCAT-4-Poly) will use model 

hard-spheres to explore seeded colloidal crystal 

nucleation and the effects of polydispersity, 

providing insight into how nature brings order 

out of disorder. Crew members photograph 

samples of polymer and colloidal particles, tiny 

nanoscale spheres suspended in liquid, that 

model liquid/gas phase changes. Results will 

help scientists develop fundamental physics 

concepts previously cloaked by the effects of 

gravity. 

Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular

s

w

ls

e

s

at

Control on Return from ISS (CCISS) studie

the effects of long-duration spaceflight on cre

members' heart functions and blood vesse

that supply the brain. Learning more about th

cardiovascular and cerebrovascular system

could lead to specific countermeasures th

might better protect future space travelers. 

Education Payload Operations –

Demonstrations (EPO-Demos) are recorded

video education demonstrations performed on 

the space station by crew members using 

hardware already on board the station. 

EPO-Demos are videotaped, edited and used 

to enhance existing NASA education resources 

and programs for educators and students in 

grades K-12. EPO-Demos are designed to 

support the NASA mission to inspire the next 

generation of explorers. 

Behavioral Issues Associated with Isolation 

and Confinement: Review and Analysis of 

Astronaut Journals (Journals) is studying the 

effect of isolation by using surveys and journals 

kept by the crew. By quantifying the 

importance of different behavioral issues in 

crew members, the study will help NASA design 

equipment and procedures to allow astronauts 

to best cope with isolation and long-duration 

spaceflight. 

Lab-on-a-Chip Application DevelopmentPortable Test System (LOCAD-PTS) is a 

handheld device for rapid detection of biological 

and chemical substances on board the space 

station. Astronauts will swab surfaces within 

the cabin, add swab material to the 

LOCAD-PTS, and within 15 minutes obtain 

results on a display screen. The study’s 

purpose is to effectively provide an early 

warning system to enable crew members to 

take remedial measures if necessary to protect 

the health and safety of those on board the 

station. 

Lab-on-a-Chip Application DevelopmentPortable Test System – Exploration 

(LOCAD-PTS – Exploration) is a handheld 

device for rapid detection and quantification 

of biological substances aboard the space 

station. LOCAD-PTS-Exploration will test 

procedures that will ultimately support scientific 

activities during the human exploration of the 

moon and Mars. It will mark the first time 

that external surfaces of a spacecraft have 

been sampled for biological material during 

spacewalks, followed by analysis within the 

cabin environment. 
44 SCIENCE OVERVIEW OCTOBER 2008

Microgravity Acceleration Measurement 

System (MAMS) and Space Acceleration 

Measurement System – II (SAMS-II) measure 

vibration and quasi-steady accelerations 

that result from vehicle control burns, docking 

and undocking activities. The two different 

equipment packages measure vibrations at 

different frequencies. These measurements 

help investigators characterize the vibrations 

and accelerations that may influence space 

station experiments. 

Sleep-Wake Actigraphy and Light Exposure 

During Spaceflight – Long (Sleep-Long)

examines the effects of spaceflight and ambient 

light exposure on the sleep-wake cycles of the 

crew members during long-duration stays on 

the space station. Results are vital to treating 

insomnia in space. 

Synchronized Position Hold, Engage,

Reorient, Experimental Satellites

(SPHERES) are bowling-ball-sized spherical

satellites. They will be used inside the 

space station to test a set of well-defined 

instructions for spacecraft performing 

autonomous rendezvous and docking 

maneuvers. Three free-flying spheres will fly 

within the cabin of the station, performing flight 

formations. Each satellite is self-contained with 

power, propulsion, computers and navigation 

equipment. The results are important for 

satellite servicing, vehicle assembly and 

formation flying spacecraft configurations. 

Vehicle Cabin Atmosphere Monitor (VCAM)

identifies gases that are present in small 

quantities in the space station breathing air that 

could be harmful to crew health. If successful, 

instruments like this could accompany crew 

members during long-duration exploration 

missions to the moon or Mars. 

Research Facilities 

The space station is equipped with state-of-theart research facilities to support science 

investigations: 

The Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) is 

used to perform combustion experiments in 

microgravity. It is designed to be easily 

reconfigured in orbit to accommodate a wide 

variety of combustion experiments. 

The General Laboratory Active Cryogenic 

ISS Experiment Refrigerator (GLACIER) will 

serve as an in-orbit cold stowage facility as well 

as carry frozen scientific samples to and from 

the station and Earth via the space shuttle. 

This facility is capable of thermal control of the 

samples between 4° C and -185° C. 

The Human Research Facility-1 (HRF-1) is 

designed to house and support life sciences 

experiments. It includes equipment for lung 

function tests, ultrasound to image the heart 

and many other types of computers and 

medical equipment. 

Human Research Facility-2 (HRF-2) provides 

an in-orbit laboratory that enables human life 

science researchers to study and evaluate the 

physiological, behavioral and chemical changes 

in astronauts induced by spaceflight. 

Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer for 

ISS (MELFI) provides refrigerated storage and 

fast-freezing of biological and life science 

samples. It can hold up to 300 liters of samples 

ranging in temperature from -80° C, -26° C, or 

4° C throughout a mission. 

Expedite the Processing of Experiments to 

the Space Station (ExPRESS) Racks are 

standard payload racks designed to provide 

experiments with utilities such as power, data, 

cooling, fluids and gases. The racks support 

payloads in disciplines including biology, 

chemistry, physics, ecology and medicines. 

The racks stay in orbit, while experiments are 

changed as needed. ExPRESS Racks 2 and 3 

are equipped with the Active Rack Isolation 

System (ARIS) for countering minute vibrations 

from crew movement or operating equipment 

that could disturb delicate experiments. 
OCTOBER 2008 SCIENCE OVERVIEW 45

The Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG)

provides a safe environment for research with 

liquids, combustion and hazardous materials 

aboard the station. Without the glovebox, many 

types of hands-on investigations would be 

impossible or severely limited on the station. 

The European Modular Cultivation System 

(EMCS) is a large incubator that provides 

control over the atmosphere, lighting and 

humidity of growth chambers used to study 

plant growth. 

On the Internet 

For fact sheets, imagery and more on 

Expedition 18 experiments and payload 

operations, click on 

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/

station/science/index.html
46 SCIENCE OVERVIEW OCTOBER 2008

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OCTOBER 2008 PAYLOAD OPERATIONS CENTER 47

The Payload Operations Center 

From the Payload Operations Center at NASA’s MSFC in Huntsville, Ala., scientists and 

engineers operate all the U.S. experiments located 225 miles above Earth on the ISS. 

The best technology of the 21st century monitors and stores several billion bits of 

data from the space station, while saving NASA millions of dollars and serving 

a diverse community of research scientists located around the globe. 

The Payload Operations Center, or POC, at 

Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., 

is NASA’s primary science command post for 

the International Space Station. Space station 

scientific research plays a vital role in NASA’s 

roadmap for returning to the moon and 

exploring our solar system. 

The space station accommodates dozens of 

experiments in fields as diverse as medicine, 

human life sciences, biotechnology, agriculture, 

manufacturing and Earth observation. 

Managing these science assets, as well as the 

time and space required to accommodate 

experiments and programs from a host of 

private, commercial, industry and government 

agencies nationwide, makes the job of 

coordinating space station research critical. 

The Payload Operations Center continues the 

role Marshall has played in management and 

operation of NASA’s in-orbit science research. 

In the 1970s, Marshall managed the science 

program for Skylab, the first American space 

station. Spacelab, the international science 

laboratory that the space shuttle carried to orbit 

more than a dozen times in the 1980s and 
48 PAYLOAD OPERATIONS CENTER OCTOBER 2008

1990s, was the prototype for Marshall’s space 

station science operations. 

Today, the POC team is responsible for 

managing all U.S. science and research 

experiments aboard the station. The center 

also is home for coordination of the mission 

planning work, all U.S. science payload 

deliveries and retrieval, and payload training 

and payload safety programs for the station 

crew and all ground personnel. 

