A six-hour journey to join the crew aboard the International Space Station
In short: In late September 2013, a Soyuz spacecraft launched from Kazakhstan to begin a five-and-a-half-month mission. This journey was part of the transition between Expeditions 37 and 38, bringing new specialists to the station to study aging, disease, and the physics of microgravity.
The transition between Expedition 37 and Expedition 38 involved complex orbital handovers. On September 26, 2013 (Kazakh time), the Soyuz TMA-10M launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. This mission carried Roscosmos Commander Oleg Kotov, Flight Engineer Sergey Ryazanskiy, and NASA Flight Engineer Michael Hopkins. Their six-hour journey was designed to join a station crew that had been present since late May, including Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin, Karen Nyberg, and Luca Parmitano. The crew members included Sergey Ryazanskiy and Oleg Kotov. This flight was launched via the Russian Soyuz TMA-10M spacecraft.
Expedition 38 itself was a period of significant scientific and logistical activity. The crew conducted research into disease and aging treatments, utilized lasers to analyze gases, and tested methods for beaming large amounts of data back to Earth. Beyond science, the mission involved critical maintenance and logistics, such as the installation of the Cygnus cargo vehicle and the management of various Progress supply ships. Scientists also explored the field of space physics. The crew worked to transmit massive quantities of data to ground stations.
The mission also featured unique symbolic moments. A Soyuz TMA-11M rocket departed from Kazakhstan in November 2013, transporting the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics torch. Onboard this flight were Expedition 38 members Mikhail Tyurin, Richard Mastracchio, and Koichi Wakata. The torch was granted a four-day visit to the International Space Station, marking a rare intersection of global sporting events and orbital exploration. The Soyuz TMA-11M departure occurred on November 6, 2013. This specific flight included crew members Koichi Wakata and Mikhail Tyurin.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Expedition 37/38 Launches to the International Space Station
- Also: Expedition 38 - NASA
- Also: Photos: Space Station
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