7 new members going to the space station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Up at the space station, the tenants are still getting used to having twice as many people around. Now, they’re getting seven house guests who will stay for nearly two weeks.

NASA is aiming to launch space shuttle Endeavour on Saturday morning on a space station construction mission that should complete a Japanese lab. The countdown began Wednesday.

The space station crew doubled to six last month, and when the shuttle pulls up with its crew of seven, there will be 13 people on board the station — the most people ever together in space at one time.

The astronauts will add the final segment to the Japanese lab, store spare parts outside and change out batteries.



by the associated press

3 to join space station on Friday

BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan — A Russian space capsule blasted off Wednesday into the afternoon skies of Central Asia on a mission to expand the permanent human presence in space.

The Soyuz craft carrying Canadian Robert Thirsk, Russian Roman Romanenko and Belgian Frank De Winne soared above Kazakhstan’s southern steppe to begin a journey to the space station.

The capsule is expected to dock with the space station sometime Friday.

Soyuz’s three astronauts will join the three crew members already on the station, forming a six-member permanent crew for the first time.

The Soyuz capsule will be hooked to the space station until it is used in the future by astronauts returning to Earth.

The station’s newest crew members will further consolidate the international credentials of the space station, which is currently occupied by American astronaut Michael Barratt, Russia’s Gennady Padalka and Japan’s Koichi Wakata.

Experts also say the enlarged crew will allow for greater advances in scientific research.

"The kinds of science, the amount of science — all of that is going to be expanded,” NASA spokesman Rob Navias said.



by the associated press