Expedition 31 crew members arrive at International Space Station

May 18, 2012



The spacecraft, which launched on Tuesday, arrived at the International Space Station yesterday with three members of the  long duration mission.

The Soyuz rocket launched on May 15 at 3:01:23 (9:01:23 AM local time) from the  in Kazakhstan. On board were Russian cosmonauts and, as well as NASA astronaut.

The Soyuz spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station on May 17, approximately two days after launch, at 4:36 UTC. After docking, the Soyuz crew joined fellow Expedition 31 crew members, European Space Agency astronaut , and NASA astronaut , who wished Acaba a happy 45th birthday.

Kononenko, Kuipers, and Pettit are currently slated to return to Earth in early June, at which point Padalka, Revin and Acaba&mdash;the most recent additions to the ISS crew&mdash;will become members of. The trio are scheduled to be the only occupants of the space outpost until the arrival of the remainder of the Expedition 32 crew aboard, currently slated for July 17.

During their time aboard the station, Padalka, Revin, and Acaba will perform research in, , and space technology. They are expected to remain aboard the International Space Station until mid-September, after which they will return to Earth to conclude a mission of approximately 125 days in space.