ISS: Expedition 6

Launch, orbit & landing data: Launch date - time  24 Nov 2002 - 00:49 UT Launch spacecraft  STS-113 Flight Crew  Bowersox, Kenneth (CDR) Budarin, Nikolai (FE) Pettit, Donald (FE) Backup crew   Landing date - time  04 May 2003 - 02:04 UT Landing spacecraft  Soyuz TMA-1 Flight Duration (d:hr:min)  161d 01h 14m Nbr orbits  2534

Crew

Mission details:

• Launch from Cape Canaveral (KSC); landing in 460 km southwest of the intended site in Kazakhstan (49° 27' 48'' N, 61° 20' 36'' E); docking on the ISS; crew replaced the Expedition 5 crew; 19 experiments on different scientific fields; EVA by Bowersox and Pettit on 15.01.2003 (6h 51m) to continue outfitting and activating the International Space Station's newest component, the P1 (P-One) Truss and relocate a toolbox from the Z1 Truss to one of the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid; second EVA by Bowersox and Pettit on 08.04.2003 (6h 26m) to reconfigure power connections, provide a second power source for one of the Station's control moment gyroscopes, secure thermal covers on quick disconnect fittings for the station's thermal control system and to get a latch unstuck, which holds down a support for a light on the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) carts; they were replaced by a crew of two, because of changed flight plans after the Columbia-tragedy; the landing was more dramatical than planned; the new Soyuz TMA-1 capsule, used first time as a lifeboat, made a ballistic landing after a computer failure, resulting in a high deceleration force (8 g) and a high-anxiety off-course landing 460 km far from the planned landing point, north of the Aral-Sea; it took four hours, before the rescue team could safe them, but they were not injured; only Don Pettit had some problems with gravity-effects.
• Endeavour was launched at 0049 UTC on Nov 24, 2002 on Shuttle mission STS-113. STS-113 delivered the Expedition 6 crew and the P1 truss segment to the International Space Station.
• Endeavour docked with the International Space Station on Nov 25, 2002 at 2159 UTC.
• Bowersox and Pettit made a spacewalk from the Quest airlock on Jan 15, 2003. The airlock reached vacuum at about 1214 UTC, with hatch open after some difficulties at 1246 UTC and suit battery power at 1250 UTC. The astronauts deployed the central thermal radiator on the P1 truss and moved a tool box to the CETA cart. The hatch was closed around 1938 UTC with repress at 1941 UTC, for a duration of 7h27m (depress/repress), 6h52m (hatch open/close) or 6h51m (NASA rule).
• Progress M-47 was launched on Feb 2, 2003 and docked with the rear port of the Station's Zvezda module at 1449 UTC on Feb 4, delivering enough supplies to keep the Station crew aboard until June if need be.
  After the STS-107 accident, the Shuttle program is now grounded indefinitely.
• Astronauts Bowersox and Pettit carried out a spacewalk on Apr 8. The Quest airlock was depressurized to below 50 mbar by around 1236 UTC with the hatch open at 1240 UTC. The hatch was closed at 1901 UTC and the airlock was repressurized at 1906 UTC. The astronauts reconfigured some connectors and power cables and deployed a boom on one of the CETA transport carts.
  
  

• 14 April 2003: "Attired in their Russian Sokol suits, the Expedition Six crewmembers pose for a crew photo in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station (ISS)." This photo shows an aft view of the Service Module; starboard is to the left, port to right and the hatch leading to the docked Progress cargo ship is behind Expedition 6. The twin kayutas, (cabins) are visible on either side. Photos of Yurii Gagarin and Konstantin Tsiolkovskii are attached to the panel above the rear hatch. - Credit: NASA.

  
  
  
• Soyuz Soyuz TMA-2 docked with the nadir port on the Zarya module at 0556 UTC on Apr 28, 2003 with hatches open to the station at 0727 UTC.
• The Ex-6 crew of Bowersox, Budarin and Pettit boarded Soyuz TMA-1 on May 3, 2003 and undocked from the Pirs nadir port at 2243 UTC.

Astrophilately covers:

Cosmic Mail: Cover with bleu extagonal ISS cancel, special red flight cancels and bleu MKC6, signed by the crew.