ISS expedition 13

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Mission emblem
Mission emblem Expedition 13
Mission dates
Mission: ISS expedition 13
Crew: 3
Rescue ships: Soyuz TMA-8
Space station: ISS
Start: April 1, 2006, 04:19 UTC
Started by: Coupling of Soyuz TMA-8
The End: September 28, 2006, 21:53 UTC
Ended by: Decoupling from Soyuz TMA-8
Duration: 180d 17h 34min
Number of EVAs : 2
Total length of the EVAs: 12h 25m
Team photo
(from left) Thomas Reiter, Pawel Winogradow and Jeffrey Williams
(from left) Thomas Reiter, Pawel Winogradow and Jeffrey Williams
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ISS Expedition 13 is the mission name for the 13th long-term crew of the International Space Station (ISS) . The crew lived and worked on board the ISS between April 1, 2006 and September 28, 2006.

team

Substitute team

Mission description

Crew work on board

Start of Expedition 13 with a Russian Soyuz rocket

The Russian commander Pavel Vinogradow and the American flight engineer Jeffrey Williams started on March 30, 2006 together with the Brazilian guest spaceman Marcos Pontes with the Soyuz TMA-8 spacecraft . Two days later, docking with the Sarja module of the International Space Station (ISS) took place in automatic mode .

The return of the 12th long-term crew , together with visitor cosmonaut Pontes, took place on April 8 with the Soyuz TMA-7 spacecraft . Expedition 13 had thus taken command of the space station.

NASA originally planned to bring William S. McArthur back on the space shuttle , but had to give up due to problems and launch delays in the orbiter fleet. It was also planned to bring the German ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter , who originally also belonged to Expedition 13, to the station on the STS-121 shuttle mission in autumn 2005. For technical reasons, STS-121 had to be postponed to the summer of the following year, so that Reiter did not arrive on the ISS until July 6, 2006 as the third member of ISS Expedition 13. This was the first time since 2003 that the station had a three-person long-term crew.

After a short period of adaptation to space and getting used to it, the first few weeks were devoted to experiments with liquids. It was about the capillary effect and the freezing of liquids in weightlessness. At the end of April 2006 the first supply spaceship ( Progress M-56 ) arrived at the station and brought 2.3 tons of equipment, breathing air, water and food.

Another experiment carried out in mid-May was SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites). This is a tiny satellite with a diameter of 20 centimeters, which was deployed inside the station and controlled by radio by Jeff Williams. But SPHERES could also perform autonomous maneuvers. The satellite is used to test new technologies that can be used in missions with multiple satellites in formation flight.

At the same time, intensive preparations for the first spacecraft took place . This took place in the night of June 1st to 2nd under the direction of cosmonaut Vinogradov and therefore also in Russian Orlan space suits . The spacemen disembarked from the Russian Pirs module at 22:48 UTC . During the outboard operation, a nozzle was replaced that releases the hydrogen produced by the “ Elektron ” oxygen system in the Zvezda module into space. In addition, several experiments attached to the outside of the station were collected and a defective camera on the Mobile Base system was replaced. All tasks were completed during the 6 hour and 31 minute exit.

The repaired Elektron system was initially put back into operation a few days after the spacecraft operation, but switched off after only seven hours due to a fault in the power supply. However, this did not pose a threat to the crew because the oxygen can also be obtained directly from the Progress supplies. The problem with the power supply was finally resolved on June 11th. Since then, the electron has been functioning normally again.

On July 6, the ISS crew was increased by one crew member when the German Thomas Reiter moored at the station on the US space shuttle Discovery. When the hatches opened at 16.30 UTC, it was the first visit for Vinogradov and Williams since they took over the station. While the other six shuttle astronauts returned to Earth after a few days, Reiter stayed on board for about six months.

Thomas Reiter during the space exit

On August 3, another spacecraft mission was on the agenda. This time Thomas Reiter and Jeff Williams left the station in American spacesuits. The EVA started at 14:04 UTC - nine minutes later than planned because the exit hatch of the Quest airlock was stuck. During the almost six-hour disembarkation, the two spacemen carried out maintenance work on the station. First they installed the FPMU (Floating Potential Measurement Unit), a device for measuring the electrical charge on the station. Then they assembled two MISSE containers that are used to test the effects of space on materials. Williams later installed a floodlight system to assist with future exits, while Reiter tested an infrared camera to be used to detect damage to the shuttle's heat protection tiles. Finally they exchanged a defective GPS antenna. The exit was the 69th dedicated to the construction or maintenance of the space station.

One day after the STS-115 space shuttle Atlantis separated from the space station, an incident occurred on September 18 on board the ISS: the “Elektron” oxygen generator overheated and the sealing walls scorched . As a result, some caustic potash leaked from the device, which gave off a strange smell, which alerted the three spacemen. Thomas Reiter and his two roommates put on protective masks and gloves and started repairing the oxygen-producing unit. After a short time, the team was able to give the all-clear. NASA stated that the astronauts' lives were never in danger. In an interview a few days later, Reiter said that although it smelled a bit strong, the excitement was less than it might have appeared from the ground.

After 180 days on board the ISS, Vinogradov and Williams returned to Earth on September 29, 2006. Thomas Reiter stayed on the space station for another three months as a member of ISS Expedition 14 and followed suit with STS-116 on December 22, 2006.

Supplies and visits

After the visit of STS-121 in July 2006, just two months later, another space shuttle flight, the STS-115, reached the space station. On board was the P3 / P4 element , which consists of a grid structure and a solar module. The new segment was assembled with three outboard work totaling 20 hours and thus expanded the ISS for the first time after a four-year break.

In addition, the crew was supplied with new supplies twice by Progress spaceships, once in April and again in June. These spaceships will remain docked at the station until the end of Expedition 13.

Mission emblem

  • Until July 2006: two names, two states

  • As of July 2006: three names, three states

The mission emblem of Expedition 13 shows the ISS against the background of the earth. In addition, the moon and the planet Mars are shown to show that the ISS also plays a major role in space exploration beyond Earth orbit. There are two versions of the mission emblem on which two or all three members of the expedition are mentioned. The first version contains only the names of Vinogradov and Williams, as well as the national colors of Russia and the USA. Another version applies to the period from July 2006 onwards. Reiter's name has been inserted here, and the German colors black-red-gold appear between the others.

See also

Web links

Commons : ISS Expedition 13  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

swell

  1. ↑ NASA: New Crew Docks With Space Station , March 31, 2006 (English)
  2. ↑ NASA: Progress With Equipment, Supplies Docks at Station , April 26, 2006 (English)
  3. ↑ NASA: International Space Station Status Report: SS06-026 , June 2, 2006 (English)
  4. ↑ NASA: STS-121 MCC Status Report # 23 , July 15, 2006 (English)
  5. ↑ NASA: Station Crewmen Back Inside After Spacewalk , August 3, 2006 (English)
  6. ^ NTV: Rauch aboard the ISS , September 18, 2006
  7. ↑ Photo-iss013s001. NASA, October 30, 2012, accessed February 17, 2014 .
  8. ^ Expedition 13. NASA, accessed on February 17, 2014 (English, both versions of the mission emblem are shown on this page).