State-of-the-art computers and communications 

equipment deliver around-the-clock reports to 

and from science outposts across the United 

States to POC systems controllers and science 

experts. Other computers stream information to 

and from the space station itself, linking the 

orbiting research facility with the science 

command post on Earth. 

The payload operations team also synchronizes 

the payload time lining among international 

partners, ensuring the best use of valuable 

resources and crew time. NASA’s partners are 

the Russian Space Agency, European Space 

Agency, Japan Aerospace and Exploration 

Agency and Canadian Space Agency. 

NASA’s partners’ control centers are: 

• Center for Control of Spaceflights (“TsUP” in 

Russian) in Korolev, Russia; 

• Space Station Integration and Promotion 

Center (SSIPC) in Tskuba, Japan; and 

• Columbus Control Center (Col-CC) in 

Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany 

Once launch schedules are finalized, the POC 

oversees delivery of experiments to the space 

station. Experiments are rotated in and out 

periodically as the shuttle or other launch 

vehicle makes deliveries and returns completed 

experiments and samples to Earth. 

Housed in a two-story complex at Marshall, the 

POC is staffed around the clock by three shifts 

of systems controllers. During space station 

operations, center personnel routinely manage 

10 to 40 or more experiments simultaneously. 

The payload operations director leads the 

POC’s main flight control team, known as the 

“cadre.” The payload operations director 

approves all science plans in coordination with 

Mission Control at Johnson, the station crew 

and the international partner control centers. 

The payload communications manager, the 

voice of the POC, coordinates and manages 

real-time voice responses between the station 

crew conducting payload operations and the 

researchers whose science the crew is 

conducting. The operations controller oversees 

station science operations resources such as 

tools and supplies and assures support 

systems and procedures are ready to support 

planned activities. The data management 

coordinator is responsible for station video 

systems and high-rate data links to the POC. 

The payload rack officer monitors rack integrity, 

power and temperature control, and the proper 

working conditions of station experiments. 

Additional support controllers routinely 

coordinate anomaly resolution and procedure 

changes and maintain configuration 

management of on-board stowed payload 

hardware. 
OCTOBER 2008 PAYLOAD OPERATIONS CENTER 49

Orbiting 250 miles above the Earth, the space station crew works together with science experts 

at the POC at the MSFC and researchers around the world to perform cutting-edge science 

experiments in the unique microgravity environment of space. (NASA) 
50 PAYLOAD OPERATIONS CENTER OCTOBER 2008

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OCTOBER 2008 RUSSIAN RESEARCH OBJECTIVES 51

ISS-18 Russian Research Objectives 

ROSCOSMOS Research Objectives 

Category Experiment 

Code 

Experiment 

Name 

Hardware 

Description 

Research Objective Unique Payload 

Constraints 

Technology & 

Material 

Science 

ТХН-7 SVS (СВС) “СВС” researching 

camera "Telescience" 

hardware from "ПК-3" 

Nominal hardware: 

“Klest” (“Crossbill”) 

TV-system Picture 

monitor (ВКУ) 

Self-propagating hightemperature fusion in space N/A 

Geophysical ГФИ-1 Relaksatsiya “Fialka-MB-Kosmos” - 

Spectrozonal 

ultraviolet system High 

sensitive images 

recorder 

Study of chemiluminescent 

chemical reactions and 

atmospheric light phenomena 

that occur during high-velocity 

interaction between the exhaust 

products from spacecraft 

propulsion systems and the 

Earth atmosphere at orbital 

altitudes and during the entry of 

space vehicles into the Earth 

upper atmosphere 

Using OCA 

Geophysical ГФИ-8 Uragan Nominal hardware: 

Сamera Nikon D2Х

Laptop 

Experimental verification of the 

ground and space-based system 

for predicting natural and manmade disasters, mitigating the 

damage caused, and facilitating 

recovery 

Using OCA 

Geophysical ГФИ-16 Vsplesk (Burst) "Vsplesk" hardware 

Mechanical adapter 

Conversion board 

Seismic effects monitoring. 

Researching high-energy 

particles streams in near-Earth 

space environment 

N/A 

Biomedical МБИ-15 Pilot Right Control Handle 

Synchronizer Unit 

(БС) ULTRABUOY2000 Unit "Neyrolab" 

set 

Nominal hardware: 

Laptop RSE-Med 

Researching for individual 

features of state psychophysiological regulation and 

crewmembers professional 

activities during long space 

flights 

N/A 

Received from RSC Energia Payload Division January 31, 2008 

Biomedical МБИ-18 Dykhanie “Dykhanie-1” set 

"Dykhanie-1 - Data" kit 

Nominal hardware: 

Laptop RSE-Med 

Study of respiration regulation 

and biomechanics under space 

flight conditions 

N/A 

Biomedical БИО-1 Poligen “Drozophila-3” kit Detection of genotypic features 

(experimental object – 

Drozophila midge), determining 

individual characteristics of 

resistance to the long-duration 

flight factors 

During ISS-17, ISS-18 

crews rotation 

Biomedical БИО-2 Biorisk "Biorisk-KM" set 

"Biorisk-MSV" 

containers 

"Biorisk-MSN" kit 

Study of space flight impact on 

microorganisms-substrates 

systems state related to space 

technique ecological safety and 

planetary quarantine problem 

EVA 
ROSCOSMOS Research Objectives (continued) 

52 RUSSIAN RESEARCH OBJECTIVES OCTOBER 2008

Category Experiment 

Code 

Experiment 

Name 

Hardware 

Description 

Research Objective Unique Payload 

Constraints 

Biomedical БИО-12 Regeneratciya 

(Regeneration) 

"Ulitka" (Snail) 

incubating container 

"Planariya" incubating 

container 

Study of microgravity influence 

on regeneration processes for 

biological objects by 

electrophysiological and 

morphological indices 

N/A 

Study of 

Earth natural 

resources 

and 

ecological 

monitoring 

ДЗЗ-2 Diatomea "Diatomea" kit 

Nominal hardware: 

Nikon F5 camera; 

DSR-PD1P video 

camera; Dictaphone; 

Laptop RSK1 

Study of the stability of the 

geographic position and form of 

the boundaries of the World 

Ocean biologically active water 

areas observed by space station 

crews 

N/A 

Biotechnology БТХ-2 Mimetik-K "Luch-2" biocrystallizer 

"Kriogem-03M" freezer 

(to be determined) 

Anti-idiotypic antibodies as 

adjuvant-active glycoproteid 

mimetic 

N/A 

Biotechnology БТХ-3 KAF Crystallization of Caf1M protein 

and its complex with C-end 

peptide as a basis for formation 

of new generation of 

antimicrobial medicines and 

vaccine ingredients effective 

against yersiniosis 

N/A 

Biotechnology БТХ-4 Vaktsina-K 

(Vaccine) 

Structural analysis of proteinscandidates for vaccine effective 

against AIDS 

N/A 

Biotechnology БТХ-20 Interleukin-K Obtaining of high-quality 1α, 1β

interleukins crystals and 

interleukin receptor antagonist – 

1 

N/A 

Received from RSC Energia Payload Division January 31, 2008 

Biotechnology БТХ-10 Kon’yugatsiya 

(Conjugation) 

"Rekomb-K" hardware 

Nominal Hardware: 

"Kriogem-03M" freezer 

(to be determined) 

Working through the process of 

genetic material transmission 

using bacteria conjugation 

method 

During ISS-17, ISS-18 

crews rotation 

Biotechnology БТХ-11 Biodegradatsiya "Bioproby" kit Assessment of the initial stages 

of biodegradation and 

biodeterioration of the surfaces 

of structural materials 

N/A 

Biotechnology БТХ-14 Bioemulsiya 

(Bioemulsion) 

Changeable 

bioreactor 

Thermostat with 

drive control unit 

with stand and 

power supply cable 

in cover ТВК

"Biocont-Т" 

Thermo-vacuum 

container 

Study and improvement of 

closed-type autonomous reactor 

for obtaining biomass of 

microorganisms and bioactive 

substance without additional 

ingredients input and metabolism 

products removal 

During ISS-17, ISS-18 

crews rotation 
ROSCOSMOS Research Objectives (concluded) 

