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> Soyuz TMA-3 spaceship approaches ISS 10-2003

Soyuz TMA-3 spaceship approaches ISS 10-2003

author: ESA/Novapix

reference: e-is008-00100

Image Size 300 DPI: 18 * 11 cm

The Soyuz TMA-3 ship, carrying ESA astronaut Pedro Duque, from Spain, for the Cervantes mission, approaches the International Space Station (ISS) prior to docking with the Russian Zarya resource module at 07:16 UT on October 20, 2003. Soyuz TMA-3, launched two days earlier from Baikonour, Kazakhstan, also carried the replacement permanent crew for the orbital outpost: Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Kaleri and British-born NASA astronaut Michael Foale. Soyuz TMA-3 successfully docked with the ISS on October 20. Pedro Duque then spent eight days onboard the station and carried out an extensive experiment programme in the fields of life and physical sciences, Earth observation, education and technology, including experiments in the Microgravity Science Glovebox, a research facility developed in Europe. He returned to Earth on October 28 onboard Soyuz TMA-2 with the former ISS permanent crew, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and NASA astronaut Edward Lu, who were replaced by Kaleri and Foale. Soyuz TMA-2 landed safely near the town of Arkalyk in Kazakhstan, at 08:40 local time, concluding a mission that lasted 237 hours and 3 minutes.

Keywords for this photo:

2003 - ATMOSPHERE - CLOUD - EARTH - EARTH FROM SPACE - EXPEDITION 8 - HORIZON - ISS - LIMB - MANNED SPACEFLIGHT - RENDEZVOUS - SOYUZ - SOYUZ TMA-3 - SPACE - SPACESHIP -