Image above: At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft lifted off to carry Expedition 17 to the International Space Station

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Expedition 17 to arrive at space station Thursday

After Tuesday’s successful launch, the Expedition 17 crew members are headed to their new home aboard the International Space Station.

Commander Sergei Volkov, Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko, RN3DX and spaceflight participant So-yeon Yi, DS3SYL launched at 7:16 a.m. EDT in a Soyuz TMA-12 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The orbiter and crew are scheduled to dock with the station about 9 a.m. Thursday.

Volkov and Kononenko will begin a six-month stay in space. Spaceflight participant Yi will return to Earth with Expedition 16 crew members, Commander Peggy Whitson, KC5ZTD and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko, RK3DUP on April 19.

Whitson and Malenchenko launched to the station Oct. 10. Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman, KE5HAE launched to the station on the STS-123 mission of Endeavour March 11. He joined Expedition 16 in progress and will continue his tour with the Expedition 17 crew.

Aboard the station, the Expedition 16 crew performed maintenance tasks Wednesday during a light-duty day in preparation for the arrival of the new residents to the station. The crew also organized hardware and materials to be brought back with Whitson and Malenchenko aboard the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft on April 19.