OCTOBER 2008 RUSSIAN RESEARCH OBJECTIVES 53

Category Experiment 

Code 

Experiment 

Name 

Hardware 

Description 

Research Objective Unique Payload 

Constraints 

Technical ТЕХ-14 Vektor-T Nominal Hardware: Study of a high-precision system Unattended 

Studies (SDTO 

12002-R) 

ISS RS СУДН

sensors; ISS RS orbit 

radio tracking [PKO] 

system; Satellite 

navigation; equipment 

[ACH] system 

GPS/GLONASS 

satellite systems

for ISS motion prediction 

Technical ТЕХ-15 Izgib Nominal Hardware: Study of the relationship N/A 

Studies (SDTO 

13002-R) 

ISS RS onboard 

measurement system 

(СБИ) accelerometers; 

ISS RS motion control 

and navigation system 

GIVUS (ГИВУС

СУДН) Nominal 

temperature-sensing 

device for measures 

inside “Progress” 

vehicle modules 

“Dakon” hardware 

between the onboard systems 

operating modes and ISS flight 

conditions 

Technical ТЕХ-20 Plazmennyi "PC-3 Plus" Study of the plasma-dust crystals N/A 

Studies Kristall (Plasma 

Crystal) 

experimental unit 

"PC-3 Plus" 

telescience 

Nominal hardware

“Klest” (“Crossbill”) 

TV-system

and fluids under microgravity 

Technical ТЕХ-22 Identifikatsiya Nominal Hardware: Identification of disturbance Unattended 

Studies (SDTO 

13001-R) 

ISS RS СБИ

accelerometers 

sources when the microgravity 

conditions on the ISS are 

disrupted 

Received from RSC Energia Payload Division January 31, 2008 

Technical ТЕХ-44 Sreda-ISS Nominal Hardware: Studying ISS characteristics as Unattended 

Studies (Environment) Movement Control 

System sensors; 

orientation sensors; 

magnetometers ; 

Russian and foreign 

accelerometers

researching environment 

Complex КПТ-3 Econ "Econ" kit Nominal Experimental researching of ISS N/A 

Analysis. Hardware: Nikon D1X RS resources estimating for 

Effectiveness digital camera, ecological investigation of areas 

Estimation Laptop RSK1 

Complex КПТ-6 Plazma-MKS “Fialka-MB-Kosmos” - Study of plasma environment on N/A 

Analysis. (Plasma-ISS) Spectrozonal ISS external surface by optical 

Effectiveness ultraviolet system radiation characteristics 

Estimation 

Study of ИКЛ-2В BTN-Neutron Detection Block Study of fast and thermal N/A 

cosmic rays Electronic 

Equipment Block 

Mechanical interface 

neutrons fluxes 

 
54 RUSSIAN RESEARCH OBJECTIVES OCTOBER 2008

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OCTOBER 2008 EUROPEAN EXPERIMENT PROGRAM 55

European Space Agency Experiment Program 

During the Expedition 18 mission on the

International Space Station, there will be a full 

European experiment program in a host of 

different scientific areas with many using the 

internal and external research facilities of the 

Columbus laboratory, which was attached to 

the station as part of the shuttle assembly flight 

in February 2008. 

Internal Experiments: Biology 

Kubik Incubator: Bio-4 Experiments 

The following biology experiments will be 

carried out using three European incubators 

called Kubik, currently on the station. The 

samples for the experiments will be flown to the 

complex with the Expedition 18 crew on 

Soyuz 17S, with all samples except for the 

ROALD experiment being returned with the 

Expedition 17 crew on Soyuz 16S some 

10 days later. As well as providing a 

thermally-controlled environment, two of the 

three incubators have a centrifuge, which 

provides the ability to run 1g control 

experiments while in orbit. All experiments 

apart from Xenopus will take place in one of the 

two incubators with centrifuges. 

BASE-B and C – The Bacteria Adaptation to 

Space Environment (BASE) experiments will 

determine how several different bacterial 

species adapt to spaceflight conditions: 

weightlessness, cosmic radiation and

electromagnetism, building on research from

previous spaceflight experiments. Data from 

this study will be useful to determine if 

adaptation to spaceflight conditions may modify 

the ability of bacteria to deteriorate the 

spacecraft environment, act as pathogens or 

function in recycling systems. These 

experiments will take place at a temperature of 

22° C. 

Science Team: 

M. Mergeay (BE), R. Wattiez (BE), 

J. Mahillon (BE), P. Cornelis (BE), N. Leys (BE) 

Xenopus – This experiment will study cellular 

modifications within the vestibulo-ocular system 

of a developing amphibian (Xenopus laevis) 

during adaptation to weightlessness. The 

vestibulo-ocular system is the system of the 

body responsible for maintaining balance. The 

main purpose of this project is to characterize 

the effect of weightlessness on development of 

this system in Xenopus laevis tadpoles at early 

and late development stages. This experiment 

will take place at a temperature of 22° C. 

Science Team: 

E.R. Horn (DE), L. Gualandris-Parisot (FR), 

C. Dournon (FR), C.R. Phillips (US), 

B. Fritzsch (US) 

ROALD - ROALD stands for the ROle of 

Apoptosis in Lymphocyte Depression and aims 

to determine the roll that programmed cell 

death (apoptosis) plays in reduced immune 

response in weightlessness. Apoptosis is a 

normal function in human and animal cells and 

T-lymphocytes are a class of white blood cells 

important in immune response. Various 

aspects of the apoptotic process will be 

assessed using human T-lymphocytes. This 

experiment will take place at a temperature of 

37° C. 

Science Team: 

M. Maccarrone (IT), M. Ranalli (IT), M. Bari (IT), 

A. Finazzi-Agro (IT), M. Cogoli-Greuter (CH), 

I. Walther (CH), A. Cogoli (CH), 

M.A. Meloni (CH), P. Pippia (IT)
56 EUROPEAN EXPERIMENT PROGRAM OCTOBER 2008

Internal Experiments: 

Human Physiology 

3D-Space 

This physiology study investigates the effects of 

weightlessness on the mental representation of 

visual information during and after spaceflight. 

Accurate perception is a prerequisite for spatial 

orientation and reliable performance of tasks in 

space. The experiment has different elements 

including investigations of perception of depth 

and distance carried out using a virtual reality 

headset and standard psychophysics tests. 

Runs of the experiment have already been 

undertaken during Expedition 17, and are 

scheduled to continue with a target total of 

10 Expedition crew members as test subjects. 

Science Team: 

G. Clement (FR), C.E. Lathan (US) 

Card 

It has been observed that exposure to 

weightlessness increases cardiac output and 

lowers blood pressure (caused by dilated 

arteries) in the face of increased activity in the 

sympathetic nervous system (which normally 

constrict arteries). The Card experiment will 

examine these effects in order to provide a 

thorough picture of how the circulatory system 

changes during a prolonged stay in 

weightlessness. The experiment will consist of 

tests taken during a 24-hour period pre-flight, 

during the second half of the mission increment 

and postflight. This will include: two blood 

samples, 24-hour urine samples, hourly blood 

pressure measurements, and cardiac output 

measurements with rebreathing every four 

hours except during sleep using the ESA/NASA 

Pulmonary Function System. The blood and 

urine samples will be examined for hormonal 

activity and electrolyte levels. 

Science Team: 

P. Norsk (DK), N.J. Christensen (DK), 

B. Pump (DK), A. Gabrielsen (DK), 

J.G. Nielsen (DK), C. Drummer (DE), 

M. Kentsch (DE), N. Gadsboll (DK). 

EDOS 

Early Detection of Osteoporosis in Space 

(EDOS) is a study into the mechanisms 

underlying the reduction in bone mass, which 

occurs in astronauts in weightlessness. The 

EDOS experiment will evaluate the structure 

of weight and non-weight bearing bones 

of cosmonauts/astronauts pre- and postflight 

using the method of computed tomography 

(pQCT) together with an analysis of bone 

biochemical markers in blood samples. 

