Coverage Set for Next International Space Station Crew Launch Saturday

With the retirement of the US space shuttle, America must rely on Russian spacecraft to get their astronauts into space and onto the International Space Station. This state of affairs will most likely exist until 2015 or later when one of a number of proposed US space vehicles will be ready to fly.

In the meantime, the next ISS mission 32/33, scheduled to launch on July 14, will be aboard a Soyuz vehicle (TMA-05M) launched from Baikanour, Kazakhstan. NASA Television will provide extensive coverage of prelaunch, launch and docking activities of the next trio of crew members who will fly to the International Space Station beginning at 8:30 p.m. CDT, Saturday.

NASA Flight Engineer Sunita Williams, veteran Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Flight Engineer Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will launch to the station at 9:40 p.m. CDT; (8:40 a.m., July 15 Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. 

American astronaut Williams will be stationed on ISS for the second time. In fact Williams, a Navy Captain, holds the world record for the longest stay in space by a female having spent 190 days in space on her last mission in 2006. She has a wide range of flying experience in helicopters and fixed wing aircraft and was originally planning to be a veterinarian before attending the US Naval Academy and discovering her love for aviation and space.

Being officially an Indian/Slovenian American, her unique background has been the source of some online controversy. She was reported to have converted from Hinduism to Islam but that assertion has proven false. She is apparently a follower of Hinduism, her father's religion and the deity Ganesh but also respects her mother's Catholicism. She has millions of fans in India who will be following tomorrow's launch.

The full schedule of the Soyuz prelaunch, launch and docking coverage on NASA TV public and media channels includes (all times are Central): 

Tuesday, July 10 
1 p.m. -- Video File of Expedition 32/33 crew activities in Baikonur, Kazakhstan 

Wednesday, July 11 
1 p.m. -- Video File of Expedition 32/33 crew activities in Baikonur, Kazakhstan and Soyuz TMA-05M mating operations 

Thursday, July 12 
1 p.m. -- Video File of Expedition 32/33 Soyuz TMA-05M rollout to the launch pad in Baikonur, Kazakhstan 

Friday, July 13 
1 p.m. -- Video File of Expedition 32/33 Russian State Commission meeting and final prelaunch crew news conference in Baikonur, Kazakhstan 

Saturday, July 14 
8:30 p.m. -- Expedition 32/33 Soyuz TMA-05M launch coverage begins (launch at 9:40 p.m.); includes video B-roll of crew prelaunch activities and launch replays from Baikonur, Kazakhstan 
11:30 p.m. -- Video File of Expedition 32/33 Soyuz TMA-05M pre-launch and launch video B-roll and post-launch Interviews 

Monday, July 16 
11:15 p.m. -- Expedition 32/33 Soyuz TMA-05M docking coverage begins (docking at 11:52 p.m. followed by post-docking news conference from Mission Control in Korolev, Russia) 

Tuesday, July 17 
2 a.m. -- Expedition 32/33 Soyuz TMA-05M hatch opening and welcoming ceremony coverage begins (ceremony scheduled at 2:25 a.m.) 
4 a.m. -- Video File of Expedition 32/33 Soyuz TMA-05M docking, hatch opening and welcoming ceremony 

For updated NASA TV coverage times, visit: nasa.gov