posted November 24, 2004 08:26 AM               

NEXT INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION CREW NAMED

Veteran NASA astronaut John Phillips and seasoned Russian
Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev are the next crew of the
International Space Station. Their six-month mission is set for
launch in April 2005.

Phillips and Krikalev are the eleventh crew for the orbiting
research complex. Krikalev will serve as Station Commander, and
Phillips is Flight Engineer and NASA International Space
Station Science Officer. Designated Expedition 11, they will be
on board the Station when the Space Shuttle makes its first
Return to Flight mission. The Shuttle is scheduled to dock with
the Space Station in May 2005.

Both crewmembers have previously been to the International
Space Station. Phillips flew to the Station aboard the Shuttle
on the STS-100 mission in 2001. During that 12-day mission, the
crew installed the Canadarm2 Station robotic arm.

In 2000, Krikalev was a member of Expedition 1, the first
International Space Station crew. Expedition 11 will be his
sixth space flight and fourth long-duration mission. He has the
most flights for any Russian cosmonaut.

Selected in 1985, Krikalev flew aboard the Mir Space Station in
1988-89, 1991-92 and the International Space Station in
2000-01. He flew aboard the Shuttle on the first joint U.S.-
Russian mission, STS-60 in 1994, and on the first International
Space Station assembly mission, STS-88 in 1998. Krikalev has
accumulated 625 days in space. At the completion of a six-month
stay aboard the Station on Expedition 11, Krikalev will have
spent more time in space than any other person.

posted November 24, 2004 01:01 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Philip:
So it will be Krikalev's last mission ...

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Why?

On his 7th mission and 5th long term stay, he will decide to permanently live in space and never to return to Earth .....;-)

posted November 25, 2004 11:35 AM               

Wonder how long it will take for his record to be broken. And how will the time from 1G be qualified. There will be micro gravity, 0G, moonG, MarsG. I need to live long enough to see all these things comes to pass.

After Krikalev came back from ISS he told me that each time he returns to earth he readapts much quicker than the time before.