Science Team 

C. Alexandre (FR), L. Braak (FR), 

L. Vico (FR), P. Ruegsegger (CH), 

M. Heer (DE) 

Flywheel Exercise Device 

The Flywheel Exercise Device was launched to 

the space station during the Columbus 

laboratory assembly mission in February 2008 

in order to become an advanced exercise 

device for station astronauts and serving 

human physiology investigations. It will be 

removed from storage in the European 

Transport Carrier of the Columbus laboratory 

for deployment and first functional checkout in 

early 2009. 

Matroshka 2B 

The ESA Matroshka facility has been an 

ongoing experiment on the space station since 

February 2004 with the aim of studying 

radiation levels experienced by astronauts. It 

consists of a human shape (head and torso) 

called the Phantom, which is equipped with 

several active and passive radiation 

dosimeters. For the Matroshka 2B experiment, 

new passive radiation sensors uploaded on 

Soyuz 15S in October 2007 were installed 

inside the Phantom. The Matroshka facility is 

currently installed inside the Pirs docking 
OCTOBER 2008 EUROPEAN EXPERIMENT PROGRAM 57

module on the station, taking measurements of 

the internal station radiation environment. 

Science Team: 

G. Reitz (DE), R. Beaujean (DE), 

W. Heinrich (DE), M. Luszik-Bhadra (DE), 

M. Scherkenbach (DE), P. Olko (PL), 

P. Bilski (PL), S. Derne (HU), J. Palvalvi (HU), 

E. Stassinopoulos (US), J. Miller (US), 

C. Zeitlin (US), F. Cucinotta (US), 

V. Petrov (RU). 

Project Team: 

ESA: J. Dettmann, DLR: G. Reitz, 

J. Bossler, 

Kayser Italia: M. Porciani, F. Granata 

MOP 

When entering weightlessness, astronauts 

suffer from a phenomenon called space motion 

sickness, which has symptoms comparable to 

seasickness. This disturbance in the body’s 

orientation and balance is similar to the 

disturbances experienced by subjects who have 

undergone rotation in a human centrifuge, 

having experienced two to three times Earth’s 

gravity for up to several hours. This experiment 

aims to obtain an insight into this process and 

could help in developing countermeasures to 

space motion sickness. 

Science Team: 

E. Groen (NL), J. Bos (NL), S. Nooij (NL), 

W. Bles (NL), R. Simons (NL), 

T. Meeuwsen (NL) 

Muscle 

The deep muscle corset plays an important role 

in posture when in the upright position. It is 

thought that this deep muscle corset atrophies 

during spaceflight leading to strain and hence 

pain in certain ligaments, in particular in the 

iliolumbar region in the back. The objective of 

this experiment is to assess the occurrence and 

characteristics of back pain. The results will be 

correlated to data related to back pain and 

atrophy obtained in ground-based studies. 

Science Team: 

A. Pool-Goudzwaard (NL), C. Richardson (AU), 

J. Hides (AU), L. Danneels (BE) 

Portable Pulmonary Function System 

The Portable Pulmonary Function System is an 

autonomous multi-user facility supporting a 

broad range of human physiological research 

experiments under weightless condition in the 

areas of respiratory, cardiovascular and 

metabolic physiology. The Portable Pulmonary 

Function System is an evolution to the existing 

Pulmonary Function System, (which is a joint 

ESA/NASA collaboration in the field of 

respiratory physiology instrumentation) 

currently on the station. The Portable 

Pulmonary Function System is currently 

scheduled to be transported to the complex in 

February 2009. 

Otolith 

The working of our balance system and our 

eyes are strongly interconnected and 

understanding their adaptation to 

weightlessness is important for maintaining an 

astronaut’s capacity for carrying out tasks in 

space. The otoliths in the inner ear play an 

important role in our balance system as 

detectors of vertical and horizontal motion. This 

experiment will make an assessment of otolith 

function before and after short-term spaceflight. 

This includes an assessment of otolith-ocular 

response to determine neural pathway 

communication between the otoliths and the 

central nervous system; an indication of 

function of the saccule, which transmits neural 

impulses of head movements to the brain; and 

evaluating the symmetry of information 

generated by the otoliths using an estimation of 

the astronaut’s subjective visual vertical. 

Science Team: 

A. Clarke (DE), S. Wood (US), F. Wuyts (BE) 
58 EUROPEAN EXPERIMENT PROGRAM OCTOBER 2008

Solo 

The Solo experiment is carrying out research 

into salt retention in space and related human 

physiology effects. It is a continuation of 

extensive research into the mechanisms of fluid 

and salt retention in the body during bed rest 

and spaceflights and subsequent effect on bone 

metabolism. The astronaut subjects will 

participate in two study phases, five days each. 

Subjects follow a diet of constant either low or 

normal sodium intake, fairly high fluid 

consumption and isocaloric nutrition. This 

metabolically controlled study will make use of 

the European Physiology Modules Facility and 

Human Research Facility capabilities. 

Science Team: 

M. Heer (DE), N. Kamps (DE), F. Baisch (DE), 

P. Norsk (DK) 

ZAG 

ZAG, which stands for Z-axis Aligned 

Gravito-inertial force, is an investigation into the 

effect that weightlessness has on an 

astronaut’s perception of motion and tilt as well 

as his level of performance before and 

immediately after spaceflight. Different tests 

will take place pre- and postflight including an 

analysis of the astronaut’s motion perception 

and eye movements while using a track-and-tilt 

chair. It also will be evaluated whether a tactile 

vest improves perception and performance 

during these tests. 

Science Team: 

G. Clement (FR), S. Wood (US), 

M.F. Reschke (US), P. Denise (FR) 

Internal Experiments: 

Physical Science and Technology 

Fluid Science 

Fluid Science Laboratory: Geoflow

Geoflow was the first experiment to take place 

within the Fluid Science Laboratory inside the 

European Columbus Laboratory, its first runs 

starting in August during Expedition 17. The 

experiment will continue to investigate the flow 

of an incompressible viscous fluid (silicon oil) 

held between two concentric spheres rotating 

about a common axis. A temperature gradient 

is maintained from the inside to the outside 

sphere as is an electrical field. This 

geometrical configuration can be seen as a 

representation of a planet, with the electric field 

simulating its gravitational field. This research 

is of importance in such areas as flow in the 

atmosphere, the oceans and in the liquid 

nucleus of planets on a global scale. 

Science Team: 

Ch. Egbers (DE), P. Chossat (FR), 

F. Feudel (DE), Ph. Beltrame (DE), 

I. Mutabazi (FR), L. Tuckerman (FR), 

R. Hollerbach (UK) 

Protein Crystallization 

European Drawer Rack: Protein 

Crystallization Diagnostics Facility

The first configuration of the European Drawer 

Rack in the Columbus laboratory includes the 

Protein Crystallization Diagnostics Facility, 

which will tackle the problems of protein 

crystallization in space. The aim of this project 

is to understand to what extent various 

crystallization processes and conditions 

contribute to the formation of defects and 

imperfections in biomolecular crystals. The 

expected results from experiments in 

weightlessness will help to identify the growth 

conditions and stages that are responsible for 

these defects. This will hold benefits in various 

industrial applications. 

Science Team: 

F. Otalora (E), D. Maes (B), S. Weinkauf (D), 

E. Weckert (D), A. Chernov (USA), 

J. Martial (B), G. Nicolis (B), F. Dubois (B) 

Radiation Dosimetry 

DOSIS (See also DOBIES)

The Dose Distribution inside the International 

Space Station (DOSIS) experiment will 
OCTOBER 2008 EUROPEAN EXPERIMENT PROGRAM 59

determine the nature and distribution of the 

radiation field inside the station. Measurements 

of energy, charge and LET spectra of heavy 

ions will be carried out using different nuclear 

track detectors. Average absorbed doses will 

be measured by thermoluminescent detectors 

and the neutron dose will be measured by 

different neutron dosimeters. This experiment 

is in combination with the DOBIES experiment. 

