NASA TV to Provide Coverage of Next Soyuz Launch, Docking

May 12, 2009

Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
katherine.trinidad@xxxxxxxx

James Hartsfield
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
james.a.hartsfield@xxxxxxxx

MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-082

NASA TV TO PROVIDE COVERAGE OF NEXT SOYUZ LAUNCH, DOCKING

HOUSTON -- NASA Television will provide live coverage as the next
residents of the International Space Station launch and arrive at the
station to expand its crew to six people. Coverage begins May 15 when
the crew members leave Star City, Russia, en route to the launch site
in Kazakhstan.

On May 27, Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, European Space Agency
astronaut Frank De Winne and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Bob
Thirsk will launch aboard a Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 5:34 a.m. CDT (4:34 p.m. Baikonur time).
They will arrive at the station at 7:36 a.m. CDT on May 29 to join
the station's Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineers Mike
Barratt of NASA and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency. The six men will form the Expedition 20 crew, the station's
first six-person crew. This mission also will be the first time crew
members are aboard representing all five International Space Station
partners.

Events to be broadcast on NASA TV include (all times CDT):

Friday, May 15
5 p.m. -- Video File of Expedition 20 crew's traditional breakfast
ceremony in Star City, Russia, prior to departure for the Baikonur
launch site (replayed at 10 p.m.)

May 26, Tuesday
11 a.m. -- Video File of Expedition 20 crew prelaunch activities and
training, Soyuz spacecraft rollout and final crew prelaunch news
conference in Baikonur

May 27, Wednesday
3:45 a.m. -- Video File of Expedition 20 prelaunch activities in
Baikonur
4:45 a.m. -- Live coverage begins of Expedition 20 launch, scheduled
at 5:34 a.m.
11 a.m. -- Video File of Expedition 20 launch day activities, launch
and post-launch interviews

May 29, Friday
7 a.m. -- Live coverage begins of Expedition 20 docking to the space
station, scheduled at 7:36 a.m. A post-docking news conference will
follow.
8:30 a.m. -- Live coverage begins of Soyuz hatch opening, expected at
approximately 8:45 a.m., and Expedition 20 welcoming ceremony
12 p.m. -- Video File of Soyuz docking to the station, hatch opening
and welcoming ceremony

For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the space station, visit:

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