Science Team: 

G. Reitz (DE) et al. 

DOBIES (See also DOSIS)

The aim of Dosimetry for Biological

Experiments in Space (DOBIES) is to develop a

standard method to measure the radiation

dosage experienced by biological samples in

specific areas of the space station using a 

combination of different dosimetric techniques. 

The areas of interest are the Columbus 

laboratory and specifically the European 

Physiology Modules Facility, and also in the 

EXPOSE-E and EXPOSE-R payloads (see 

EuTEF and EXPOSE-R, respectively). This 

experiment is in combination with the DOSIS 

experiment. 

Science Team: 

F. Vanhavere (BE) et al. 

Technology Demonstrations 

GTS-2 (Global Transmission Service)

The Global Transmission Service (GTS) is 

continuously on since early 2008 and will 

tentatively continue until spring 2009. This 

experiment is testing the receiving conditions of 

a time and data signal for dedicated receivers 

on the ground. The time signal distributed by 

the GTS has special coding to allow the 

receiver to determine the local time anywhere 

on the Earth without user intervention. The 

main scientific objectives of the experiment are 

to verify under real space operation conditions: 

the performance and accuracy of a time signal 

transmitted to the Earth’s surface from low 

Earth orbit; the signal quality and data rates 

achieved on the ground; and measurement of 

disturbing effects such as Doppler shifts, multipath reflections, shadowing and elevation 

impacts. 

Science Team: 

F. Huber (DE) 

Internal Experiments: Education 

Activities 

Video Lesson ESA – I 

The clips recorded during Video Lesson ESA - I 

will be edited on the ground and used in an 

educational video about nutrition and health 

(30 min.) fitting the basic European science 

curriculum. The video will be addressed to 

16- to 18-year-old students and will be released 

in summer 2009. The clips are intended to 

provide European students with selected 

aspects of life on board the space station, 

focusing on the social and cultural value of 

food. The footage will help to directly compare 

and contrast food on Earth and in space. The 

recorded clips during the reserve activity will 

be used in an educational video about space 

design (6 min.) addressing 16- to 18-year-old 

students, to be released in autumn 2009. 

Project Team: 

C. Olivotto, (ESA, NL) 

External Experiments: 

Astrophysics/Technology/ 

Exobiology/Earth Observation 

Solar 

The Solar facility, located on the External 

Payload Facility of Columbus, is studying the 

sun with unprecedented accuracy across most 

of its spectral range. This study is currently 

scheduled to last for two years. Solar is 

expected to contribute to the knowledge of the 

interaction between the solar energy flux and 

the Earth’s atmosphere chemistry and 

climatology. This will be important for Earth 

observation predictions. The payload consists 
60 EUROPEAN EXPERIMENT PROGRAM OCTOBER 2008

of three instruments complementing each other, 

which are: 

SOL-ACES

The goal of the Solar Auto-Calibrating Extreme 

UV-Spectrometer (SOL-ACES) is to measure 

the solar spectral irradiance of the full disk from 

17 to 220 nm at 0.5 to 2 nm spectral resolution. 

By an auto-calibration capability, it gains 

long-term spectral data with a high absolute 

resolution. In its center, it contains four 

extreme ultraviolet spectrometers. 

Science Team: 

G. Schmidtke (DE) 

SOLSPEC

SOLSPEC (SOLar SPECctral irradiance 

measurements) measures the solar spectum 

irradiance from 180 nm to 3,000 nm. The aims 

of this investigation are the study of solar 

variability at short- and long-term and the 

achievement of absolute measurements (2% in 

UV and 1% above). The SOLSPEC instrument 

was fully refurbished and improved with respect 

to the experience gained in the previous 

missions (Spacelab-1, Atlas-1, Atlas-2, Atlas-3, 

Eureca). 

Science Team: 

M.G. Thuillier (FR) 

SOVIM

The Solar Variability and Irradiance Monitor 

(SOVIM) is a re-flight of the SOVA experiment 

aboard Eureca-1. The investigation is studying 

the irradiance of the sun, with high precision 

and high stability. The total irradiance is being 

observed with active cavity

radiometers and the spectral irradiance 

measurement is being carried out by one type 

of sun-photometer. 

Science Team: 

C. Frohlich (CH) 

 

EuTEF 

The European Technology Exposure Facility 

(EuTEF) also is on the External Payload Facility 

of Columbus. Along with Solar, it is one of the 

first two external facilities attached outside the 

Columbus laboratory. EuTEF houses the 

following experiments requiring either exposure 

to the open space environment or a housing on 

the external surface of the station: 

DEBIE-2

DEBIE, which stands for ‘DEBris In orbit 

Evaluator’ is a standard in-situ space debris 

and micro-meteoroid monitoring instrument that 

requires low resources from the spacecraft. It 

measures sub-mm sized particles and has 

3 sensors facing in different directions. The 

scientific results from several DEBIE 

instruments aboard different spacecraft will be 

compiled into a single database for ease of 

comparison. 

Science Team:

G. Drolshagen - ESA 

Dostel

Dostel (DOSimetric radiation TELescope) is a 

small radiation telescope that is measuring the 

radiation environment outside the space station. 

Science Team: 

G. Reitz - DLR (DE) 

EXPOSE-E

EXPOSE-E is a subsection of EuTEF and 

consists of five individual exobiology 

experiments: 

• Life

This experiment tests the limits of survival of 

lichens, fungi and symbionts. 

Science Team: 

S. Onofri (IT), L. Zucconi (IT), 

L. Selbmann (DE), S. Ott (DE), 

J.-P.de Vera (ES), R. de la Torre (ES) 
OCTOBER 2008 EUROPEAN EXPERIMENT PROGRAM 61

• Adapt

This experiment concerns the molecular 

adaptation strategies of micro-organisms to 

different space and planetary UV climate 

conditions. 

Science Team: 

P. Rettberg (DE), C. Cockell (UK), 

E. Rabbow (DE), T. Douki (FR), J. Cadet 

(FR), C. Panitz (DE), R. Moeller (DE), 

G. Horneck (DE), H. Stan-Lotter (AT) 

• PROCESS

The main goal of the PROCESS (PRebiotic 

Organic ChEmistry on Space Station) 

experiment is to improve our knowledge of 

the chemical nature and evolution of organic 

molecules involved in extraterrestrial 

environments. 

Science Team: 

H. Cottin (FR), P. Coll (FR), D. Coscia (FR), 

A. Brack (FR), F. Raulin (FR) 

• Protect

The aim of this experiment is to investigate 

the resistance of spores, attached to the 

outer surface of spacecraft, to the open 

space environment. Three aspects of 

resistance are of importance: the degree of 

resistance, the types of damage sustained 

and the spores repair mechanisms. 

Science Team: 

G. Horneck (DE), J. Cadet (FR), T. Douki 

(FR), R. Mancinelli (FR), R. Moeller(DE), 

W. Nicholson (US), J. Pillinger (UK), 

E. Rabbow (DE), P. Rettberg (DE), 

J. Sprey (UK), E. Stackebrandt (DE), 

K. Venkateswaren (US) 

• Seeds

This experiment is testing the plant seed as 

a terrestrial model for a panspermia vehicle, 

i.e., a means of transporting life through the 

universe and as a source of universal UV 

screens. 

Science Team: 

D. Tepfer (DE), L. Sydney (FR), 

S. Hoffmann (DK), P. Ducrot (FR), 

F. Corbineau (FR), C. Wood (UK) 

EVC 

The Earth Viewing Camera (EVC) payload is a 

fixed-pointed Earth-observing camera. The 

main goal of the system is to capture color 

images of the Earth’s surface, to be used as a 

tool to increase general public awareness of the 

station and promote the use of the complex to 

the potential user community for observation 

purposes. 

Science Team: 

M. Sabbatini (ESA, NL) 

FIPEX 

FIPEX is the Flux (Phi) Probe Experiment. It is 

important to build up a picture of the 

varying atmospheric conditions in low Earth 

orbit where orbiting spacecraft are still 

affected by atmospheric drag. The density of 

the atmosphere is the major factor affecting 

drag and this is affected by solar radiation and 

the Earth’s magnetic and gravitational fields. 

The flux of atomic oxygen is important, as it 

shows different interactions with spacecraft 

surfaces, e.g., surface erosion. The FIPEX 

micro-sensor system is being used to measure 

the atomic oxygen flux as well as the oxygen 

molecules in the surrounding area of the 

International Space Station. 

Science Team: 

S. Fasoulas (DE) 

MEDET 

The aims of the Materials Exposure and 

Degradation ExperimenT (MEDET) are: to 

evaluate the effects of open space on materials 

currently being considered for utilization on 

spacecraft in low Earth orbit; to verify the 

validity of data from the space simulation 

currently used for materials evaluation; and to 
62 EUROPEAN EXPERIMENT PROGRAM OCTOBER 2008

monitor solid particles impacting spacecraft in 

low Earth orbit. 

Science Team: 

V. Inguimbert (FR), A. Tighe – ESA 

PLEGPAY 

The scientific objective of PLEGPAY (PLasma 

Electron Gun PAYload) is the study of the 

interactions between spacecraft and the 

space environment in low Earth orbit, with 

reference to electrostatic charging and 

discharging. Understanding these mechanisms 

is very important as uncontrollable discharge 

events can adversely affect the functioning of 

spacecraft electronic systems.

Science Team: 

G. Noci – Laben-Proel (IT) 

Tribolab 

This series of experiments covers research 

in tribology, (i.e., the science of friction and 

lubrication thereof. This is of major importance 

for spacecraft systems). The Tribolab 

experiments cover both experiments in liquid 

and solid lubrication, such as the evaluation of 

fluid losses from surfaces and the evaluation of 

wear of polymer and metallic cages in 

weightlessness. 

Science Team: 

R. Fernandez – INTA (ES) 

EXPOSE-R 

The EXPOSE-R facility is a European external 

facility that will be attached to the outside of 

the Russian Zvezda Service Module after 

being transported to the station on Progress 

flight 31P, currently due to launch at the end of 

November. It houses a number of experiments 

covering the areas of photochemistry, 

photobiology and astrobiology, requiring 

exposure to the open space environment. 

The experiment package is as follows: 

Amino

The main objective of the Amino experiment is 

to determine to what extent biologically active 

molecules (amino acids and peptides) are 

converted into a mixture of so-called L- and Dmolecules when exposed to UV-C radiation. 

(Organic material is principally made up of 

L-molecules on Earth). The experiment also 

will determine to what degree the samples 

are protected by the porous material in which 

they are accommodated. Another experiment 

objective is to test whether photosensitive 

amino acids can use the energy from ultraviolet 

light from the sun to chain together under space 

conditions. 

Science Team: 

H. Cottin (FR) 

Endo

This experiment will assess the impact of 

increased UV-B and UV-C radiation, due to 

ozone depletion, on algae and cyanobacteria 

from Antarctic sites under the ozone hole. It 

also will determine the probability for endolithic 

microbial communities, i.e., microbes 

embedded in rock surfaces, to survive in 

regions where exposed communities become 

extinct. The findings will contribute to our 

understanding of the potential for such 

communities to have survived UV-exposure in 

past times on Mars. 

Science Team: 

C.S. Cockell (UK), H.G.M. Edwards (UK) 

IBMP Experiments

These experiments from the Institute for 

Biomedical Problems in Moscow are looking 

into the effect of exposing a diverse collection 

of terrestrial organisms in a resting stage of 

their life cycle to space conditions. Included are 

bacterial spores, fungal spores, plant seeds and 

eggs of lower crustacea. 
OCTOBER 2008 EUROPEAN EXPERIMENT PROGRAM 63

Science Team: 

V. Sychev (RU), N. Novikova (RU), 

S. Poddubko (RU), M. Levenskikh (RU), 

T. Agaptseva (RU) 

Organic

The goal of the Organic experiment which 

concerns the evolution of organic matter in 

space is to study the effects of UV radiation, 

low pressure and heavy ion bombardment on 

organic molecules of interest in astrophysics 

and astrobiology. This includes polycyclic 

aromatic hydrocarbons, fullerenes, kerogens of 

different origin, and complex mixtures. 

Science Team: 

P. Ehrenfreund (NL), Z. Peeters (NL), 

B. Foing (ESA, NL), F. Robert (FR), 

E. Jessberger (DE), W. Schmidt (DE), 

M. Mumma (US) 

Osmo

This experiment aims to understand the 

response of microbes to the vacuum of space 

and to solar radiation. It will especially focus on 

bacteria that survive in environments of high 

osmotic pressure, in this case two bacteria 

(Synechococcus and Haloarcula-G) that survive 

in salt-rich environments. It will asses whether 

these salt-rich environments, as well as the 

high intracellular potassium concentration of the 

micro-organisms, plays a role in protecting their 

DNA from drying out in space. 

Science Team: 

R. Mancinelli (US) 

Photo

This experiment is studying the effect of 

exposure of bacterial spores and samples of 

their DNA to solar UV radiation. The objective 

is to assess the quantity and chemistry of 

chemical products produced. The samples will 

be completely exposed, or protected by artificial 

meteorite materials, clays, and salt crystals. 

Science Team: 

J. Cadet (FR), T. Douki (FR), J.L. Ravanat (FR), 

S. Sauvaigo (FR) 

PUR

The Phage and Uracil Response (PUR) 

experiment is studying the effect of solar UV 

radiation on a type of virus (Phage T7) and an 

RNA compound (uracil) to determine their 

effectiveness as biological dosimeters for 

measuring UV dose in the space environment. 

Science Team: 

G. Rontó (HU), A. Fekete (HU), P. Gróf (HU) 

Spores

This experiment will assess how meteorite 

material acts as a protection for bacterial 

(Bacillus subtilis), fungal (Trichoderma koningii) 

and ferny (Athyrium filix-femina, Dryopteris 

filix-mas) spores against space conditions, i.e., 

UV, vacuum and ionising radiation. 

Science Team: 

G. Horneck (DE), B. Hock (DE), F. Wänke (DE), 

P. Rettberg (DE), D.P. Häder (DE), 

G. Reitz (D), T. Dachev (BG), D. Mishev (BG) 

Subtil

This experiment will determine the extent of 

mutation of spores and plasmid DNA of the 

model bacteria Bacillus subtilis induced by 

exposure to space vacuum and solar UV 

radiation. Plasmids are DNA segments capable 

of reproducing themselves independently of 

chromosomes. The experiment also will 

study the molecular differentiation in mutations 

brought about by principal exposure to space 

vacuum and mutations brought about by just 

UV exposure. The experiment will use two 

different strains of the bacteria, one of which is 

deficient in cellular repair. 

Science Team: 

N. Munkata (JPN), K. Hieda (JPN) 
64 EUROPEAN EXPERIMENT PROGRAM OCTOBER 2008

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OCTOBER 2008 JAXA KIBO UTILIZATION 65

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Science Operations 

JAXA Kibo Utilization 

The pressurized section of the Japanese 

Experiment Module (JEM), Kibo, was

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successfully assembled in orbit during th

STS-124 mission. The Japan Aerospac

Exploration Agency (JAXA) science operation

began in the summer of 2008. 

Kibo is now entering the utilization phase, an

JAXA will conduct the first phase of Kib

programs for scientific research, applicatio

research, human spaceflight technolog

development, and education and culture. 

Scientific research in fluid physics, cryst

growth and cell biology experiments, whic

use Kibo’s SAIBO and RYUTAI payload rack

are scheduled for Expedition 18. The fir

experiment performed on Kibo durin

Expedition 17 was a fluid physics experiment 

the RYUTAI rack. This time, cell biolog

experiments using the SAIBO rack will begin. 

Those experiments will be performed throug

ground teleoperations aided by the in-orb

crew. Some experiments will b

preprogrammed or crew-manipulate

Scientists, research teams and Kib

utilization planners, all of whom have been 

involved in planning and arranging JAXA’s 

science operation programs for Expedition 18, 

will monitor, check, replan or remotely operate 

those experiments from the ground. 

For JAXA Education Payload Observations 

(JAXA EPO), an Expedition 18 crew member 

will perform demonstrations that reflect human 

culture using JAXA’s payloads. 

JAXA also will conduct human spaceflight 

technology development programs, focusing on 

the development of instruments that will be 

used in the risk assessment or crew health 

management for future human spaceflights. 

The following Kibo utilization programs are 

planned for Expedition 18.

Category Experiment Program 

Material Science 

•

•

Ice Crystal 

Chaos, Turbulence and its Transition 

Process in Marangoni Convection 

(Marangoni Experiment) 

• Rad Gene 

• LOH 

Life Science • Control of cell differentiation and 

morphogenesis of amphibian culture 

cells (Dome Gene) 

Human Space 

Flight Technology 

Development 

•

•

Area PADLES 

JAXA Holter 

JAXA EPO 

•

•

•

•

Spiral Top 

Hiten Project 

Space Clothing 

Space Poem Chain 

Material Science Experiments 

Ice Crystal

The main objective of this experiment is to 

understand mechanisms that cause instability 

in ice crystal formation. The microgravity 

environment enables a convection-free 

experiment so that the factors concerning the 

pattern formation of crystal growth can be 

determined. 

Ice crystal formation patterns 
66 JAXA KIBO UTILIZATION OCTOBER 2008

This experiment examines the pattern formation 

of ice crystals through in-situ growth 

observation. Three-dimensional patterns of ice 

crystals and the thermal diffusion field around 

the crystal will be analyzed using an 

interferometer. Experiment duration is 

approximately three months. Crystals will be 

grown in various super cooling conditions and 

will be repeated to increase the measurement 

accuracy. This experiment will use the Ice 

Crystal cell that will be installed in the Solution 

Crystallization Observation Facility (SCOF). It 

also will use the Image Processing Unit (IPU) 

for recording the growth process. The SCOF 

and the IPU are housed in the RYUTAI rack. 

The Ice Crystal cell will be launched on the 

STS-126 (ULF2) mission. Sample recovery is 

not planned for this experiment. 

Ice Crystal cell flight model 

Principal Investigator: 

Y. Furukawa (Hokkaido University) 

Chaos, Turbulence and its Transition 

Process in Marangoni Convection 

(Marangoni Experiment)

This experiment was started during

Expedition 17 and seeks to understand

Marangoni convection, a surface-tension-driven 

flow that occurs in a liquid. A liquid bridge of 

silicone oil is formed between a pair of disks. 

Convection is induced in the liquid bridge by 

imposing a temperature difference between the 

disks. Marangoni convection exhibits various 

flow patterns depending on its driving force. 

The flow and temperature fields in each stage 

are observed using several visualization 

techniques to determine the transition process. 

The experiment is performed using the Fluid 

Physics Experiment Facility (FPEF). The 

experiment data and images are processed in 

the IPU for real-time downlink and also 

recorded on the IPU hard disks for detailed 

analysis. 

The resulting data can be applied to various 

technologies, such as high-quality crystal 

growth, high-performance heat pipes and 

micro-fluid handling in the future. 

Principal Investigator: 

Hiroshi Kawamura (Tokyo University of Science) 

JAXA Co-Investigator: 

Satoshi Matsumoto (ISS Science Project Office, 

JAXA) 

Life Science Experiments 

Rad Gene

This experiment investigates genetic alterations 

in mammalian cultured cells that have been 

exposed to cosmic radiation. The effects of 

radiation exposure in microgravity on the 

expression of p53-regulated genes will be 

evaluated based on the changes in gene 

expression of p53 (tumor suppressive protein) 

in mammalian cultured cells exposed to cosmic 

radiation. This experiment will use the Cell 

Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) in the 

SAIBO rack and a station freezer, the Minus 

Eighty degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for 

ISS (MELFI). Scheduled experiment duration is 

six days. The samples will be placed in culture 

bags and launched on the STS-126 (ULF2) 

mission. After the experiment, frozen samples 

will be returned to the ground on the STS-119 

(15A) mission. 
OCTOBER 2008 JAXA KIBO UTILIZATION 67

Cell Biology Experiments 

Facility (CBEF) 

Culture bag 

Principal Investigator: 

Takeo Ohnishi (Dean, Nara Pref. Med School) 

JAXA Co-Investigator: 

Katsunori Omori (Associate Senior Researcher, 

ISS Science Project Office, JAXA), 

Noriaki Ishioka (Prof. ISS Science Project 

Office, JAXA) 

LOH

The LOH experiment investigates genetic 

alterations in immature immune cells that have 

been exposed to cosmic radiation. Potential 

changes in the chromosome of lymphoblastoid 

cells (immature immune cells) that have been 

exposed to cosmic radiation will be examined. 

This experiment will use the CBEF and the 

MELFI. Scheduled experiment duration is six 

days. The samples will be placed in culture 

bags and launched on the STS-126 (ULF2) 

mission. After the experiment, frozen samples 

will be returned to the ground on the STS-119 

(15A) mission. The effects of radiation on 

human cells will be evaluated based on the 

data obtained in this investigation. The 

experiment could lead to development of new 

measures to protect the health of future space 

travelers. The resulting data will be applied to 

the medical field in the areas of immunology 

and cancer research. 

Principal Investigator: 

Fumio Yatagai (Senior Scientist, Riken) 

JAXA Co-Investigator: 

Katsunori Omori (Associate Senior Researcher, 

ISS Science Project Office, JAXA), 

Noriaki Ishioka (Prof. ISS Science Project 

Office, JAXA) 

Control of Cell Differentiation and 

Morphogenesis of Amphibian Culture Cells 

(Dome Gene)

The main objective of this experiment is to 

understand effects of microgravity 

(weightlessness) on amphibian cultured cells 

(frog cells). Differences in cell formation 

between Earth gravity and microgravity will be 

examined with DNA array assay. Kidney cells 

and liver cells from frogs will be used for 

comparison of cell differences. This experiment 

will use the Clean Bench (CB) and the CBEF in 

the SAIBO rack, an experiment laptop, the 

MELFI and the IPU. The cells will be placed in 

Cell Experiment Units (CEUs) and launched on 

the STS-119 (15A) mission; control samples will 

be returned to the ground on the return flight. 

After the experiment, samples will be returned 

to the ground on the STS-127 (2J/A) mission, 

targeted to launch in May 2009. Scheduled 

experiment duration is approximately eight 

days. 
68 JAXA KIBO UTILIZATION OCTOBER 2008

Clean Bench (CB) in SAIBO rack 

Cell Experiment Unit (CEU) 

Principal Investigator: 

M. Asashima (Prof., the University of Tokyo) 

Human Spaceflight Technology 

Development Area 

PADLES

This program surveys the space radiation 

environment inside Kibo using dosimeter, 

the Passive Dosimeter for Life science 

Experiments in Space (PADLES). PADLES is a 

high-precision space radiation dosimeter 

developed by JAXA for measuring absorbed 

dose, equivalent dose and effective dose of 

space radiation. The ultimate goal is to support 

risk assessment and space radiation dose 

management, or to update radiation 

assessment models for the human spaceflight 

in the next generation. 

PADLES dosimeters will measure space 

radiation inside Kibo in each space station 

increment. The PADLES dosimeters for 

Expedition 17 were delivered during the 

STS-124 (1J) mission and installed in Kibo’s 

Pressurized Module (PM) during the 1J stage. 

The exposed dosimeters will be returned to the 

ground on the STS-119 (15A) mission. 

The PADLES dosimeters for Expedition 18 will 

be delivered to the station on the STS-119 

(15A) mission and will be installed in Kibo within 

a week after the STS-119 undocking. The 

Expedition 18 PADLES dosimeters will collect 

data in Kibo until the next dosimeters arrive for 

replacement. 

PADLES

Area PADLES 

holder

Direction of travel

Center

Exposed Facility (EF)

Harmony

(Node 2)

The above illustrates locations of the 

dosimeters (12 in total) installed in Kibo. 
OCTOBER 2008 JAXA KIBO UTILIZATION 69

Science Team: 

A. Nagamatsu, K. Murakami (JAXA) 

JAXA Holter

This program tries to verify JAXA’s Digital 

Holter ECG (Electrocardiograph), which was 

developed for monitoring circadian (24h) 

cardiovascular and autonomic functions of 

astronauts in orbit. The ultimate goal is to 

understand the effects of microgravity and 

long-duration spaceflight on the cardiovascular 

and autonomic systems of astronauts who stay 

in orbit for long durations. In this research, 

changes in skin condition before and after 

attaching the ECG electrodes also will be 

evaluated for crew health and safety. The ECG 

measurements will be conducted four times at 

different measuring points (once preflight, twice 

in-flight and once postflight). The ECG 

electrodes will be attached to the chest wall of 

an Expedition 18 crew member to monitor heart 

rate and arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat). After 

the 24h ECG measurement, the crew member’s 

chest will be videoed by a High Definition 

Television (HDTV) camera to record the visual 

changes in skin condition where the ECG 

electrodes were attached. 

One Digital Holter ECG will be launched on 

Progress M-67 (32P) (the HDTV camera was 

delivered on the STS-120 (10A) mission). 

Digital Holter ECG 

HDTV camera 

Principal Investigator: 

Chiaki Mukai (JAXA) 

Project Lead: 

Hiroshi Ohshima (JAXA) 

Technical POC: 

Ichiro Tayama (JAXA) 

JAXA Education Payload Observations 

(JAXA EPO) 

Spiral Top

This is a demonstration of light art in space. 

Light art is a kind of modern art object that 

optically varies its image along with some 

self-motions. Spiral Top is a moving light art 

object that will spin around in the air. An 

Expedition 18 crew member will use the HDTV 

camera to capture video images of the Spiral 

Top floating and spinning around in Kibo. 

The Spiral Top will be launched aboard 

Progress M-67 (32P). The video imagery will 

return to the ground on the STS-127 (2J/A) 

mission. 
70 JAXA KIBO UTILIZATION OCTOBER 2008

Spiral top 

Video image 

Hiten Project

This project tries to demonstrate the “Hiten 

(flying deity)” dance painted on ancient murals, 

such as “Dun Huang Mural” in China and the 

“Horyuji Mural Painting” in Japan. An 

Expedition 18 crew member will wear a 

costume for the Hiten dance, and try to re-enact 

the dance as painted on ancient murals. 

Re-enacting the flying deities dance in 

microgravity may help us to realize the ancient 

people’s dreams and adoration of the celestial 

world. Items for the Hiten Project will be 

launched aboard Progress M-67 (32P) and the 

STS-119 (15A) mission. The video imagery will 

be returned to the ground on the STS-127 

(2J/A) mission. 

Space Clothing

The goal of this program is to obtain 

fundamental information for developing and 

designing mentally and emotionally comfortable 

clothing for astronauts living in a microgravity 

environment. An Expedition 18 crew member 

will take various different poses moving around 

in Kibo. The movements will be videoed using 

the HDTV. The video imagery will be returned 

to the ground on the STS-127 (2J/A) mission. 

Space Poem Chain

The first series of Space Poem Chain (Space 

Poem Chain 1), in which 24 poems were 

compiled, was recorded on a DVD, launched 

to the station, and stored in Kibo’s Experiment 

Logistics Module-Pressurized Section 

(ELM-PS) during the STS-123 (1J/A) mission. 

This time, the second series of Space Poem 

Chain (Space Poem Chain 2), which includes 

24 poems written based on the theme “There 

are Stars,” recorded on a DVD. This second 

DVD will be launched to the space station 

aboard the Progress M-67 (32P). Astronaut 

Wakata will write verses for Space Poem Chain 

3 during his stay aboard the station. 
OCTOBER 2008 NASA TELEVISION 71

Digital NASA Television 

NASA Television can be seen in the continental 

United States on AMC-6, at 72 degrees west 

longitude, Transponder 17C, 4040 MHz, vertical 

polarization, FEC 3/4, Data Rate 36.860 MHz, 

Symbol 26.665 Ms, Transmission DVB. If you 

live in Alaska or Hawaii, NASA TV can now be 

seen on AMC-7, at 137 degrees west longitude, 

Transponder 18C, at 4060 MHz, vertical 

polarization, FEC 3/4, Data Rate 36.860 MHz, 

Symbol 26.665 Ms, Transmission DVB. 

Digital NASA TV system provides higher quality 

images and better use of satellite bandwidth, 

meaning multiple channels from multiple NASA 

program sources at the same time. 

Digital NASA TV has four digital channels: 

1. NASA Public Service (“Free to Air”), 

featuring documentaries, archival 

programming, and coverage of NASA 

missions and events. 

2. NASA Education Services (“Free to 

Air/Addressable”), dedicated to providing 

educational programming to schools, 

educational institutions and museums. 

3. NASA Media Services (“Addressable”), for 

broadcast news organizations. 

4. NASA Mission Operations (Internal Only). 

Note: Digital NASA TV channels may not 

always have programming on every 

channel simultaneously. 

Internet Information 

Information is available through several sources 

on the Internet. The primary source for mission 

information is the NASA Human Space Flight 

Web, part of the World Wide Web. This site 

contains information on the crew and its 

mission and will be updated regularly with 

status reports, photos and video clips 

throughout the flight. The NASA Shuttle Web’s 

address is: 

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov

General information on NASA and its programs 

is available through the NASA Home Page and 

the NASA Public Affairs Home Page: 

http://www.nasa.gov

or 

http://www.nasa.gov/newsinfo/

index.html
72 NASA TELEVISION OCTOBER 2008

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OCTOBER 2008 PAO CONTACTS 73

Expedition 18 Public Affairs Officers (PAO) Contacts 

Michael Braukus International Partners 202-358-1979

NASA Headquarters 

Washington, D.C. 

michael.j.braukus@nasa.gov

Katherine Trinidad 

NASA Headquarters 

Washington, D.C. 

katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov

Shuttle, Space Station Policy 202-358-3749

John Yembrick 

NASA Headquarters 

Washington, D.C. 

john.yembrick-1@nasa.gov

Shuttle, Space Station Policy 202-358-0602

Michael Curie 

NASA Headquarters 

Washington, D.C. 

michael.curie@nasa.gov

Shuttle, Space Station Policy 202-358-4715

Grey Hautaluoma 

NASA Headquarters 

Washington, D.C. 

grey.hautaluoma-1@nasa.gov

Research in Space 202-358-0668

Ashley Edwards 

NASA Headquarters 

Washington, D.C. 

ashley.edwards-1@nasa.gov

Research in Space 202-358-1756

James Hartsfield 

NASA Johnson Space Center 

Houston 

Astronauts/Mission Operations 281-483-5111

james.a.hartsfield@nasa.gov

Rob Navias 

NASA Johnson Space Center 

Houston 

Mission Operations 281-483-5111

rob.navias-1@nasa.gov

Kelly Humphries 

NASA Johnson Space Center 

Houston 

International Space Station and 

Mission Operations Directorate 

281-483-5111

kelly.o.humphries@nasa.gov
74 PAO CONTACTS OCTOBER 2008

Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters Astronauts 281-483-5111

NASA Johnson Space Center 

Houston 

nicole.cloutier-1@nasa.gov

Steve Roy Science Operations 256-544-0034

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center 

Huntsville, Ala. 

steven.e.roy@nasa.gov

Ed Memi International Space Station 281-226-4029

The Boeing Company 

Houston 

edmund.g.memi@boeing.com

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) 

JAXA Public Affairs Office 

Tokyo, Japan 

011-81-3-6266-6414, 6415, 6416, 6417 

proffice@jaxa.jp

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) 

Jean-Pierre Arseneault 

Manager, Media Relations and Information Services

Canadian Space Agency 

514-824-0560 (cell) 

jean-pierre.arseneault@space.gc.ca

Media Relations Office 

Canadian Space Agency 

450-926-4370 

European Space Agency (ESA) 

Clare Mattok 

Communication Manager 

European Space Agency (ESA) 

Paris, France 

011-33-1-5369-7412 

clare.mattok@eas.int